Here we are, 2026! As we start the year, I want to thank all our members for your hard work in the last several months as our profession once again delivered an outstanding fall immunization campaign.
There are big changes this year. First, pharmacists finally received a long-awaited increase to the dispensing fee. As of Jan. 2, 2026, the dispensing fee is now $11. This increase is needed movement that I know the Association has been advocating for strongly in all of its conversations and meetings with the provincial government. I also know our members played no small part. Many of you took the time to invite your provincially elected representatives into your pharmacies to communicate this important ask. Thank you to every member who helped us achieve this.
This year marks the start of a new three-year strategic plan for the Association to guide its activities through 2028. Our plan will focus on four core areas:
- Supporting the sustainability of pharmacy practice
- Nurturing key relationships
- Advancing the profile and reputation of pharmacists
- Providing information and education resources
In this edition, you will get to take a deeper look at the details of the strategic plan. You will also read about stories of pharmacists across B.C. in different areas of practice, including some who are embracing new technologies such as artificial intelligence in the pharmacy workplace.
In another mark of a new chapter, this edition includes a look at the re-opening of a permanent pharmacy in Lytton, a staple in the community that has been missing since 2021, when the town was affected by wildfire.
And another big piece of news: BCPhA CEO Geraldine Vance has given notice that she will be leaving the organization in November. Since first joining the Board of Directors in 2022, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Geraldine. Under her leadership, our Association developed a close working relationship between the profession and the provincial government, one that has helped secure additional scope of practice, such as minor ailment prescribing. She has ensured pharmacists have a central role in government projects such as provincial immunization campaigns, pushed for positive changes for pharmacists in clinical programs like Opioid Agonist Treatment, and secured a continued seat at the table in discussions to identify ways to expand access to care. On behalf of the Board and members of the BCPhA, thank you for everything, Geraldine. We will miss your steady hand at the helm and profession will not be the same without you.
In the coming months, the Board of Directors will be working to identify a new CEO for the Association, and we look forward to releasing more news to members soon.
Kylee Power
Chair, Board of Directors
BC Pharmacy Association