FAQ

The Health Professions Act requires that complaints be submitted in writing and signed—the college is not required to take action on an anonymous complaint.

To obtain a Complaint Reporting Form, please call us at 1-877-227-3838 or 780-990-0321.

Yes, your complaint, including your name, is shared with the pharmacist or pharmacy technician so that he or she can respond.

No, you cannot be sued for filing a complaint; however, divulging details of your complaint to others in writing or verbally may constitute libel or slander, placing you at risk for legal action.

No. If financial compensation is your objective, you should obtain the advice of a lawyer and consider filing a civil law suit.

The college does not have jurisdiction to investigate concerns about business practices, financial matters (such as prescription pricing, billings, and refunds), poor customer service, or the manners of a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. These concerns should generally be referred to the pharmacy licensee, pharmacy owner, or corporate office (in the case of a pharmacy chain).

Depending on the complexity of the complaint, the process generally takes about three to four months to resolve. You will be regularly updated on the status of your complaint.

The complaints director will notify you of the outcome once the preliminary investigator has gathered all the evidence and submitted the final report to the complaints director for review.

Under the Health Professions Act the complainant can file an appeal, in writing with reasons, to the hearings director to request a review of the decision by the Complaint Review Committee. The appeal must be filed within 30 days.

If you have a question or concern about the fairness of how your concern was handled, you may contact the Alberta Ombudsman Office at:

The Alberta Ombudsman
2800, 10303 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB  T5J 5C3

You may find contact information for the ACP Complaints Resolution team on the filing a complaint webpage or our contact us webpage.