Beyond Orange Shirt Day: B.C. Pharmacy Regulator Calls for Everyday Cultural Safety

A September 28, 2026 message from the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia puts the focus on what happens after Orange Shirt Day: whether Indigenous people experience respectful, safe pharmacy care throughout the year. Registrar and CEO Suzanne Solven’s reflection is relevant to both community and hospital teams. It is a call for accountability, not the announcement of a new clinical service. [1]

From ceremony to daily responsibility

Solven describes a September 18 Coast Salish blanketing ceremony involving the College’s Board. Board members also signed a declaration committing to Indigenous cultural safety, cultural humility and anti-racism. Her September 28 message connects that responsibility to the care and regulation of pharmacies beyond a single commemorative day. [1]

Pharmasist perspective: A useful team discussion is not simply whether an annual course has been completed, but what the learning changes at the counter, in a consultation room or during discharge counselling. The suggestions below are editorial implementation prompts, not new College rules.

Existing supports—not newly introduced requirements

B.C.’s cultural-safety education requirement began April 1, 2025. Pharmacy professionals must complete at least three hours annually within their existing 15-hour continuing-education requirement. Accredited and non-accredited activities can count; learning must be recorded through the College’s process. This background should not be mistaken for a new September 2026 mandate. [2]

The College also offers the Eyhh Slaxin (Good Medicine) Line for Indigenous individuals, including people contacting it on their behalf, to raise concerns about pharmacy care in B.C. Callers can discuss next steps without having to recount everything at once. The line is not a crisis service and does not resolve a concern during the initial call. [3]

Practice guidance for pharmacists

• At the next team meeting, identify one communication or access barrier and assign an owner to review it. Treat this as an ongoing improvement task, not a one-day activity. [1]
• Check cultural-safety learning records against the existing annual requirement; plan learning that addresses an actual practice gap. [2]
• Keep the Good Medicine Line’s official page accessible to staff so eligible people can find current contact details and hours. Offer information without pressuring anyone to disclose an experience. [3]
• When helping someone raise a concern, respect their preferred starting point and choice of support person. Do not promise a particular outcome or immediate resolution. [3]

The practical follow-through is to revisit the identified change with the team and ask whether the experience of care has improved—not merely whether the activity was completed.

Cover illustration: a conceptual consultation space, not the College’s office or the ceremony described.