Pharmacy Premises and Licensing Due Diligence in Alberta

1. Freeze the proposed ownership and service model

Document the buyer entity, major shareholders, proprietor's representative, proposed licensee, transaction structure and exact activities: dispensing, front-store retail, clinical services, compounding, delivery, clinic co-location and shared premises.

The approval and premises path depends on the actual people, ownership, category, services and location. A conclusion about the seller's current pharmacy should not be reused for a different buyer, renovation or operating model.

• Ownership and licensee
• Services
• Floor plan
• Records and drugs
• Municipal approvals
• Lease and closing

2. Verify the current ACP record

Obtain the current licence, conditions, proprietor and licensee record, most recent assessment or inspection, action items, approved floor plan, renovation history, compounding status, shared-premises arrangements and off-site record storage. Record source and date.

ACP specifically identifies these matters for purchasers of an existing pharmacy. A current licence or completed inspection is historical evidence—not buyer approval, a transferable licence or assurance that no corrective work remains.

3. Map the buyer's ownership-change process

ACP requires advance notice and approval for ownership, certain major-shareholder and proprietor-representative changes and recommends applying at least 45 days before the intended change. Confirm the actual submission, supporting material, responsible parties and dependencies directly with ACP.

Do not convert the recommendation into a guaranteed service time. Make commercial dates conditional on objective approval and operating-readiness evidence, with a contingency if third-party timing changes.

4. Reconcile the physical pharmacy to approved plans

Measure and photograph the dispensary, patient consultation, compounding, drug and records storage, refrigeration, receiving, staff, retail and shared areas. Compare them to the ACP floor plan, municipal and building records, lease plan and actual walls, doors and equipment.

ACP requires a floor plan for an ownership change and approval before renovation begins. A built or occupied layout is not proof that every alteration, area or proposed workflow is approved.

5. Test privacy, independence and shared premises

Review visual and acoustic privacy, patient consultation, records access, staff movement and separation from adjacent businesses or health professionals. If the pharmacy shares premises, test ACP notification, independent operation, the lockable barrier, separate security and after-hours access.

Clinic co-location does not establish integrated ownership, staff, records or operations. A door, shared reception or common system should not be accepted without confirming the legal, privacy, ACP, lease and municipal implications.

6. Audit drug and records security

Map access, keys, alarms, cameras, safes, storage, refrigeration, temperature monitoring, backup power, receiving, returns, destruction and loss procedures. Review ownership, monitoring, maintenance, incident and corrective-action records.

Health Canada guidance addresses reasonable controlled-substance security, reconciliation and record keeping. An installed safe, camera or alarm is not proof of effective controls or compliance; test the system and the pharmacy's documented practices with qualified professionals.

7. Separate controlled-substance inventory

Define pharmacist-led count, cutoff, reconciliation, discrepancy, transfer, record and loss-reporting procedures for controlled substances separately from other drugs and front-store goods. Preserve source exports and signed count records.

A closing inventory schedule does not by itself authorize possession or transfer. Coordinate federal requirements, ACP obligations, buyer readiness and the exact legal closing sequence before drugs or access change hands.

8. Verify compounding scope and infrastructure

Identify whether the pharmacy compounds, repackages, receives compounded products or relies on another Alberta pharmacy. Compare the actual activity to ACP category, facility, equipment, quality, agreement and current standards requirements.

Historical compounding revenue or installed equipment does not establish that the buyer can continue the activity. Test the proposed category and any compounding-and-repackaging agreement independently.

9. Confirm municipal, building and business approvals

List all proposed dispensing, retail, clinic, compounding, delivery, signage and renovation activities. Obtain address-specific zoning or development, business-licence, building, fire and sign records and ask the municipality which current definitions and permits apply.

Do not assume one municipal use category fits every pharmacy model. Prior operation does not prove that a new clinic component, compounding area, structural change, sign or expanded service is allowed.

10. Audit lease and real-property rights

Compare the licensed and approved areas to the lease or title. For a lease, review regulated use, exclusivity, prohibited uses, clinic or sublease rights, assignment, change of control, consent, alterations, restoration, security, storage, deliveries, power and HVAC.

For owned property, investigate title, use, condition, electrical and mechanical capacity, water history, environmental matters, taxes and capital work separately. Physical occupation is not proof of a transferable lease or suitable real estate.

11. Build operating-readiness and closing gates

For every gap, identify the responsible authority, pharmacist, professional, landlord or counterparty, evidence required, deadline and consequence. Coordinate ACP approval, licensee, municipal and building work, systems, patient records, controlled inventory, insurance, landlord consent, staff and possession.

Possession of the keys, dispensary, drugs or patient systems does not authorize operation or access. Preserve separate commercial-closing and lawful operating-readiness decisions when their conditions differ.

12. Preserve a dated, qualified record

Record searches, document versions, plans, measurements, source dates, professional reports, limitations, unresolved questions and decisions. Recheck time-sensitive licence, inspection, lease, lien and permit matters before condition waiver and closing.

This framework is educational and is not pharmacy, clinical, legal, health-information, privacy, planning, building, fire, engineering, tax, accounting, appraisal or valuation advice. Commercially does not certify pharmacy approval, records, drugs, systems or premises suitability.