REGINA, Sask. — New Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data shows Saskatchewan has the highest pharmacist supply and workforce rates in the country.
According to CIHI's Pharmacists in Canada, 2025 publication, Saskatchewan's pharmacist supply grew by 16.9 per cent between 2016 and 2025, increasing from 1,554 to 1,816 pharmacists, while the pharmacist workforce grew by 17.6 per cent, increasing from 1,520 to 1,787.
The new data also found that Saskatchewan recorded the highest pharmacist supply rate in Canada at 14.3 pharmacists per 10,000 population and the highest pharmacist workforce rate among jurisdictions with reportable 2025 workforce data at 14.1 pharmacists per 10,000 population. In addition, nearly 90 per cent of pharmacists practising in Saskatchewan were trained in Canada.
According to Sask. Health, Saskatchewan pharmacists currently operate under one of the broadest scopes of practice in Canada, allowing them to provide more services that improve patient access to care and provide additional capacity for other parts of the health system.
Sask. Health says that as of Oct. 31, more than 300 pharmacists have been trained to offer strep and ear infection assessments and more than 400 pharmacists have been trained to perform therapeutic substitution services.
“This is good news, but there is still more work to be done,” Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan CEO Michael Fougere said.
“As key primary health care professionals we need to continue to increase the primary care services pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can deliver to Saskatchewan residents, with a priority on moving quickly to build on the scope expansion, the Government of Saskatchewan has started with pharmacy professionals.
“To continue to build capacity in the health system, we also need to work on attracting and retaining pharmacy professionals in Saskatchewan. Pharmacy professionals want and can do more. We have to keep our eye on the ball to ensure we continue to attract pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to our province.”
For more information on the Patients First Health Care Plan, visit: www.saskatchewan.ca/patientsfirst.
