Meet your 2025 Board of Directors

In October, BC Pharmacy Association members voted for new elected members of the Association Board of Directors. 

With the results tallied, we will have one returning director and two new members joining the BCPhA Board of Directors starting on Jan. 1, 2025. This year, BCPhA members elected Livia Chan from New Westminster, Bless Morales from Abbotsford, and Kylee Power from Nanaimo.

The Tablet spoke with the newly elected Board members to share a few words:

Elected 2025-2027
Regional Manager, Pharmacy Operations
Save-On-Foods (New Westminster)

I want to thank everyone who supported me during this election and placed their trust in me to represent our profession. I recognize that the most pressing issues we face today are staffing shortages, inadequate reimbursement from government and third-party payers, and the increasing burden of new legislation and administrative requirements on pharmacists’ current workload.

During my term, I am committed to advocating for improved reimbursement for pharmacy services, better support for pharmacists overall, and additional resources to strengthen our profession in rural communities.

Pharmacists are increasingly taking on responsibilities that were traditionally handled by hospitals and physicians. I firmly believe that we, as a profession, can lead the way in addressing these challenges. We are trusted leaders who have demonstrated that we are more than capable of supporting our communities and providing essential care. Whether through vaccinations, medication management services, prescribing, or chronic disease management, pharmacists have proven that we can step up to meet the growing health care needs of our patients. However, to continue delivering this level of care, we need the necessary resources and support. At the same time, pharmacists are facing significant challenges — staffing shortages, administrative burdens, and the increasing demands of providing new clinical services. Balancing these challenges with the core dispensary work is not easy, but it’s essential that we find a way to do so.

Elected 2025-2027
Regional Manager, Pharmacy Operations
Pattison Food Group (Abbotsford)

I am thankful for the opportunity given to me by the people who voted for me in this election and for recognizing what I can contribute to in this role. I have always enjoyed taking an active role in advocating for the profession and I’m thankful for all the support and trust given to me to be part of the BCPhA Board. 

I believe the most important issue for our profession is the lack of resources, especially in rural communities. Pharmacists are the most accessible health care provider, and as the public increases its dependence on our profession, there is an increasing need for more support for our members. Our dispensing fee has not increased in years, and in spite of the limited resources, our profession is doing far more than we have expected. For community pharmacy to be sustainable, we must have sufficient resources to reduce burnout felt in our workforce and to ensure we can continue to recruit skilled people.

During my term, I would like to see our remuneration improved for the services that we already do. I’d also like to see us have a more collaborative approach with other health care providers on coming services, such as chronic disease management. 

Elected 2022-2027
Pharmacy Manager, Central Drugs – Lantzville
Owner, The Central Drug Stores Ltd. (Nanaimo)

I want to thank everybody who voted in this election, and for those who voted for me, I thank you for your trust that I will continue to represent you well. I'd also like to thank my family and business partners for recognizing the value that this role offers in leading community pharmacy, and for supporting me in taking time away from my other responsibilities to serve on the Board. All pharmacy services, whether it’s dispensing, compounding, providing immunizations, minor ailment assessments, prescription adaptations, lab test ordering — are valuable parts of the B.C. health care system. 

We are filling a large gap, but our fees for these services are outdated or in some cases, lacking completely. As a BCPhA Board Member, I want to be the voice for the frontline pharmacists who are doing this work. I want to represent the people at the pharmacy counter, the people who are the boots on the ground, interacting with patients and running a pharmacy from within it. I believe that the work pharmacists do is vital to the overall health of British Columbians and we deserve to be recognized, and compensated accordingly. During my time here, I promise to champion a complete re-evaluation of the reimbursement structure for all pharmacy services.

• Colleen Hogg (Chair)
• Kylee Power (Vice Chair)
• Mike Huitema (Past Chair)
• Livia Chan
• Chris Chiew
• Mark Dickson
• Justin Dovale
• Michelle Gray
• Ruhani Grewal
• Mark Kunzli
• Bless Morales