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Narcotic reconciliation · Canada
Walk into your next inspection with the answer already printed.
Reconcile your narcotics in minutes, not days.
- Calculates expected inventory from your purchase, dispensing and destruction records
- Flags every discrepancy
- Produces inspection-ready reports
- Purpose-built for Canadian pharmacies
From $59/month · No setup fees · Cancel anytime
Reconciliation · Oct 2026
1 to reviewDILAUDID Hydromorphone HCl 2 mg
exp 480 · cnt 480
SUPEUDOL 5 Oxycodone HCl 5 mg
exp 312 · cnt 312
KADIAN Morphine sulfate 100 mg
exp 1,000 · cnt 994
3 items · 1 varianceReport ready →
- Data hosted in Canada
- Keep your history when you switch
- OCP & Health Canada workflows
New · The NarcCount app
Count the tray. Keep the proof.
- A photo, not a tallyPour the tray, take a picture, and the app counts every capsule.
- Adds up on the spotYou know at the tray, not at the audit, when a drug is short.
- The photo is the proofKept with the count, never overwritten.
- Same count as the deskFinish and sign off on the computer. Nothing to re-enter.
Coming sooniPhoneComing soonAndroidSame sign-in as the web app.
01 · Start the count
A count begins on the tray.
Pour the tray, take a picture with the NarcCount mobile app, and let the AI do the counting.
- Capsules on the tray
- 78
02 · Complete the count
994 capsules — 19 sealed bottles, and one with a mark on it.
Count the whole safe in one pass at the end of the day. Don't count while you're still dispensing and receiving.
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Open994
994
Counted, witnessed and written down at 08:40 on 2026-10-13.
03 · The reconciliation
What the records expect, against what the shelf held.
Last count + purchases − dispenses − destructions/expiries = expected
1,006 carried + 250 bought − 232 dispensed − 24 destroyed = 1,000 expected
−66 doses of a controlled substance with no record of where they went.
Expected1,000
Counted994
994 paired off. 6 did not.
04 · The answer
NarcCount does the hard thinking.
It reads every record in the window and ranks the likely causes of the −6, with the evidence for each.
NarcCount AI · root cause537 records read · 2 candidates
A destruction entered after the count was takenMost likely
DEST-2026-0912 — 6 capsules, witnessed. The quantity matches the shortfall exactly, and including it closes the row at zero.
A dispense of 6 capsules on 2026-10-09
The same number as the variance, so it is worth ruling out.
One record, two clocks.
The destruction happened on 2026-10-12, inside the interval, and was entered on 2026-10-14, after the count. A late entry is the most common cause of a narcotic variance.
Event date
2026-10-12
Count taken
2026-10-13 08:40
Entered
2026-10-14 11:05
| KADIAN Morphine sulfate 100 mg | Destroyed | Expected | Counted | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the day of the count | 24 | 1,000 | 994 | −6 |
| With the late record included | 30 | 994 | 994 | 0 |
The prior count on 2026-04-14 and this one on 2026-10-13 are 182 days apart — inside the six months the Ontario College of Pharmacists expects.
What you get
Everything you need to reconcile with confidence
Automated reconciliation
Expected on-hand is calculated from your purchase, dispensing and destruction records, so hours of work take minutes.
Discrepancies, surfaced
Variances are flagged and ranked. One click shows the transactions behind each number.
Both clocks on every record
When a record happened and when it was entered are both kept, so a late entry shows up.
Inspection-ready reports
A printable reconciliation report or CSV for any count, ready for college and Health Canada review.
Bulk import
Upload exports straight from your dispensing software. Unknown DINs are added automatically.
Built for Canada
Designed around CDSA and provincial college requirements, with your data hosted in Canada.
Watch · under 30 seconds
Still reconciling narcotics by hand?
Import your records and NarcCount does the math: every variance flagged, a full audit trail, and inspection-ready reports. The count and the sign-off stay with the pharmacist.
See it in action
Every variance, explained at a glance
A real reconciliation in NarcCount.
- 01Open the countEvery count you have taken, with the date and whether it still needs a second signature.
- 02Read the summaryItems counted, discrepancies, shortages and sign-off state, before any scrolling.
- 03Expected, per drugPrior count, plus purchases, less dispensing and destructions — computed for every drug in the count.
- 04The variances, flaggedTick “Discrepancies only” and the count collapses to the drugs that did not balance.
- 05One click on the numberEvery figure behind the arithmetic is a link, not a footnote.
- 06The transactions behind itThe exact records, already filtered to that drug and to the reconciliation window.
narccount.ca — Q3 quarterly narcotic count
Real screens from a demo pharmacy. Scroll to walk through it.
Inspection-ready
What an inspector sees
- Automated reconciliationExpected on-hand is calculated from your purchase, dispensing and destruction records.
- Discrepancies, surfacedVariances are flagged and ranked. One click shows the transactions behind each number.
- Both clocks on every recordThe date a transaction happened and the date it was entered are both retained.
- Signed by the pharmacistThe count and the sign-off stay with the pharmacist.
- Inspection-ready reportsA printable reconciliation report or CSV for any count, ready for college and Health Canada review.
Built for compliance
Built around the rules you’re held to
A reconciliation you can hand to a reviewer.
OCP reconciliation requirement
Ontario's floor is every six months. We recommend counting monthly, and NarcCount sends the reminder.
OCP fact sheetHealth Canada loss & theft
A loss or theft of a controlled substance is reported to Health Canada within 10 days of discovering it. NarcCount helps you catch and document them.
Health Canada guidanceCDSA recordkeeping
Built around Controlled Drugs and Substances Act recordkeeping — a clean audit trail per drug.
The Act on Justice LawsNarcCount supports your reconciliation process; it does not replace your professional judgment or regulatory obligations.
Ontario · AIMS Program
Every Ontario pharmacy needs an incident management platform by January 1, 2027.
Every pharmacy needs a medication incident reporting platform, quarterly CQI meetings, unique logins for registered staff and a self-assessment every two years. NarcCount does all of that in the same account you reconcile narcotics in.
The AIMS module is free. Not free for a year — free. No end date, no per-user fee, no card at sign-up. Reconciliation is the part we charge for.
- What the College requiresThe Standard's four pillars, the mandatory data fields and the platform criteria — quoted, with sources.
- The nine-step checklistOCP's own checklist for Designated Managers, with the deadline against each step.
- Why the module is freeWhat is included, what is not, and why.
- Questions pharmacies askIncluding the ones where the honest answer about NarcCount is “not yet”.
In writing
What we commit to
Data hosted in Canada
Your records live in a Canadian data centre.
Security →Keep your history when you switch
Bring your past counts with you, and export your reports as CSV.
Switching →No setup fees. Cancel anytime.
Monthly or annual, with nothing to pay before you start.
Pricing →The sign-off stays with the pharmacist
NarcCount does the math. The count and the sign-off stay with the pharmacist.
How it works →No claim we cannot back
The College does not approve or endorse any platform, so we never say it does.
What the College requires →Support, 24/7
Phone and email at any hour, with a person when it needs one.
Contact →
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How often does Ontario expect a narcotic reconciliation?
The Ontario College of Pharmacists expects narcotics and controlled substances to be reconciled at least every six months, at minimum twice a year. That is the floor, not the recommendation: we recommend counting monthly, because a short interval means far fewer transactions to search when a variance appears. NarcCount tracks the interval and sends the reminder, so a count is never the thing that lapses.
How long do I have to keep the records?
In Ontario, pharmacy patient and dispensing records, which include your controlled-substance dispensing, must be kept at least 10 years (O. Reg. 264/16 s. 21), longer for a minor. Federally, narcotic and controlled-substance records must be kept at least 2 years (Controlled Substances Regulations s. 123(1), in force October 1, 2026; it replaced Narcotic Control Regulations s. 40.1, Food and Drug Regulations s. G.03.010 and Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations s. 75, which set the same 2 years).
What actually causes a variance like the one on this page?
Most often a record that was filed after the count was taken, so the count was checked against records that were not complete yet. Import the missing record and the variance is recalculated from it.
Does NarcCount replace my dispensing system or the NMS?
No. NarcCount is a reconciliation and recordkeeping tool. Your dispensing software and its real-time Narcotics Monitoring System submissions continue as they are; NarcCount checks your physical inventory against your records.
Do I have to switch everything at once?
No. Import your history and run your next count in NarcCount to confirm it reconciles before you retire your old process.
Where is my data stored?
In Canada, in our database provider's Canadian region (ca-central-1), with access restricted to your pharmacy's authorized users.
Integrations
Works with the software you already run
Step-by-step export instructions for each:
Not listed? Any CSV export works — see the upload guide.
Guides
Answers for Canadian pharmacy teams
Plain-language guides on reconciliation, recordkeeping and inspections.
- What to do after a narcotic discrepancy
A controlled substance didn't reconcile. Here's a calm, methodical way to find the cause — and know when a loss actually has to be reported.
- How often to count narcotics in Ontario
Ontario's OCP expects narcotics reconciled every six months. Nova Scotia and PEI monthly; Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland every three.
- Health Canada narcotic loss and theft reporting
A loss or theft of a controlled substance is reported to Health Canada within 10 days of discovering it. What to gather, who submits it, and where the form is.
- CDSA recordkeeping: what to keep and how long
At least 2 years federally (three regulations, one per drug class); at least 10 years in Ontario (O. Reg. 264/16 s. 21). What to keep, and in what form.
Show all 25 guidesShow fewer
- Preparing for a narcotics inspection
An inspector may ask to see how you manage controlled substances. A little preparation makes it routine — here's a practical checklist.
- Is a narcotic discrepancy reportable?
Not every count discrepancy is a reportable loss. What decides it is whether you can explain the variance, not whether it came out high or low.
- How Long a Pharmacy Keeps Records in Canada
In Ontario, pharmacy records are kept at least 10 years (O. Reg. 264/16 s. 21). Federally, controlled-substance records are kept at least 2 years.
- Controlled Substance Count Frequency in Canada
Narcotic reconciliation intervals by province, from monthly in Nova Scotia and PEI to twice a year in Ontario, and how to run each count well.
- Drug Diversion in a Pharmacy: Signs and Response
What drug diversion inside a pharmacy looks like, how to tell it from a record error, the patterns worth watching, and the controls that deter it.
- Narcotic Log Book Template for Canadian Pharmacies
The columns a narcotic log book needs, a worked page of entries, what separates a good entry from a weak one, and how to correct a mistake.
- Methadone Accountability Log for Pharmacies
How pharmacies keep a methadone balance in mL: a worked daily log, normal measurement variance, pump calibration checks, and witnessed and carry doses.
- Perpetual Inventory System Example for Pharmacies
A worked perpetual inventory example for a narcotic, the formula behind it, why balances drift, and how to keep a spreadsheet version honest.
- Narcotic Destruction Records for Canadian Pharmacies
How destruction and waste of narcotics and controlled substances is documented in Canadian pharmacies, how long records are kept, and how it affects reconciliation.
- Narcotic Monitoring in Ontario Pharmacies
How narcotic and controlled-substance records and reconciliation work in an Ontario pharmacy, with a worked example, common variance causes and what NarcCount does.
- Controlled Substances Regulations: A Pharmacy Guide
On October 1, 2026, the Controlled Substances Regulations replaced the Narcotic Control Regulations. Here is what changed for counts, records and loss reports.
- Pharmacy Technicians and Controlled Substances
Technicians now receive, compound, transfer, destroy and deliver controlled substances in their own right. Ordering and dispensing stay with pharmacists.
- Ordering and Receiving Controlled Substances in a Pharmacy
Only a pharmacist orders controlled substances, in their own name. A pharmacist or technician receives them, and the arrival date goes on the record.
- Central Fill of Controlled Substances in Canada
A pharmacy can now central fill another pharmacy's controlled-substance prescriptions without a dealer's licence. The conditions, the order and Ontario's policy.
- Controlled Substance Prescription Transfers
A controlled-substance prescription can be transferred any number of times and extended, inside one window that starts when the first pharmacy received it.
- Destroying Controlled Substances in a Pharmacy
Under the Controlled Substances Regulations a technician can destroy, and the witness can be a technician, intern or other health professional.
- Pharmacy Delivery of Controlled Substances
A pharmacist or technician can deliver controlled substances by a tracked method to the patient or their designate, never by mail. What the record holds.
- Low-Dose Codeine Products in Canada: The Pharmacy Rules
A pharmacist can sell low-dose codeine without a prescription under set conditions. Its receipt is still recorded and its inventory still tracked.
- Controlled Substance Security Requirements
How a pharmacy stores controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Regulations, what Health Canada adds, and Ontario's time-delayed safe policy.
- Prescriber Verification and Forged Prescriptions
How a pharmacy confirms the prescriber behind a controlled-substance prescription, and when a forged prescription becomes a report to Health Canada.
- Advertising Controlled Substances in Canada
The Controlled Substances Regulations bar advertising controlled substances to the public, websites and social media included. What is allowed, and to whom.
Get started
Ready to retire the count book?
Move your narcotic reconciliation onto a system that does the math for you.
$69/month · $59/month billed annually · No setup fees · Cancel anytime