A distinction central to pharmacy ownership and estate planning. Voting shares carry control of corporate decisions and, in most provinces, may be held only by licensed pharmacists. Non-voting shares provide an economic interest — entitlement to dividends and to growth in value — without management authority, and are often held by non-pharmacist family members or by a family trust.
This split lets a pharmacist share the economic value of the business with family while keeping voting control in licensed hands, satisfying College ownership rules. In an estate freeze, the pharmacist typically retains fixed-value preferred (often voting) shares while new non-voting growth shares are issued to a family trust or to children's holding companies.