Research Involving Animals

Under the Ontario Animals for Research Act, the Canadian Council of Animal Care Guidelines for the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, and Laurier’s Policy 11.5 Use of Animals in Research, Testing and Teaching, all researchers who will be conducting research, testing or teaching projects at Laurier involving the use of animals must obtain approval of the university's Animal Care Committee (ACC) before research can begin.

The ACC membership and representation consists of:

Faculty members, active and/or experienced in research involving animals;
A veterinarian, experienced in animal care and use in research;
A faculty member, who’s normal activities do not depend on or involve animals use for research teaching or testing;
A graduate and undergraduate student, each representing the student animal user perspective in relation to activities involving animal research, testing and teaching;
One or two persons with no affiliation to the University (Community Member) who will represent community interests and concerns, and who have not in past or present engaged in research or teaching involving animals.

If you are interested in participating in the ACC as an external member of Laurier (Community Member) please email Animalcarecommittee@wlu.ca for more information.

There must be an approved protocol for all procedures involving the use of vertebrate and certain invertebrate (in particular octopi and squid) animals in research by faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, research associates, and all other personnel regardless of source of funding. Researchers are responsible for ensuring amendment requests are submitted to the ACC for approval prior to implementing any amendments.

While animal tissue use does not normally require ACC approval (unless the tissue is being collected from an active animal research protocol), researchers using animal tissue should nonetheless inform the ACC of any animal tissue work.

Protocols for non-faculty members must be submitted under the name of the senior faculty member supervising the project.

Any animal research or teaching project administered by the university that is to be conducted in the field or in a facility not owned by Laurier must be covered by an approved protocol.

No experiment may be carried out until approval has been obtained.

What happens if I do not follow the CCAC guidelines and the University's policies and guidelines on research, testing, and teaching involving animals?

Failing to follow CCAC guidelines, university policies or guidelines, applicable laws or regulations on research with animals can be considered as research misconduct and a breach of the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research and University policy 12.2 Student Code of Conduct: Academic Misconduct. This applies to all research, testing, or teaching involving the use of animals regardless of funding status. Researchers must ensure that all of their projects that require ACC review and approval, receive the ACC review and approval prior to commencement of the project, and that the research is conducted as approved by the ACC (either via original approval or an amendment request). If unsure about whether your project requires ACC review and approval you should consult directly with the ACC.