10 Animal Care Committee
In this section:
10.1 Meet them team
10.2 What is the role of the animal care committee?
10.3 What is the membership on the Animal Care Committee?
10.4 What authority does the Animal Care Committee have?
10.5 What is the responsibility of the Animal Care Committee?
10.7 Do I need to apply for animal ethics review at Laurier?
10.8 Who can apply for animal ethics review at Laurier and how do I apply to the animal care committee?
10.9 What is the review and approval process?
10.10 What is the review and approval process?
10.11 What are the Animal Care Committee meeting dates and submission deadlines?
10.12 What happens if I do not follow the Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines and the unviersity’s policies and guidelines on research, testing and teaching involving animals.
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10.1 Meet the Team
Una Glisic, Associate Director, Post Award Services
Una Glisic oversees the research ethics compliance and research information system portfolios within the Office of Research Services. She is a graduate of Laurier’s MA program in Psychology.
Contact Information
E: uglisic@wlu.ca
T: +1 548-889-4131
LinkedIn: Una Glisic
Dinah Hoffman, Research Compliance Officer
The Research Compliance Officer coordinates Laurier’s Research Ethics Board and the Animal Care Committee.
Contact Information
E: dhoffman@wlu.ca
T: +1 548-889-3659
10.2 What is the role of the animal care committee?
All research, testing or teaching projects at Laurier involving the use of animals must be approved by university’s Animal Care Committee (ACC) prior to commencement. This review process ensures that Laurier are compliant with the Ontario Animals for Research Act, the Terms of Reference for Animal Care Committees established by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), and the Agreement on Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions with Canada’s Tri-Agencies. Laurier holds a Certificate of GAP - Good Animal Practice® from the CCAC and is in good standing with the Animals for Research Act requirements.
10.3 What is the membership on the Animal Care Committee?
The ACC reports directly to Vice-President: Research, and is composed of:
- three faculty members, one each from the Departments of Biology, Kinesiology and Physical Education, and Psychology
- the consulting veterinarian
- a faculty member who is a non-animal user from the Faculty of Science
- one or two lay persons from the community-at-large representing the community interests and concerns
- two student representatives, preferably one graduate and one honours undergraduate, from either the Department of Biology, Kinesiology and Physical Education or Psychology
- the Research Compliance Officer (ex-officio)
- the Manager Animal Care Facilities (ex-officio)
- the Manager, Research Compliance & Strategic Initiatives (ex-officio)
- the Director: Safety, Health, Environment & Risk Management or the supervisor, Laboratory Programs (ex-officio)
The committee is appointed by the Vice-President, Research, on the advice of the Dean of Science, and adheres to university policy 11.5 on the Use of Animals in Research, Testing and Teaching.
10.5 What is the responsibility of the Animal Care Committee?
It is the responsibility of the ACC to:
- Ensure that no funded or non-funded research or testing project or teaching program (including field studies) involving animals be commenced without prior Committee approval of a written Animal Use Protocol (AUP) and that no animals be acquired before such approval.
- Review and assess animal use protocols, employing the standards, guidelines, principles, and regulations included in the Canadian Council on Animal Care’s (CCAC’s) Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals and Ethics of Animal Investigation and if at variance with CCAC guidelines, require justification for the variance on scientific grounds.
- Ensure that each research project has been found to have scientific merit through independent peer review before approving the project.
- Ensure that each teaching project undergoes review of pedagogical merit.
- Ensure that modifications and changes to AUPs are reviewed and approved by the ACC.
- Ensure that protocols are reviewed annually.
- Ensure that all personnel working with animals are tracial or municipal statutes that may apply, as well as institutional requirements.
- Ensure that appropriate care of animals in all stages of their life and in all experimental situations is provided via the support of consulting veterinarian services.
No project should commence without prior approval of the ACC. The Committee may delegate the responsibility of giving interim approval to the chair or a subcommittee of the ACC; however, such interim approvals must be subject to final approval by the whole committee.
10.6 What are the responsibilities of research conducting research using animals?
- Obtain clearance from the Laurier ACC and any other approvals, permits, and/or permissions that may be necessary for their research prior to the commencement of research activities.
- Be knowledgeable on the CCAC policies, OMAFRA regulatory requirements, and ACC guidelines and procedures relevant to their research and demonstrate compliance with relevant policies and procedures in their protocol.
- Provide sufficient details in protocols submitted for compliance review to enable the ACC to complete an informed review of the ethical acceptability of the research.
- Ensure that projects are feasible to complete within restricted timeframes and plan submission of ACC applications accordingly.
- Complete relevant training requirements (e.g., Animal Care Ethics Orientation, CCAC training modules).
- Ensure the ethical conduct of the research throughout project lifecycle.
- Supervise all research project team members in the application of the research procedures, and ensure that they are properly qualified and versed in the conduct of ethical research.
- Submit requests for any changes to approved research projects for review by the ACC prior to implementation of changes.
- Report all unanticipated or adverse events (e.g., animal welfare concerns and incidents) associated with their research to the ACC immediately.
- Submit required annual/final reports by the due date. Failure to do so will result in the protocol being marked as expired and if tied to funding, Research Finance will be notified to freeze the funding until the required reports are submitted.
10.7 Do I need to apply for animal ethics review at Laurier?
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 the source of funding or funding status. This includes any animal research or teaching project that is to be conducted in the field or in a facility not owned by Laurier. No experiment may be carried out until approval has been obtained.
In cases where animal work does not require submission of a protocol for full ACC review (e.g., the use of animal tissue, observational work where animals are not being held captive and there is no expected impact), researchers must nonetheless inform the ACC of the work. In these cases, an ACC subcommittee will review and confirm whether or not these activities require a protocol.
If you have questions about requirements for ACC review and approval, please consult with Laurier’s Research Compliance Officer, Dinah Hoffman.
10.8 Who can apply for animal ethics review at Laurier and how do I apply to the animal care committee?
Only full-time faculty or full-time staff may submit AUPs as Principal Investigators.
All materials related to review and approval of Laurier’s ACC are located on the MyLearningSpace course, Laurier Animal Care and Use Program. Animal users may contact the Research Compliance Officer, Dinah Hoffman, to register for the course. All completed ACC forms should be submitted to the Research Compliance Officer by the deadline for the ACC meeting at which you are requesting materials to be reviewed.
If you have questions regarding the appropriate protocol forms, standard operating procedures, or any other information related to the ACC contact the Research Compliance Officer, Dinah Hoffman.
10.9 What is the review and approval process?
The ACC meets on a monthly basis (September – June) to complete reviews and meeting deadlines are communicated in advance to researchers. AUPs approved by the ACC are valid for a period of up to four (4) years but are subject to annual review and renewal as well as a final report. If you plan to continue a project beyond the four-year maximum approval period, you must submit the Annual Renewal and Final Report Form as well as a new AUP for ACC review in advance of the expiry date. If the project is completed, you must submit the Annual Renewal and Final Report Form to close and archive the file.
10.10 What if I need to make changes to an approved protocol?
You are responsible for ensuring amendment requests are submitted to the ACC for approval prior to implementing any amendments.
10.11 What are the Animal Care Committee meeting dates and submission deadlines?
Deadlines are communicated well in advance and it is your responsibility to ensure materials are submitted by the appropriate deadline. These deadlines ensure Committee members have adequate time to review meeting materials. Only in exceptional circumstances can direct interim approval be given by a subcommittee of the ACC. In these cases, the exceptional circumstances must be clearly communicated and will be documented at the next scheduled ACC meeting when the submission is considered for full approval.
| Deadline to Submit Materials to Research Compliance Officer for Review | ACC Meeting Date |
|---|---|
| Monday December 2, 2024 | Thursday December 12, 2024 |
| Monday January 20, 2025 | Friday January 31, 2025 |
| Monday February 10, 2025 | Friday February 21, 2025 |
| Monday March 17, 2025 | Friday March 28, 2025 |
| Monday April 14, 2025 | Friday April 25, 2025 |
| Tuesday March 20, 2025 | Friday May 30, 2025 |
| Monday June 16, 2025 | Friday June 27, 2025 |
10.12 What happens if I do not follow the Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines and the unversity’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. This applies to all research, testing, or teaching involving the use of animals regardless of funding status. You must ensure that all of your 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 Research Compliance Officer.