The province has introduced new legislation aimed at enhancing animal protection measures, although it will not completely prohibit the practice. This initiative comes partly in response to public outrage over a London hospital’s utilization of dogs for medical research.
The proposed legislation, revealed last week, is a component of a comprehensive bill presented by the Ford government primarily focusing on public safety concerns, such as addressing impaired driving.
Included in the bill are amendments to existing laws that would ban “invasive medical research” on cats and dogs, with some exceptions. However, the legislation does not clearly define what constitutes “invasive” medical research.
The province has stated that a detailed definition will be outlined in subsequent regulations if the legislation is approved.
Exemptions in the draft legislation include allowing certain research involving animals for veterinary purposes and permitting research at registered facilities if specific criteria are met. Additionally, any research proposals involving animals must be overseen by an animal care committee comprising at least one veterinarian.
Drew Woodley, director of government relations at the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society, emphasized that while the proposed changes would offer crucial safeguards for animals, there is still room for enhancement. He highlighted that the legislation would halt invasive medical research on dogs and cats and require researchers to explore alternative methods that do not involve animals.
An important aspect of the legislation is the prohibition of breeding or selling animals for medical research. Woodley advocated for a ban on using animals from shelters for research, expressing concerns about their difficult pasts.
Following revelations last fall about dog heart studies conducted at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, which prompted the hospital to discontinue the research, Ontario Premier Doug Ford vowed to crack down on such practices.
Angela Fernandez, director of the animal law program at the University of Toronto, criticized the legislation for relying heavily on self-regulation by research facility care committees, suggesting it does not effectively ban animal research. She advocated for a prohibition on importing research animals from outside the province.
The province will also engage in consultations under the new legislation to consider banning medically unnecessary procedures, such as ear and tail cropping in dogs and declawing of cats. The Ontario SPCA has long advocated for banning these procedures, similar to actions taken by other provinces like Quebec. Veterinary groups in various jurisdictions have also prohibited such procedures, citing them as often performed for convenience or aesthetic reasons.
Woodley highlighted that procedures like feline declawing are unnecessary and should not be conducted to address behavior issues, as they involve essentially severing parts of the cat’s fingers.