Ontario has passed Bill 75, which includes restricting “invasive medical research” on dogs and cats — an important step forward for animals and the advocates who have pushed for change.
The new law says it will limit “invasive medical research” on dogs and cats, prohibit breeding them specifically for research in Ontario supply facilities, and substantially increase penalties for breaking these laws.
But the law still allows exceptions and does not shut down the pipeline that sends animals from pounds — or animals bred within research facilities or in jurisdictions outside Ontario — into laboratories.
The bill says it will:
- restrict “invasive medical research” on dogs and cats,
- prohibit breeding cats and dogs specifically for research in Ontario supply facilities; and
- substantially increase penalties for violations, ranging between $75,000 – $1,000,000 depending on severity and history of prior offences.
At the same time, the law still contains loopholes, including it:
- does not define what constitutes “invasive medical research”,
- allows exception through discretionary approvals,
- does not shut down the pound‑to‑research pipeline; and
- continues to permit dogs and cats bred within a research facility or outside Ontario to be brought into the province for research
Many crucial details are left to forthcoming regulations, which will determine how strong these protections really are. Key amendments we pushed for along the way were not adopted throughout the process, and we will continue working for much stronger protections for all animals used in research as the government moves on to implementing the regulations that will accompany this bill.
As we know with legislation that impacts animals, the details are important. We will continue to keep you informed in the coming weeks.
