After years of advocacy from Animal Alliance of Canada and countless supporters across the province, Ontario has released the final regulations implementing Bill 75, the amendments to the Animals for Research Act. The new rules will come into force on January 1, 2027.
These changes represent a significant milestone for animal protection in Ontario. For the first time, the province has enacted legislation prohibiting invasive medical research on dogs and cats, subject to limited exceptions. While the new framework is not perfect, it reflects a growing recognition that companion animals deserve greater protection.
What the Regulations Achieve
The new regulations establish the framework for implementing Bill 75. Among other things, they require research proposals involving dogs and cats to be reviewed by institutional Animal Care Committees, require researchers to consider alternatives to animal use, and introduce planning for the potential rehoming of dogs and cats following research where appropriate. These are meaningful changes, and we welcome the progress they represent.
Image rendered for illustrative purposes.
Where the Regulations Fall Short
Throughout the public consultation process, Animal Alliance urged the Ontario government to strengthen the proposed regulations. While some improvements were made, several important issues remain unresolved.
Most notably, the regulations:
- do not require dogs and cats to be rehomed after research where it is safe and appropriate;
- continue to rely on institutional Animal Care Committees rather than independent oversight;
- do not extend protections to non-human primates;
- permit the use of “animals of a lower order” instead of prioritizing modern, non-animal alternatives; and
- do not close Ontario’s long-standing pound-to-research pipeline.
The Pound-to-Research Pipeline
For more than three decades, Animal Alliance has worked to end Ontario’s pound-to-research pipeline.
Although many Ontarians are unaware of it, Ontario’s legislative framework continues to permit dogs and cats to be acquired from municipal pounds for research facilities. We believe the release of these regulations presented an important opportunity to end this practice. Unfortunately, that opportunity was not taken.
Closing the pound-to-research pipeline remains one of Animal Alliance’s priorities, and we will continue advocating to end this practice.
Looking Ahead
Bill 75 and its accompanying regulations are an important step forward—but they are not the end of the journey.
Animal Alliance will continue working with government, researchers, partner organizations and the public to strengthen Ontario’s animal research laws, improve transparency, promote modern non-animal research methods, and ensure that the province continues moving toward a future where animals are no longer used in invasive research.
Progress happens because people continue to speak up, ask difficult questions and push for better laws. To everyone who has supported Animal Alliance’s work over the past three decades: thank you. Your advocacy helped bring us to this point, and together we will continue working toward a future where every animal receives the protection they deserve.
