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College-wide
To ensure that all animals used by the College are treated humanely according to the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).
Animal: Any cephalopod, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, or mammal used for pedagogical purposes in/or by the College.
ACC: Vanier Animal Care Committee
AHT: Vanier Animal Health Technology Program
APR: Annual Progress Report
AUDF: Animal Use Data Form
AUP: Animal Use Protocol
CCAC: Canadian Council on Animal Care
CVMA: Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
EWM: Vanier Environmental and Wildlife Management Program
OHS: Occupational Health and Safety
PAM: Post-Approval Monitoring Program
PED: Pedagogical Merit Review
REN: Animal Use Protocol Renewal
A. The CCAC requires that institutions conducting animal-based research, teaching, or testing establish and maintain a functionally active Animal Care Committee (ACC) to oversee their Animal Care and Use Program.
B. The Academic Dean is responsible for the activities of the ACC as well as the Animal Care and Use Program. The designated Senior Administration Representative on the ACC reports directly to, and is responsible to act as delegate for, the Academic Dean. The ACC Chairperson, the ACC Coordinator, and the Animal Health Technology Ombudsperson may also report directly to the Academic Dean.
C. Vanier College must work with the ACC to ensure that all animal users and caregivers are informed of and comply with, institutional animal care and use policies and procedures.
D. Vanier College must be supportive of the ACC’s work. This includes appointing a remunerated ACC coordinator to ensure:
E. Vanier College must ensure that ACC members are provided with training opportunities to understand their work and role; these must include at least:
F. Vanier College must ensure that the ACC is well respected within the institution, and that all ACC members are valued and recognized.
A. The ACC membership will have two groups and include the following members:
Group I
Group II (ex-officio members)
B. ACC members of Group I will be appointed for a two-year term, renewable up to a maximum of eight consecutive years of service. This does not apply to ACC members of Group II who must be part of the ACC because of their role within the institution. Some exceptions may also be applied to Group I members due to the limited number of persons available in smaller departments such as the EWM-Field Station.
C. At each meeting, a list of members from Group I who have completed their two-year terms must be revised and updated. Each of those members should inform the ACC if they want to renew their participation in the ACC or resign. Representatives of Group II should also inform the ACC if they wish to resign. A list of vacant positions must be maintained. The Senior Administration Representative, along with the Dean of Science and Technology, with the help of the Coordinator and the Chairperson, must recruit new ACC members to fill the vacant positions as soon as possible.
D. If a member is found to be obstructive to the proper functioning of the ACC, his or her membership may be revoked by a 2/3 majority vote of the full committee.
E. Additions to the ACC membership can be made as the need arises.
F. Quorum will consist of a majority (50% + 1) of the members. The quorum should include community and veterinary representation.
G. Meetings should be scheduled at times that are convenient for all members, including community representatives.
H. The ACC may choose to form subcommittees to work on specific areas such as protocol review. Protocol review subcommittees should include at least one teacher, one veterinarian, one community representative, one institutional member who does not use animals, one technical staff representative, the ACC Coordinator and the ACC Chairperson.
A. The Vanier College ACC must have the authority, on behalf of the Academic Dean, to:
B. The Chairperson of the ACC and the veterinarian(s) must have access at all times to all areas where animals are or may be held or used.
C. The ACC must establish procedures for post-approval monitoring of animal use protocols, and must define the roles and responsibilities of the members of the animal care and use program in the monitoring process.
D. It is the responsibility of the ACC to determine and work to correct breaches of compliance with approved animal use protocols and procedures. Breaches of compliance that cannot be corrected by the ACC working with the concerned animal users and veterinary/animal care staff must be referred to the Academic Dean, who must inform all individuals in the animal care and use program about sanctions that will be taken by the administration in the event of serious breaches of compliance.
E. The ACC must work with the members of the departments using animals to ensure compliance with its decisions and with the conditions set out in approved protocols. Persistent breaches of compliance or threats to the health and safety of personnel or animals must be reported to the Chairperson of the ACC. The Chairperson and ACC must promptly address these issues, through communication with the animal user(s), meetings and site visits, and eventual communication with the Academic Dean, as necessary.
F. The ACC's veterinarian has the authority to treat, remove from a study, or euthanize, if necessary, an animal according to their professional judgment. The veterinarian must attempt to contact the animal user whose animal is in poor condition before beginning any treatment that has not previously been agreed upon, and must also attempt to contact the ACC Chairperson. The veterinarian will have the authority to proceed with any necessary emergency measures, whether or not the animal user and ACC Chairperson are available. A written report should be sent by the veterinarian to the animal user and to the ACC following any such event. The veterinarian and the ACC may also choose to delegate certain responsibilities to one or more Animal Health technician(s).
It is the responsibility of the ACC to:
A. Ensure that no animal use be started without prior ACC approval of a written Animal Use Protocol (AUP). Further to this, no animals may be acquired before such approval.
B. Ensure that no animals be held for display, breeding purposes, research or teaching, without prior ACC approval of a written AUP. The ACC should also be aware of other animal-based activities such as commercial, recreational or community service activities within the institution, and should work with the persons responsible for these activities to ensure that animal care and use is undertaken according to appropriate procedures.
C. Require all animal users to complete an AUP form (Refer to Section 8B).
G. Ensure that all procedures comply with CCAC guidelines, and, if they differ from those guidelines, require scientific justification for the difference. The ACC should discuss protocols and make decisions on them during full committee meetings, rather than through individual reviews, and should attempt to reach decisions by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, a 2/3 majority of those present will approve the protocol. If one member consistently forces a vote, action may be taken under Section 2D. The ACC will take into account the relative lack of experience of the students using animals, the number of students per teacher and the ratio of animals to students as important aspects to consider. Electronic tools can be used for protocol management purposes and to facilitate and expedite the submission and review of protocols. This is encouraged as long as the ACC continues to meet in person for protocol discussions and final approvals.
H. When necessary, submit AUPs to an interim electronic approval process. All forms that receive interim approval must also be discussed in person at the next meeting of the ACC.
I. Define the Animal Use Protocol Approval Process.
J. Define the Post-Approval Monitoring Program and ensure that a functional program is in place.
K. Ensure that animal users update their protocols with any modifications they intend to make, and approve any modifications to a protocol before they are implemented. Minor modifications can be approved by the Chairperson of the ACC or their delegate (Refer to Section 8D).
L. Ensure that animal users report any unanticipated problems or complications, as well as the steps they have taken to address the problem(s), to the ACC. These can be noted in the Annual Progress Report (APR) form that must be completed at the end of each annual period of animal use (Refer to Section 8E).
M. For protocols not undergoing any major changes, require all animal users to complete an Animal Use Protocol Renewal (REN) form annually for a maximum of three consecutive years (Refer to Section 8D).
N. Document all ACC discussions and decisions in the Committee minutes and on attachments to the protocol forms.
O. Define an institutional appeal mechanism that can be used by the author of a protocol in the event that animal use is not approved by the ACC (Refer to Section 9).
P. Ensure that all ACC members and animal users have the opportunity to become familiar with the CCAC Guide and the CCAC policy statement on ethics of animal investigation and all other CCAC guidelines and policy statements, federal, provincial, or municipal statutes that may apply, as well as institutional requirements.
Q. Ensure appropriate care of animals in all stages of their lives and in all situations. Veterinary care, if required, is generally provided by the veterinarian who initiated the protocol. If this person is not available, the ACC veterinarian or another veterinarian in the department may provide medical attention. Should no veterinarian be available, at the discretion of the Animal Health Technician, the animal may be transported to a nearby veterinary clinic.
R. Establish procedures which match current veterinary standards, to ensure that:
S. Ensure that policies to provide for a system of animal care that will meet the needs of the institution are established and implemented, and include:
T. Promptly report any known objectionable use of animals to the Academic Dean or their delegate.
U. Ensure that animal users, teachers, technicians, and students are aware of the proper channels for voicing concerns related to animal use. The following is a list of individuals to contact:
A. The committee shall meet three to four times a year, specifically prior to each semester, and at the end of each academic year. During meetings, the committee will review its regular activities, as well as any proposed animal use for the upcoming semester, any post-approval monitoring and/or veterinary site visit reports for that year.
B. Meetings can be held more frequently if the need arises. The ACC Coordinator, or the ACC Chairperson, or any three members of the committee can call a meeting as long as items 5.A.i., 5.A.ii., and 5.A.iii. are respected.
A. Selected members of the committee should visit all facilities where animals are used at least once a year in order to: better understand the work being conducted within the institution, meet with those working in the animal facilities and animal use areas and discuss their needs, monitor animal based work according to approved protocols, assess any weaknesses in the facilities (ageing facilities, overcrowding, insufficient staffing, etc.) and forward any recommendations or commendations to the person(s) responsible for the facilities and for animal use. Site visits are divided into Post-Approval Monitoring (PAM) Program Site Visits and Vet Facility Site Visits. It is the responsibility of the ACC coordinator to organize any visits.
B. The purpose of PAM Program site visits is to ensure that animal use in practice is taking place in accordance with approved Animal Use Protocols (AUP). Each visit must be done by at least two ACC members, and the members responsible for the visit are assigned on a rotating basis. A PAM visit must be conducted at least once during the 4 year validity period of an approved AUP, however, priority for visits should be based on the number of animals being used and the level of invasiveness of the procedures. Site visits can also be scheduled if concerns arise that animal use is not being undertaken in practice, as approved by the ACC.
C. The purpose of Veterinary Facility site visits is to assess the state of the facilities, as well as the animal and veterinary care. Each facility that houses animals must be visited at least once annually by the ACC veterinarian and one or more other members of the ACC.
D. Visits should be documented in written reports and discussed at ACC meetings. Checklist can be used as a form of report. Copies of reports should be sent to individuals concerned (AUP author, facility manager, etc.).
E. Each member of the ACC should participate in some of the facility visit(s) on an annual basis.
F. Those responsible for the animal facilities should respond to any ACC recommendations in writing.
G. Site visit reports must be reviewed jointly by the Academic Dean, or their delegate, and the ACC.
H. More frequent ACC site visits should be made to follow up on any areas of concern.
The Animal Care Committee:
A. Must regularly review (at least every three years):
B. Must maintain liaison with the CCAC Secretariat, and inform the Secretariat of any changes in their program to:
C. Must submit complete and accurate animal use information (AUDF) for all protocols (for each calendar year) by March 31 of the following year.
D. Must submit complete pre-assessment documentation when requested by the CCAC.
E. Must develop a crisis management policy for the animal facilities and for the animal care and use program, in conjunction with any general institutional crisis management plan(s). This policy must include plans in the event of power outages (short and prolonged), work stoppages, fires, natural disasters, large chemical spills and other similar crises, and must include a communication plan for addressing public and media inquiries about concerns related to animal use.
F. Should encourage as many teachers, technicians, students, ACC members, and other interested parties to attend seminars, conferences, and workshops in order to increase or maintain their animal welfare knowledge.
G. Should try to achieve and maintain a high profile within the institution and in the community in order to demonstrate the institution's efforts in promoting animal welfare and to allay some of the public concerns regarding animal use.
A. No animals may be ordered or used in a teaching course or project without prior ACC approval of a completed Animal Use Protocol Form. Every Vanier community member who uses animals within their Vanier teaching or research must complete one of the following forms and submit it to the ACC Coordinator for approval by the ACC before proceeding. To facilitate the work of both protocol authors and ACC members, appropriate SOPs should be referred to as much as possible.
B. The Animal Use Protocol Form (AUP) should include:
C. The Animal Use Protocol, Wildlife in Teaching (AUP Wildlife) should be used where wildlife specimens are involved. The form should include:
D. The Animal Use Protocol, Renewal Form (REN) may be used if there are no changes or only minor changes applied to the protocol for a maximum of 3 consecutive years. Major changes to a protocol require the completion of a new AUP. Note that the ACC may at any time request that the animal user/teacher submit a detailed AUP form if a majority of members determine the need for more information.
E. The Annual Progress Report (APR) form must be submitted by the animal user after each approved annual period of animal use. It will be reviewed by the ACC in conjunction with the AUP or REN for the upcoming period of animal use. The form should include:
A. In the event that the ACC rejects a submitted protocol for either ethical or pedagogical reasons and the animal user/teacher does not accept the decision, the following process will apply:
B. In order to work in a collegial manner, the animal user may request that the ACC reconsider its decision if he/she submits a revised protocol following feedback from the ACC.
C. If this does not provide a satisfactory solution for the animal user, they may appeal to the Academic Dean or their delegate in writing and shall clearly outline the grounds for the appeal.
D. The course of action for a given appeal will be left to the discretion of the Academic Dean or their delegate.