ontario regulation 191/26

made under the

Animals for Research Act

Made: June 18, 2026
Filed: June 22, 2026
Published on e-Laws: June 22, 2026
Published in The Ontario Gazette: July 11, 2026

Amending Reg. 22 of R.R.O. 1990

(GENERAL)

1. Subsection 1 (3) of Regulation 22 of the Revised Regulations of Ontario, 1990 is amended by adding “or a renewal of a licence” after “fee for a licence”.

2. Subsection 2 (3) of the Regulation is amended by adding “or a renewal of a registration” after “fee for registration” in the portion before clause (a).

3. Section 6 of the Regulation is revoked.

4. Section 7 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “subsection 4 (1) of the Act and from section 4 of Regulation 24” and substituting “subsections 4 (1) and 15.1 (3) of the Act and from sections 4 and 4.1 of Regulation 24”.

5. (1) Section 8 of the Regulation is amended,

(a) by striking out “associated with a research facility” in the portion before paragraph 1 and substituting “associated with a registered research facility”; and

(b) by striking out “subsection 4 (1) of the Act and from section 4 of Regulation 24” in the portion before paragraph 1 and substituting “subsections 4 (1) and 15.1 (3) of the Act and from sections 4 and 4.1 of Regulation 24”.

(2) Paragraph 2 of section 8 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “Director” and substituting “chief inspector”.

(3) Section 8 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following paragraph:

3. The research facility shall maintain copies of the protocol and procedures described in paragraphs 4 and 5 of subsection 17 (2) of the Act that relate to the registered research facility, and shall comply with them when conducting the research.

6. (1) Section 9 of the Regulation is amended by striking out the portion before paragraph 1 and substituting the following:

9. Where a person who is associated with a registered research facility and who is conducting research in connection therewith under the jurisdiction of an animal care committee established in connection with the research facility operates a research facility on premises owned by another person for the purpose of conducting field trials on livestock, poultry or such other species of animals as the Director may approve, using only a substance or substances the testing of which is required under any law in force in Ontario, the person who operates the research facility is exempt from subsections 4 (1) and 15.1 (3) of the Act and from sections 4 and 4.1 of Regulation 24 of the Revised Regulations of Ontario, 1990, in respect of such premises subject to the following conditions:

. . . . .

(2) Paragraph 2 of section 9 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “Director” and substituting “chief inspector”.

(3) Section 9 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following paragraph:

3. The research facility shall maintain copies of the protocol and procedures described in paragraphs 4 and 5 of subsection 17 (2) of the Act that relate to the registered research facility, and shall comply with them when conducting the research.

7. Section 10 of the Regulation is amended by striking out “section 14” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “subsection 14 (1)”.

8. Subsection 11 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “24 (10)” and substituting “20 (10)”.

9. Section 12 of the Regulation is revoked.

10. The Regulation is amended by adding the following sections:

13. For the purposes of the Act and this Regulation,

“invasive medical research” means research on an animal where one or more of the following is expected or reasonably anticipated to occur during the performance of a research activity:

1. Any of the following alterations to the animal’s physical integrity, including through surgery or exposure to drugs or chemicals:

i. The removal of organs or limbs.

ii. Opening up the animal’s thoracic cavity.

iii. Changes to organs or limbs that result in complete dysfunction of that organ or limb.

2. The use of experiments or methods which cause moderate to severe distress or discomfort.

3. Procedures which cause severe pain near, at or above the pain tolerance threshold of unanaesthetised conscious animals.

4. The death of the animal.

14. (1) For the purposes of clause 15.1 (2) (a) of the Act, invasive medical research is for a veterinary purpose if either of the following apply:

1. The research is primarily intended to further the scientific understanding of animal health or veterinary medicine.

2. The research is part of a program of study at a post-secondary institution in veterinary medicine, veterinary technology or a related discipline.

(2) For the purposes of clause 15.1 (2) (b) of the Act, the following are the prescribed criteria that a research project proposal must meet:

1. The proposal demonstrates, to the extent that is practicable, that the operator of the registered research facility has considered all reasonable and scientifically justified alternative methods and strategies to,

i. replace the use of animals with non-animals or animals of a lower order,

ii. reduce the total number of animals that will be used, and

iii. refine the procedures, housing and animal husbandry for animals used in research to minimize the impacts on the animals.

2. The proposal demonstrates that the operator of the registered research facility has considered that,

i. the total number of animals that will be used is essential to achieving the aims set out in the proposal, and

ii. the animals that will be used could not reasonably be substituted with different animals of a lower order or a non-animal model, or a smaller number of animal subjects, without jeopardizing the nature and intended outcomes of the research.

3. The research project will use methods of housing and husbandry for the animals to be used in research that are suitable for the number and species of the animals, including environmental enrichment for the animals where appropriate.

4. If cats or dogs will be used,

i. the proposal states whether, upon completion of the research project, the cats or dogs could be suitable to be sold or gifted for use as pets or for use in hunting or working purposes safely and with a reasonable likelihood of success, and

ii. if the proposal states that the cats or dogs could be suitable for the uses described in subparagraph i, the proposal includes,

A. a methodology to determine whether specific cats or dogs are actually suitable for those uses, and

B. a documented process to facilitate those future uses where possible.

5. The proposal contains project-specific procedures for the prevention of unnecessary pain, including the use of anaesthetics and analgesics, and what observations or specific triggers would result in the use of those procedures.

6. The proposal describes how the animal care committee will continue to be engaged in monitoring the animals and their welfare at regular intervals for the duration of the research project.

7. If invasive medical research will be performed on an animal, the proposal demonstrates that the operator of the registered research facility has consulted with a veterinarian about the research project in order to obtain recommendations to prevent unnecessary pain and the alleviation of suffering for the animals.

15. For the purposes of subsection 17 (3.1) of the Act, the prescribed circumstance is that the animal care committee has received a research project proposal in accordance with clause 15.1 (2) (b) of the Act.

16. (1) The following transition rules apply with respect to the application of section 15.1 of the Act to research that commenced before the day section 10 of Ontario Regulation 191/26 came into force:  

1. If a registered research facility was carrying out research on animals on the day the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 received Royal Assent, the prohibitions set out in subsections 15.1 (1) and (3) of the Act begin to apply with respect to the research on the later of,

i. the day section 10 of Ontario Regulation 191/26 comes into force, and

ii. the first anniversary of the day the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 received Royal Assent.

2. If a registered research facility commences research on animals on or after the day the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 received Royal Assent and before the day section 10 of Ontario Regulation 191/26 comes into force, the prohibitions set out in subsections 15.1 (1) and (3) of the Act apply with respect to the research on the day section 10 of Ontario Regulation 191/26 comes into force.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the determination of the day that research has commenced is the later of the following dates:

1. The date on which all animals assigned to the relevant research project are at the site where the research will be conducted.

2. The date on which the operator of the registered research facility filed the relevant research project proposal with the animal care committee under subsection 17 (3) of the Act.

17. An operator of a research facility shall ensure that the following conditions are satisfied with respect to research that is carried out in the research facility:

1. If the operator of the registered research facility has consulted with a veterinarian for the purposes of paragraph 7 of subsection 14 (2), the operator shall keep records of the consultation and of the reasons for whether or not a decision was made by the operator to adopt the veterinarian’s recommendations, and the operator shall make those records available to the animal care committee.

Commencement

11. This Regulation comes into force on the day section 7 of Schedule 1 to the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 comes into force.