All research involving animals at Mount Saint Vincent University is guided by a code of ethics to ensure the research meets the highest ethical standards, as laid out by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).

 

Mount Saint Vincent University is currently certified by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) as being in accordance with standards of GAP – Good Animal Practice®.  All research involving animals requires ACC approval prior to the start of research as per University policy.

As required by the by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Mount Saint Vincent University co-operates and complies with all agencies in Canada regulating the use of laboratory animals.

Mount Saint Vincent University, through a memorandum of understanding, collaborates with Saint Mary’s University (SMU) for all ethics clearance for research involving animals. The SMU Animal Care Committee is authorized to review, clear and monitor all animal research at MSVU. All Mount Saint Vincent University faculty, students, administration, and staff who are conducting research with animal participants must submit an ethics application to the Animal Care Committee (ACC) for clearance.

Learn more about Animal Care and use in Canadian Research.

 

For animal care questions, please contact ethics@msvu.ca or animalcare@smu.ca.

Animal Care Policies

ACC.POL.001 Terms of Reference

ACC.POL.002 Use of Animals in Research

ACC.POL.003 Scientific Merit Review Policy

ACC.POL.004 Pedagogical Merit Review Policy

ACC.POL.005 Protocol Review Process

ACC.POL.006 Post Approval Monitoring

ACC.POL.007 CALAM Standards of Vet Care

ACC.POL.008 Procurement of Animals

ACC.POL.009 Animal Husbandry, Housing and Care

ACC.POL.010 Ethics of Animal Research

ACC.POL.011 ACC Member Training

ACC.POL.012 ACC Researcher Training

ACC.POL.013 Laboratory Animal Adoption – email ethics@msvu.ca

ACC.POL.014 Reporting Animal Welfare Incidents

ACC.POL.015 Reporting Animal Welfare Concerns

ACC.POL.016 Principal Investigator Role and Responsibilities

Animal Care Forms and Reports

ACC.FORM.001 MSVU AUP Laboratory

ACC.FORM.002 MSVU AUP Field

ACC.FORM.003 MSVU AUPF Modification Renewal

ACC.FORM.004 MSVU ACC Incident Form

ACC.FORM.005 MSVU ACC Study Closure

ACC.FORM.006 MSVU ACC Scientific Reviewer Comment Form

ACC.FORM.007 MSVU ACC Pedagogical Reviewer Comment Form

ACC.FORM.008 MSVU ACC Pedagogical Merit Teaching Appendix Form

ACC.FORM.009 MSVU Site Visit Report (Monthly)

ACC.FORM.010 MSVU/SMU Animal Facilities Site Visit (ACC Committee)

ACC.FORM.011 MSVU AUD Form

ACC.FORM.012 Animal Welfare Assessment Checklist (use with ACC.FORM.010)

Animal Care Guidance Documents

ACC.INFO.001 Categories of Invasiveness

ACC.INFO.002 MSVU ACC NEW SUBMISSION RESEARCH

ACC.INFO.003 MSVU ACC NEW SUBMISSION TEACHING

ACC.INFO.006 Zebrafish and Other Small Warm Water Lab Fish Guidance

ACC.INFO.007 Best Practices for AUDF

ACC.INFO.009 Aquatics Lab – Zoonoses

 

 

 

Animal Care Committee Contacts and Meeting Information

Chair – Dr. Susan Bjornson – susan.bjornson@smu.ca

Acting Animal Care Coordinator/Technician – Ms. Emily Allen – animalcare@smu.ca

MSVU ACC Liaison – Ms. Brenda Gagné – ethics@msvu.ca 

 

Link to ACC Meetings

Report an Animal Care Concern

If you wish to report a concern or issue with regards to the welfare of animals involved in research at Mount Saint Vincent University, and wish to notify someone not directly involved in the research study, you may complete this report form and submit it anonymously. **Please ensure that you are not submitting confidential or sensitive information.

Alternatively, you are invited to contact the MSVU Research Ethics and Compliance Officer at 457-6350 or via e-mail at ethics@msvu.ca to discuss your concerns. Your identity will be kept confidential.

Research Animal Welfare Concerns

Please provide as much information as possible when submitting your report. The Research Ethics and Compliance Officer will review the report and ensure that the Animal Care Committee (ACC) Chair and/or the ACC Veterinarian are notified as soon as possible.