The systemic failure of oversight in Ontario — why government proposed Bill 75 and OMAFA regulatory amendments must include real protections for dogs and cats in research
TORONTO, Dec. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Members of the Animal Alliance of Canada’s Advisory Group on Humane Science are calling for urgent action from the Ontario government, warning that recent revelations about the import and treatment of dogs in Ontario research facilities expose long-standing failures in oversight, enforcement, and accountability.
The calls come as Ontario considers legislative and regulatory amendments that, if strengthened, could finally end the use of dogs and cats in harmful research. Advisory Group members emphasize that the province must ensure airtight protection with no exemptions or loopholes, or these animals will continue to fall through the cracks.
A Pattern of Systemic Failure, Not a One-Off Case
On November 24, 2025, an article by the Investigative Journalism Bureau revealed that Nucro-Technics, a testing facility in Scarborough, Ontario, imported dogs for more than 13 years from Ridglan Farms — a U.S. company that bred beagles for sale to research facilities. An extensive investigation into Ridglan Farms uncovered severe mistreatment of beagles. The fact that these dogs were allowed to be imported into Ontario raises serious questions about how the province’s regulatory system failed.
But the problem with Nucro-Technics is not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, footage from a London, Ontario hospital revealed distressing treatment of dogs inside its research program. That same institution is currently listed on probation by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). Nucro-Technics has also appeared on the CCAC probation list — as have other research facilities, including the University of Ottawa.
“Given what has emerged from other facilities placed under similar sanctions for cruel and unethical conduct, we must ask the obvious question: what is happening behind closed doors at uOttawa?” says Lia Laskaris, CEO of the Animal Alliance of Canada. “The public deserves to know what, if anything, CCAC and Ontario’s oversight is truly accomplishing — and what is happening at the other facilities still on probation.”
Where Is the Oversight?
Despite mandatory reporting under Ontario’s Animals for Research Act and CCAC voluntary Guidelines, Nucro-Technics imported dogs from an inhumane breeder for more than a decade without detection or action.
Institutional Animal Care Committees (ACCs), meant to serve as internal ethical review boards, also failed to stop these imports or intervene on behalf of the animals they are entrusted to protect.
“If three layers of oversight all miss the same red flags for over a decade, the problem is structural,” says Vaughan Black, retired law professor and Advisory Group member. “Laws must be strong enough so that no institution can continue to import dogs and cats for use in research activities. There must be no pathway for this to occur again.”
Opportunity for Reform — If Ontario Gets It Right
Ontario has signaled a historic willingness to end the use of dogs and cats in invasive research through Bill 75 and OMAFA’s Proposal 52653. Advisory Group members stress that this moment is critical, and the final legislation must reflect total protection for dogs and cats in the province.
Key risks include:
- the continued use of dogs and cats in invasive veterinary research that is not of direct benefit to those particular animals,
- exemptions permitting the importation of dogs and cats for use in research, and
- the continued reliance on ACCs and the CCAC despite failures of an oversight system based on self-policing and voluntary compliance.
“There is a general failure to apply the ban beyond breeding to procurement,” says Angela Fernandez, Professor of Law and History and Director of the Animal Law Program at the University of Toronto, and a member of the Advisory Group. “Invasive experiments can still be allowed if approved by a facility's Animal Care Committee under the exception as currently worded, so it's difficult to see how that is a ban on invasive experiments.”
Humane, Modern Science is Within Reach
Animal Alliance’s Advisory Group includes physicians, academics, legal experts, researchers, and scientists who agree that Ontario can transition toward human-relevant, non-animal research models.
Eric Ocelewski, Co-Founder of Biotech Company Pi and Power, and member of Animal Alliance’s Advisory Group, says the failures in Ontario institutions are not only ethical — they are outdated scientific practices.
“Ontario does not need to choose between good science and humane science. We have the tools to generate meaningful data without harming animals,” says Ocelewski. “Non-invasive, real-world diagnostics are already being developed here in Ontario.”
His biotech company, Pi and Power, is developing humane, non-invasive biosensing tools designed to diagnose disease earlier and without the use of purpose-bred or pound-sourced research animals. Their model, working with veterinary partners and real patients rather than animals confined to research labs, represents exactly the kind of scientific innovation Ontario could support.
“The moral calculus assumes a high probability of benefit to others, but the actual translation rate from many animal models to approved therapies is low. Strong legislation is not a barrier to science. It is a catalyst for better, more relevant research.”
What the Ontario Government Must Consider
Animal Alliance of Canada and its Advisory Group on Humane Science urge the province to:
- Strengthen Bill 75 and Proposal 52653 to ensure an absolute prohibition on the use of dogs and cats in harmful research with no exemptions.
- Close all acquisition loopholes, including private imports, pounds and humane societies, transfers from other research facilities, and “other” sources.
- Prioritize investment and adoption of humane, non-invasive, modern scientific methods in research.
“Ontario has momentum,” says Laskaris. “Now we must ensure the protections are real.”
Media Contact:
Bianca Del Bois
Director of Development & Communications
Animal Alliance of Canada
Office: 416-462-9541 ext. 28
Email: bianca@animalalliance.ca
