Universities Act - Animal Welfare Regulation

 

 

 

 

 


 

 



Table of Contents

Definitions
Animal care
Committee
Use approval
Enforcement responsibilities

Dogs
Acquisition
Dog premises
Records
Dogs made available
Claiming dogs
Identification

Repeal and Expiry
Repeal
Expiry

Definitions

1

In this Regulation,
(a) "animal" means any living non-human vertebrate and any living invertebrate of the class cephalopoda, including free-living and reproducing larval forms, raised for or used in research, teaching, breeding or testing purposes at a university;

(b) "Guide" means the Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, volume 1, 2nd edition, 1993 and volume 2, 1984, guidelines and policies, as amended or replaced from time to time, published by the Canadian Council on Animal Care;

(c) "Terms of Reference document" means the Terms of Reference for Animal Care Committees, 2000, as amended or revised from time to time, published by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.


Animal care

2

Animals at a university must be cared for and maintained in accordance with the Guide.


Committee

3

(1) The president of a university or the president's designate who is a senior officer of the university must establish an Animal Care Committee composed of members who meet the requirements of the Terms of Reference document.

(2) An Animal Care Committee must act

(a) in accordance with the Terms of Reference document, and

(b) as a liaison between the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the university.

Use approval

4

Research, teaching or testing involving animals at a university may be undertaken only if the Animal Care Committee has reviewed and approved the use of animals in the proposed research, teaching or testing.


Enforcement responsibilities

5

A university, on the request of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, must take whatever action is necessary to ensure compliance with this Regulation.

 

Dogs


Acquisition

6

A university, on acquisition of an unclaimed dog, must at its own expense cause the dog to be transported to the university.


Dog premises

7

A university must ensure that all places where dogs are kept or housed meet the standards of animal care set out in the Guide.


Records

8

(1) Records of all dogs acquired or used by a university must be maintained and must include

(a) a description or other identification of each dog,

(b) the date and source from which the dog was acquired,

(c) the date on which, and the purpose for which, the dog was used, and

(d) the method of humane destruction of each dog or other humane disposition of it.

(2) The university's records maintained under subsection (1) must be available, on request, during regular business hours to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, the Minister's delegate and an official of the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for one year after the disposal of the animal.

(3) A university must submit on request of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development copies of its records under subsection (1) to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.


Dogs made available

9

A faculty or school at a university may make its unused dogs available to other faculties or schools at a university.


Claiming dogs

10

(1) Any person making a reasonable application to the official in charge of the dog-holding facility at a university must be allowed access to the facility where pre-use animals are kept.

(2) Any person claiming a dog from the pre-use section of the dog-holding facility at a university may recover the dog after completing a declaration of ownership and on payment of the costs of caring for the animal, not exceeding $150.00.


Identification

11

If a dog during the pre-use holding period is found to be carrying a Canadian Kennel Club Record tattoo or other form of identification, the official in charge of the dog-holding facility must cause a reasonable attempt to be made to notify the owner before any experimental use of the dog is undertaken.

 

Repeal and Expiry


Repeal

12

The Regulations for Housing, Care and Treatment of Animals Used for Biological or Medical Purposes (AR 333/72) are repealed.



Expiry

13

For the purpose of ensuring that this Regulation is reviewed for ongoing relevancy and necessity, with the option that it may be repassed in its present or an amended form following a review, this Regulation expires on January 1, 2005.