ONTARIO TO END MEDICAL RESEARCH TESTING ON DOGS, CATS FOLLOWING WHISTLEBLOWER EXPOSÉ

Ontario will ban the use of dogs and cats in research experiments, Premier Doug Ford announced Monday, calling the practice “cruel and unacceptable.”

“You’re not going to use pets—dogs or cats—to experiment on any longer,” Ford said during an unrelated news conference in London, Ont. “Simple as that. We just don’t do that.”

The announcement follows a whistleblower report to the animal rights group Animal Justice, raising concerns about dogs—mostly puppies—being used in cardiac research at the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. The whistleblowers were later connected to the University of Toronto’s Investigative Journalism Bureau, which published a report detailing that the dogs were killed and dissected following the experiments.

After speaking with the province, St. Joseph’s halted all research involving dogs. The hospital emphasized that the studies were conducted under regulatory approval and complied with all applicable rules. It also pointed out that Health Canada and the U.S. FDA require animal testing in some cases to prove safety and effectiveness of new treatments.

Still, the hospital said it has suspended what it described as “groundbreaking research” that had contributed to major advances in cardiac care.

Ford revealed that the decision was prompted by direct messages he received from one of the whistleblowers. “I want to thank the whistleblower who sent me pictures and texts,” he said. “That person’s a champion.”

He also issued a warning to other researchers: “If there’s anyone else out there doing this to animals—come clean, because we’re going to catch you.”

Animal Justice welcomed the news of upcoming legislation. “Ontarians love our pets like family, and they should never be made to suffer in cruel experiments,” said Camille Labchuk, the group’s executive director.

Labchuk urged the government to go further, noting that current laws still allow unclaimed shelter animals to be sold for research. “It’s important to close that loophole and ensure animals get a second chance through adoption after experiments,” she said.