St. Joseph’s Health Care London set to release results from third-party review into animal research program

A third-party review of animal testing at St. Joe’s will be released Thursday following a dog research controversy last summer.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London says it will release the results of several independent reviews into its animal research practices, including a third-party assessment commissioned after public and political outcry over the use of dogs in cardiac studies.

The reports, to be made public on Thursday, will include an independent review of animal research at the hospital’s Lawson Research Institute, a review by Western University’s Animal Care Committee, a special assessment by the Canadian Council on Animal Care, and an inspection report from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

The announcement comes nearly six months after allegations of animal testing, specifically experiments being conducted in a lab inside the hospital using dogs for cardiac research.

Following that investigation, St. Joseph’s initially defended its research, saying all procedures were conducted under strict regulatory and ethical oversight and that animal welfare was a priority.

However, the controversy intensified after Premier Doug Ford described the research as “inhumane” and the hospital announced it would immediately cease research involving dogs.

The head of the research program that oversaw the dog studies, Dr. Lisa Porter, subsequently departed the institute amid the backlash.

Animal welfare advocates have continued to press for transparency and accountability, including protests calling for disclosure of what happened to dogs used in past research.

St. Joseph’s says the decision to commission independent reviews was made “to ensure our processes and policies meet the highest standards,” and that it followed all applicable regulatory, ethical, and professional standards in its research.

The reports have been embargoed until Thursday morning, and hospital CEO Roy Butler is expected to address the findings publicly.

CTV News will have more on the report once the embargo has been lifted.