Guidelines and Policies

Guidelines, Policies, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formalized procedures approved by the VIU Animal Care Committee (ACC) that are used to educate animal users at VIU on the currently approved techniques and practices. These procedures enable the VIU ACC to implement the institutional Animal Care Policy.

Animal users at VIU are expected to be familiar with all relevant VIU and CCAC Guidelines, Policies, and SOPs. Approved SOPs can be referred to within Animal User Protocol applications, thereby reducing the need to describe in detail procedures that are already recognized to be in accordance with Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines. SOPs ensure consistency among projects in how the procedure is performed.

Guidelines

• VIU Guidelines for Choosing Appropriate Intervention and Endpoints
• CCAC Guidelines

Policies

• ACC-001 - Compliance
• ACC-002 - Reporting of Animal Welfare Concerns and Incidents
• ACC-003 - Post-Approval Monitoring
• ACC-004 - Animal Health and Welfare
• ACC-005 - Monitoring Records of Held Animals
• ACC-006 - Animal User Training
• ACC-007 - Requirements and Review of Standard Operating Procedures
• ACC-008 - Extension of Animal Use Protocols
• ACC-010 - Animal Facility Management
• ACC-011 – Visitors to Animal Facilities
• ACC-012 - Euthanasia
• ACC-013 - Research Involving Two or More Institutions
• ACC-014 - Fish and Wildlife Permits
• ACC-015 - Scientific Merit Review
• ACC-016 - Pedagogical Merit Review
• ACC-017 - Request to Use Animals Application and Review Process
• ACC-018 - Animal Facility Access
• ACC-020 - Endpoints

Standard Operating Procedures

The VIU Animal Care Committee is in the process of reviewing all SOPs. If there is a particular procedure for which you are interested in acquiring an SOP during this time, please contact the VIU Animal Care Committee via email at ACC@viu.ca.

• SOPs can be submitted for review at any one of the Committee's review meetings.