I would like to add some information that I hope helps all of us understand and clarify this issue further. Apologies in advance for the long read! I did a lot of reading and some library research on this and spoke to people at different organizations over the past few days in hopes of understanding this complicated issue. I wasn't able to find out from our City Clerks office yet if I am able to tweak this petition to add more information or clarify things to make it more specific since it was submitted to City Hall and we have begun collecting signatures. I couldn't find an option to edit a petition on change.org either. The new City Animal Shelter in Sudbury is a wonderful place for the animals to be and I know they are doing a terrific job with the animals in their care. I have absolutely zero concerns for the animals in the care of our current, wonderful shelter. I understand they have a fantastic plan of care and work with the wonderful rescues in our city to place them in loving homes. If I could go in and edit this petition- I would like to put that right at the top. At the time I made this petition my personal opinion (which also appears to be the majority public opinion) about the City Animal Shelter did not seem to me to be that relevant to this petition. My concerns on this petition have always been the Animals For Research Act- sale of animals to pounds and shelters through the Ontario legislation. We also know that the new City Animal Shelter which has been in existence for less than a year, does not send their animals to research facilities. We hope and assume (it always was and is) the same with the other shelter in Sudbury area as well and never a concern in the future. This is information we can find out from filing a Freedom of Information request or they may have already made this information available to the public as our City Shelter did. As stated in the petition, we dont think this is an issue here at the moment. A quick google search showed we do have some research labs in Sudbury that test on animals and/or have animal testing policies as stated on their websites as well as a teaching college for Vet technicians I believe - hopefully the Animals For Research Act - sale of animals from Pounds and Shelters is not an issue for our pets in the future. I haven't been able to find out much about our research facilities in Sudbury but one place in Sudbury I called and spoke to their research ethics contact person 'didn't know' if they tested on animals but I found a live mouse policy on their website. The second facility I called and spoke to their research ethics contact person also was not sure if their organization tested on animals and was unsure who I could speak to have that question answered although their website talked of animal research. I believe and hope that pound seizure (which OMAFRA has indicated may not be an appropriate term for the act of sale of lost or homeless pets from a shelter to a research facility, but AAPC is using the term on their website to describe the same) is not a common practice among our shelters in Ontario anymore - but it does definitely still happen. It is important to note that research facilities do not physically go into shelters to demand animals, they have to send an email requesting them and there is a process that is regulated. There are options available for the shelters to adopt the animals out before sending them to research facilities- but before euthanizing an animal, if the shelter had a request for the research facility they would have to send it to research. I was told it costs 6 dollars for a research facility to purchase a dog here in Ontario from a shelter or a pound and 2 dollars for a cat. The reason for this was to eliminate the need for dognapping which was apparently an issue related to research way in the past. Many research facilities prefer animals that were bred specifically for research in a research breeding facility because their subjects are more controlled. Some people choose to donate their animals to research. It is also important to note that there is an organization called the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) that regulates the care of animals in shelters as well as extensive legislation that is meant to protect animals in research facilities. I did feel somewhat reassured that it sounds like there are some protections in place to try to eliminate unnecessary research by using a model called the three Rs: Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. There are also options after research if the animals can have a good quality of life- and not all research means putting an animal in pain. (Looking at the Categories of Invasiveness for Animal Experiments explains more about the pain levels) .Many universities are doing free spay and neuters and fixing animals teeth and then afterwards the students end up adopting the animals. We do not know yet how many animals end up adopted after experimentation. But I would like to know. These spays and neuters is considered animal research as well. I would invite all of you to also read the Animals for Research Act. I would suggest that those that wish to research this further contact both the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and also the Animal Alliance Party of Canada (AAPC) to find out what both organizations have to say about this issue. They both gave me great information, but there is lots more we could learn about this. You could also contact the Canadian Council on Animal Care, to find out what their organizations role is in protecting the animals in the lab. I do hope that all of this information is accurate - with my limited abilities to research it and understand a complex issue that is most definitely in my personal option being kept very quiet in our Province. Some of the reasons I think its being kept so quiet is because of public outrage about an issue that many of us care so much about, as well as trade secrets in the industry, privacy issues, etc. I am a very concerned member of our community and not a professional researcher. The information I have provided is to the best of my knowledge and understanding, accurate and fair. Please contact me if you see something that is inaccurate or misleading so I can correct it. As was always my intent, I hope that City Council will consider this matter which I still feel is a legitimate concern and take a public stand for us to ensure that this is never an issue in the future - just as a preventative measure. When municipalities take a public stand on this matter, research facilities do not want the negative publicity and do not try to ask them for animals. Please join the national petition to end animal cruelty in Canada: https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-718 Please help to protect animals in labs: https://www.change.org/p/minister-of-justice-protect-animals-in-canadian-labs/w?source_location=notifications_page https://www.change.org/p/federal-government-stop-animal-testing-in-canada https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-justin-trudeau-minister-of-science-kirsty-duncan-health-minister-jane-philpott-stop-the-pain-stop-vivisection-canada Thank you