Institutional Biosafety & Biosecurity Committee

List of Committee Members

Institutional Biosafety & Biosecurity Committee (IBBC)

Terms of Reference

The University of Toronto Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee (IBBC) is charged with ensuring that all activities conducted at the University of Toronto involving biological agents are conducted in a safe and secure manner and in conformity with the national, provincial, local and University standards. Within the terms of the Committee, biological agents include but are not limited to: viruses, bacteria, fungi, prions, toxins, viral vectors, recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids, genome editing, microorganisms, human/animal tissues, cell lines and cell cultures, and blood and bodily fluids from humans and animals. The committee also oversees research conducted with parasites (e.g. protozoa, helminths), and invasive flora and fauna. The IBBC further serves as an educational resource to members of the University community. The IBBC reports at least annually and as needed to the Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Compliance.

All research carried out under the auspices of the University and/or in University-controlled facilities must comply with the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act and Regulations, the Canadian Biosafety Standards, the Canadian Biosafety Handbook, the Health of Animals Act, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Acts and Standards, and federal and provincial Environmental Protection Acts and Standards and Regulations for Invasive Species. These requirements apply regardless of the research funding source.

The IBBC delegates to the Local Biosafety Committees (LBCs) the review and approval of all biosafety Permit applications and amendments. The LBCs are subcommittees of the IBBC and meet on a regular basis. The list of LBCs is presented in Appendix 1.

The University affirms that the primary responsibility for the regulatory compliance, safety and security of staff, students and the public lie with the Principal Investigator using or authorizing the use of such agents. In addition, the University (through the members of the Governing Council and senior administrators) acknowledges a responsibility to provide a policy and procedural framework designed to ensure that work with biohazards is being conducted safely and in conformity with the relevant Acts and Regulations.

Functions

The Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Compliance (AVP-ROC) has delegated to the Institutional Biosafety and Biosecurity Committee the following functions, powers and duties:

  1. Developing and promulgating safety standards for the conduct of research and teaching involving biological agents;
  2. Specifying training requirements and promoting the training of all personnel working with biological agents;
  3. Taking all reasonable steps to ensure that research and teaching activities of members of the University involving biological agents are following procedures that are in compliance with the requirements of the University and any relevant guidelines, standards, or legislation;
  4. Advising the Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Compliance, who holds the licence for the University under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act, on the needs of the University community for biosafety and biosecurity facilities, policies and programmes;
  5. Reviewing reconsiderations of LBC decisions regarding the refusal to grant a biosafety permit or the stoppage of research work considered to pose an undue biosafety or biosecurity risk by the University Senior Biosafety Officer;
  6. Appointing subcommittee members (other than the LBC chairs, who are appointed by the Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Compliance) to assist in carrying out the mandate of the Committee;
  7. Submitting, on behalf of the IBBC, an annual report to the Associate Vice-President, Research Oversight and Compliance on the activities of the Chair and the Committee, for transmittal to the Senior Management Committee on Health and Safety.

Membership

The membership of the IBBC shall consist of:

  1. the Chair of the IBBC;
  2. a minimum of six (6) academic faculty members with expertise with biological agents, one of whom is the Vice Chair;
  3. the Academic Director, CL3 Facilities;
  4. all faculty Chairs of Local Biosafety Committees (LBCs);
  5. the Executive Director, Research Safety and Compliance, EHS (ex officio);
  6. the Director, Operations, Research Safety and Compliance, EHS (ex officio);
  7. a Manager, Research Regulatory Affairs, EHS (ex officio);
  8. the U of T Senior Biosafety Officer, EHS (ex officio);
  9. the University Occupational Health Nurse (ex officio)
  10. the Director, Division of Comparative Medicine (ex officio);
  11. the University Veterinarian and Director, Animal Ethics and Compliance (ex officio);
  12. Director, Campus Safety (ex officio);
  13. The Chief Information Security Officer (ex officio);
  14. Manager, Environmental Protection Services (ex officio)
  15. a graduate student user of biological agents.

Academic members are appointed to the IBBC for terms of not less than two years and not more than four years (renewable) by the AVP-ROC on the recommendation by the Chair of the IBBC. Academic members from both research and teaching streams are selected on the basis of their experience and expertise in working with biological agents and their physical location to ensure a good representation of members from across faculties and campuses. Duties of the membership are to attend two meetings per year, engage in the materials, and be available for any ad hoc meeting that needs to be called for any reason or regulatory challenge that occurs in the interim.

Academic members may also be appointed by the AVP-ROC as Chairs of the Local Biosafety Committees (LBCs), with authority over specific geographical regions of the University or special areas of concern. To avoid conflicts of interest, the IBBC Chair and LBC Chairs do not approve their own Biosafety Permits or, when applicable, those of their collaborators.

The IBBC Chair is appointed by the AVP-ROC for a two-year term (renewable) and the Chair is normally chosen from the existing academic members on the IBBC, preferably the Vice-Chair. The Chair shall have extensive experience in working with biological agents. The duties of the Chair shall include but are not limited to: setting meeting agendas, presiding over meetings, reviewing Committee minutes before distribution and preparing meeting agendas, ensuring that the Committee carries out its functions as set out in all applicable Regulations and these Terms of Reference, ensuring that new members understand their duties, powers and responsibilities as prescribed in the Regulations and in these Terms of Reference, and maintaining accurate records of the activities of the Committee.

The IBBC Chair shall be an ex officio member of the Senior Management Committee on Health and Safety. The Chair acts on behalf of the IBBC for the purposes of conducting routine business between scheduled meetings.

The IBBC Vice-Chair is chosen from within the academic members of the IBBC and appointed by the AVP-ROC on the recommendation presented by EHS on behalf of the Chair. The Vice-Chair performs the duties of the Chair when necessary.

Resource People and Experts

The IBBC may call upon external or internal experts, when necessary, e.g. Occupational Health Physician, CISO and cybersecurity experts, the University Veterinarian and Director of Animal Ethics and Compliance, the Director of Human Research Ethics, experts in the field of viral vector research, genome editing, plant pests, and plant pathogens. These individuals may be called upon to attend meetings but do not have voting privileges.

Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least twice per year and Minutes of the meetings shall be taken and kept on file. The Office of Environmental Health and Safety provides administrative support to the IBBC Chair and the Committee. The AVP-ROC shall be furnished with copies of agendas and final meeting Minutes.

Committee decisions that affect researchers handling biological agents at the University are normally made by consensus, but a vote may be taken if consensus cannot be reached after discussion of the outstanding issue(s). In the event of a vote, a simple majority of votes of those present and will normally be conducted by a show of hands. If the objection is a new safety concern, it shall be taken back to Environmental Health and Safety for review and re-discussion at the Committee and voted on via email. Decisions shall be recorded in the Minutes.

Quorum shall be 50% +1 of the total Committee membership and must include the Executive Director, Research Safety and Compliance, EHS (or a designated alternative ex officio member from EHS management), the University Senior Biosafety Officer, IBBC Chair, and one academic member representative.

Reconsideration of Decisions

Where an LBC matter has not been resolved through reconsideration by the LBC of its decision, a Principal Investigator may request that the IBBC review the decision of the LBC. In such circumstances, the Principal Investigator shall notify Chair of the IBBC in writing, within one month of the LBC’s notice of the outcome of its review, providing all relevant documentation and a detailed basis for the request. The IBBC Chair shall provide the relevant LBC Chair with an opportunity to respond (within 3 weeks) to the request for reconsideration.

Once the LBC Chair has provided a response, the IBBC Chair shall convene a special meeting of the IBBC to review the Principal Investigator’s request. This meeting shall normally take place within 30 days of receipt of materials from the Principal Investigator. At least one week prior to the meeting the IBBC Chair will provide both the request and the relevant LBC Chair’s response to the IBBC members and the Principal Investigator.

IBBC members who are members of the LBC that made the decision under review shall be recused from deliberation or voting concerning the reconsideration request, and quorum for the IBBC’s special meeting to review the decision shall be adjusted accordingly. The IBBC Chair may request the relevant LBC Chair and the Principal Investigator to address the Committee and may consult ad hoc with other individuals to provide specific expertise relevant to the matter.

The IBBC may substitute its own decision for the LBC’s decision, modify the LBC’s decision, or send the matter back to the LBC for further review having regard to any concerns noted by the IBBC. The IBBC Chair shall notify the relevant LBC Chair and the Principal Investigator in writing of the IBBC’s decision. The decision of the IBBC is final.

Updates to the Terms of Reference

The Committee shall review these Terms of Reference (at least) every 3 years, to meet any new HPTA, CBS, CFIA guidelines or policies or other relevant changed circumstances.

The Committee may recommend changes to these Terms of Reference at any time. All changes to these Terms of Reference must be approved by the AVP-ROC.

Appendix 1

IBBC subcommittees that form the Local Biosafety Committees:

  1. UTM
  2. UTSC
  3. Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  4. Medical Science Building
  5. MaRS/Dentistry
  6. Gage/Pharmacy/KDT/CCBR/Engineering/KPE
  7. CL3

Version – October 2024