Research Ethics Review

Should I Apply for Ethics Review?

The LREB must review all research, and all activities that include in part research, that involves human participants. No research activity that involves human participants, including recruitment, can be initiated until approval has been obtained from the LREB. Approval must be obtained from the LREB for all research protocols, consent documents and recruitment materials before any activity involving human subjects is commenced.

Any research project conducted by any individual connected to the College, which involves human participants must conform to College policy Policy-B5007 Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. This policy applies to all research involving human participants and covers all of the following situations:

  • Research conducted by members of the College acting in their College capacity (this includes faculty, staff, administrators, students, paid or unpaid associates and any other person associated with the College and identifying their association with the College in connection with the research or engaging in the research as part of their non-instructional duty.);
  • Where the research is conducted on any College premise or participants are recruited on College premises or using College facilities (e.g. by sending Emails to College students.);
    Where the research is administered by the College;
  • Where ethics approval is required pursuant to any agreement the College might have with any other institution or agency.
    Research Ethics Board review by another institution does not satisfy the requirements for review by the LREB.

Some activities and studies are exempt from review. Information about exemptions is provided in articles 2.2 to 2.6 of the TCPS2 and in section 5.3 of Policy B5007.

How to Obtain Ethics Approval

Investigators wishing to obtain LREB approval are required to complete a Research Ethics Application form or a Course Based Research Application Form.  Completed forms, supporting documents and a CORE-2022 Certificate of Completion should be submitted electronically to the LREB Chair at ethics [at] langara.ca (ethics[at]langara[dot]ca).  

Before you apply

All researchers must complete the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2) Course on Research Ethics (CORE-2022) tutorial. Once complete, download your CORE-2022 Certificate of Completion and submit it with your application. 

Application information

Solely for pedagogical purposes.

  • Guidelines on the ethical review process for course-based research
  • Download the Course-Based Research Ethics Application Form (Word) or (PDF)
Submission

Please submit the completed application form and all supporting documents (including the TCPS 2 - CORE-2022 Certificate of Completion) via email to the LREB Chair (ethics [at] langara.ca (ethics[at]langara[dot]ca)).

NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Application deadlines
  • Fall Term - June 15
  • Spring Term - November 15

The LREB may require investigators to submit additional information or documentation to aid in its review.  Likewise, additional information may be required post-approval and/or during the conduct of the research.  Investigators are required to notify the LREB of any changes to the study, especially those that may affect the level of risk to research subjects/participants.

Investigators who wish to apply for renewal of an already approved research project must notify the LREB before their current notice of approval expires.

Administration

The Langara Research Ethics Board (LREB) relies on information submitted by investigators to conduct its ethics review.  Investigators seeking LREB ethics review are required to provide sufficient information and supporting documents that would allow for a proper assessment of their study.

Meetings

According to TCPS2, “face-to-face meetings are essential for adequate discussion of, and effective REB decision making on, research proposals, and for the collective education of the REB.”  Meetings of the LREB will be conducted in a manner that satisfies regulatory and institutional requirements.

The LREB holds scheduled meetings on the last Friday of every other month: January, March, May, July, September, and November.

LREB Meeting Dates and Application Deadlines for the 2025/26 Academic Year

LREB Meeting Date (2025 - 2026)Application Deadline
January 31, 2025January 17
March 28, 2025March 14
May 30, 2025May 16
July 25, 2025July 11
September 26, 2025September 12
November 28, 2025November 14

 

Minutes

The LREB Administrator or designate will take minutes of each meeting.  Minutes will be written in sufficient detail to show the following:

  • Record of attendance of LREB members, ad hoc reviewers, guests or observers;
  • Declarations of conflicts of interest and recusals, if any;
  • Actions taken by the LREB on each agenda item requiring full LREB action, including, the basis for requiring changes in or for disapproving the research;
  • Summary of the discussion of issues and resolution;
    Results of votes including the names of those members of the LREB voting for, against and abstaining.
    • Minutes will not include reviewer comments provided electronically that were not discussed at the meeting. The complete set of comments/issues for all studies are produced in a separate document. 
Approval

Minutes will be distributed electronically prior to the next LREB meeting for review and approval.

Corrections requested by the LREB will be noted in the minutes of the next meeting and the minutes with corrections (if any) will be approved. The LREB administrator will amend the prior meeting minutes in accordance with the approval.

The approved minutes and the meeting agenda are retained on file in the Office of the President.

Quorum

Quorum for LREB meetings must be in accordance with the requirements of TCPS2 Article 6.4.  Furthermore, when there is less that full attendance, decisions can only be made when members in attendance have the requisite knowledge and competence to provide adequate ethics review.

Quorum should not include ad hoc advisors, visitors or administrative staff.

Quorum is defined as a majority (50% = 1) of the regular and/or alternate members with a minimum of 5 members. Quorum must include at least two members whose primary area of expertise is scientific, one member whose primary area of expertise is non-scientific, one member who is knowledgeable in ethics and one member who has no affiliation with the institution (member of the public).

The chair will determine if quorum has been achieved.

An alternate member may attend in place of an absent member in order to achieve quorum.

Ad hoc reviewers, visitors and administrative staff will not be used to achieve quorum.

No votes can be taken without a quorum.

Distribution of materials prior to LREB meetings

All documentation required for review will be provided to LREB members in sufficient time prior to the next scheduled LREB meeting to allow for adequate review. These materials will include:

  • Meeting agenda
  • Reviewer material, including:
    • Applications for ethical review
    • Proposed informed consent documents
    • Complete protocol (for new and renewal applications) Questionnaires and assessment instruments (if applicable)
    • Any other supporting materials
    • Minutes of previous meetings

Approval by Consensus

Members of the LREB should strive to approve studies by consensus. Where consensus cannot be achieved, the decision will be made by majority vote and recorded in the minutes with the names of those members voting for, against and abstaining from the vote.