1. It is essential that public safety be the prime consideration. Precautions must be taken to ensure that no serious personal injury, property damage or legal action could result.
2. Remove or otherwise protect all sharp edges or corners of prisms, mirrors, enclosures, glass and metal plates.
3. No compressed gas cylinders are allowed.
4. Length of hoses or extension cords are to be kept to a minimum and out of the way to eliminate tripping hazards. Use tape for securing them.
5. Aisles and exits must not be obstructed.
6. Exhibits with potential hazards may be restricted to demonstration under conditions dictated by the Fair. Projects exhibited under these conditions must not be left unattended.

1. Fire extinguishers of proper size and rating will be available in the exhibition area.
2. Combustible material must not be used near a heat source.
3. Open flames are not allowed, with one exception. If the use of an open flame is essential for the demonstration of a project, the flame may be used in the presence of judges, but only if satisfactory safeguards are provided. All flame-producing equipment (candles, torches, matches, etc.) must be stored by the logistics chairperson during the fair. Prior arrangements must be made for their use during judging.

1. Toxic or flammable chemicals are not allowed. The use of substitutes is mandatory. Common salt, for example, can be used to simulate ammonium nitrate; water can replace alcohol, ether, chloroform or other highly flammable liquids; and molasses can be used instead of petroleum products. When chemicals are simulated, they should be clearly labeled with the name of the substance they represent and the word "simulated". The judges evaluate work already done. Therefore, you do not need to demonstrate what you did exactly. They will not penalize a project for not having "real" chemicals present.

1. A single three-pronged receptacle (110 volt, 60 cycle) will be provided if requested. All cord-connected electrical devices should have three wire conductors with grounds unless a CSA approved appliance is being used, and all homemade circuits should be protected by fuses.
2. Use the lowest voltage and lowest current possible.
3. Disconnect all electrical exhibits at the end of the day or the viewing period.
4. Only CSA approved extension cords in good repair can be used. Cords with defects in insulation or connections will not be allowed in the fair.
5. Where practical, pilot lights should be used to indicate when power is on.
6. An insulating grommet is required at the point where the service enters an enclosure.
7. Electrical devices must be protectively enclosed with non-combustible material. Exposed circuit points at 36 volts or more constitute a health hazard.

1. The following hazardous biological materials may not be displayed at the Science Fair:
• radio-isotopes or compounds containing radio-isotopes at activities above normal background;
• biological toxins;
• micro-organisms pathogenic to animals, and
• cells or tissues infected with animal or plant viruses.
2. All cultures placed on the exhibit must be sealed and remain sealed.
3. Experimentation involving hazardous materials must be carried out under controlled laboratory conditions and supervision. The name and qualifications of the supervisor must be specified.
4. Experimental manipulations of recombinant DNA molecules or animal viruses are prohibited.

Biological experimentation is essential for an understanding of living processes. Such studies should lead to a respect for all living things. Capable students, anxious to pursue a career in biological sciences, must receive the necessary encouragement and direction. All aspects of the project must be within the comprehension and capabilities of the student undertaking the study.

Preface:

Regulations pertaining to projects involving animals and the display of those projects reflect strict standards. While students' investigations of biological processes are to be encouraged, they are subject to the same laws, ethics, and regulations as any other individual researching this field. In the Criminal Code of Canada and the Animals for Research Act of Ontario, all vertebrates are afforded protection. Also, schools and science fairs are explicitly included in the definition of "research facility" in Ontario. The regulations below are written in view of these laws. The display of a project is further restricted by the Youth Science Foundation Canada in view of the need to maintain a positive public image towards science fairs. The restriction is due in part to a lack of essential expertise on the part of the student investigators and their immediate supervisors. There is also a desire to maximize the efficiency of animal use and to impress this on the students, especially regarding scientific merit.

1. All research involving animals should be screened by a committee cognizant of current regulations. If such a committee is not readily available, or is unsure of certain aspects of an idea, please write or call our Rules & Regulations Officer. Your request will be passed on to an appropriate authority for guidance and suggestions.
2. Lower orders of life (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, insects, plants and invertebrate animals) can be used in experimentation to reveal valuable basic biological information.
3. Vertebrate animals (birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians) are not to be used in any active experiments which may be deleterious to the health, comfort or physical integrity of the animals. This permits observation of wild animals, animals in zoological parks, farm animals and pets. Only animals acquired from biological supply houses may be used in "experiments". Animals from pet stores or from one's own breeding program cannot be used for these purposes.
4. Observation of wild animals falls within the definition of hunting in some jurisdictions. Students should obtain advice and permission from conservation authorities to ensure that they are not interfering with the animal's life, and to ensure that their project is permissible. A permit may be required. Behavioural experiments with positive rewards are permissible only if the animal is not placed in a stress situation. Training an animal to travel through a maze to receive a food reward is stressful, particularly if the animal is hungry, and is therefore not permissible. However, allowing an animal to make a free choice (of food, for example) is permissible, so long as the animal is not stressed before offering the choice (e.g. by withholding food).
5. Studies of embryos are similarly restricted to observation, without intervention with drugs or other chemicals, or manipulations of physical condition to test the resiliency of the animal. If eggs are hatched, the offspring must be reared normally. Otherwise all embryos must be destroyed by freezing before 85% of normal incubation.
6. Cells and animal parts (including organs, tissues, plasma or serum) purchased or acquired from biological supply houses or research facilities may be used in science fair projects. Evidence of the source of the materials (e.g. bill of sale) must be available at the display.
7. The acquisition of animal parts should involve either the services of biological supply houses or research facilities, or involve salvage from sources where the animal has been killed for other legitimate purposes in a legal and humane manner. Salvage from found carcasses (e.g. road kills) is discouraged due to serious health risks. If the acquisition involves salvage from a research project, then the disposition to the science fair project must be part of the original research proposal, and such disposition must have been approved by the Research Committee or the Animal Care Committee of the institution involved. Reference to the original project should be made on the science project. If the acquisition involves salvage from the food industry, then the source must be acknowledged. If the acquisition involves hunting, fishing or trapping, then those activities must be done in accordance with prevailing regulations, and precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of the student(s). The taking of animals other than for food, without explicit approval, can constitute cruelty. Permits for research are available from conservation authorities.
8. Biological experimentation is subject to legal restrictions including, among others:
• Criminal Code of Canada, Section 446, Cruelty to Animals;
• Health of Animals Act, Bill C-66;
• Animals for Research Act (Ontario), and
• Guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care and Youth Science Foundation Canada.

Students working on biological projects may involve animals as outlined above. The display of the project is to be a report of completed work, and thus further restrictions are imposed. Also, science fair organizers should try to reduce the potential for adverse reaction from visitors and other exhibitors.

1. Live microorganisms and vertebrate or non-vertebrate animals shall not be included in the display, although appropriate photographs may be available in the report.
2. The only parts of vertebrate animals that may be displayed are those that are either naturally shed by an animal or parts properly prepared and preserved. Soft tissue specimens are not acceptable if they are preserved in formaldehyde, a dangerous chemical excluded under the chemical safety sections of these guidelines. Sealed tissue samples on microscope slides are permissible. Thus, porcupine quills (safely contained), shed snake skin, feathers, tanned pelts and hides, antlers, hair samples, skeletons and skeletal parts are permissible, while organ and tissue samples are not. However, photos, videos or slides of organ and tissue samples may be made available for viewing upon request but are not permitted to be placed on display.

The following rules and guidelines for research and/or science fair projects involving human subjects are adapted from those of the Youth Science Foundation Canada Guide for Ethics Review of Human Research

Statement of Ethics Review Requirements:

The Foundation requires that all research involving human participants conducted as a project competing in the Canada-Wide Science Fair, or an affiliated Regional Science Fair, satisfy ethical and safety rules. This ensures that the safety and welfare of the participants as well as the researchers are considered and protected. The ethics review process should involve the student's supervising teacher, members of a bona fide research institution or hospital practised in the ethics of human research, or the Ethics, Animal Care and Safety Committee of the Youth Science Foundation Canada. This will provide the researchers with an appreciation of the requirements and safeguards existing in law regarding experimentation in humans.

Note: Projects dealing with forensic science topics must preserve the anonymity of any human victims, and project displays must avoid sensational or gratuitous, macabre images.

The Foundation's Ethics, Animal Care and Safety Committee invites inquiries regarding the ethics of any planned human (or animal) research project. It will assist in the development of an acceptable research design. It also reviews all projects entered in the Canada-Wide Science Fair to ensure they are ethically approved and thus eligible for competition.

Definitions of Human Research, Researcher, and Participant.

Human research refers to any project which involves the generation of data about persons beyond that which is necessary for the person's well-being. This includes non-invasive methods such as: surveys, interviews, observations of, or field work with, individuals, administration of psychometric and other tests, examination of records, and exercise testing. It may also involve invasive procedures, such as blood sampling, tissue sampling, and insertion of cannulae.

A researcher is a student data or information collector, or assistant, involved in research activities involving humans.

Supervising teachers are responsible for ensuring the safe and ethical operation of projects dealing with human subjects. An Application For Review of Research with Human Participants is included in the forms section. If there is any doubt in regard to the ethics of a proposed project this form should be completed and forwarded to the Safety and Regulations Officer prior to the commencement of any experimentation. The information will be checked and feedback will be provided as quickly as possible. Projects involving human participants that are deemed to be unethical may be disqualified.

The following instructions will provide assistance in completing the form as well as providing additional guidelines for conducting research involving humans.

1. Student Researcher(s): The student researcher(s) will collect the data. All students involved must be listed, even if assisting the principal investigators.
2. Title of Project: The title of project should be succinct, yet clearly describe the focus of the project.
3. Supervising Teacher: The supervising teacher supervises and accepts responsibility for the safe and ethical conduct of the project. The name, school and school telephone number of the supervising teacher must be given.
4. Purpose and General Procedure: The purpose describes the reason for conducting the project, and briefly outlines literature which has shaped the project proposal. The general procedure to be used in the research is to be outlined.
5. Participants and Procedural Details: The participants who will be involved should be described with respect to age range, sex, numbers required and other identifying characteristics. Special consideration is needed for the involvement of children or other vulnerable participants. Describe the source of the participants and the manner in which they will be recruited. Attach a copy of any covering letter. Studies involving students and/or teachers often require the explicit permission of Board of Education officials. Researchers are reminded of the potential for certain participant groups to experience or perceive undue pressure to volunteer as research participants, and are to minimize this perception. Members of distinct cultural groups, legally incompetent people and children are examples of special populations which require special effort to ensure that informed consent is being given. Include details of any compensation for participation in the study. It should not be so high as to induce a person to volunteer, or cause a person to continue in a study past the point at which he/she would otherwise stop. Describe procedures in detail and in terms which can be understood by reviewers without specialized knowledge of the research area. For invasive procedures, indicate awareness of, and willingness to follow, universal precautions for proper handling of blood and body fluids. These guidelines are widely available. If invasive procedures are used, give the name and title of the person conducting these procedures, as well as information about his/her training. When materials are to be ingested, give information on dosage, frequency and possible side effects. Drugs, whether prescription or otherwise, are not to be used. Oral or topical applications of test materials are the only acceptable methods of administration. Studies involving exercise testing must include a description of all tests, a copy of the medical screening form used to determine that the potential participants are in good health, and a statement about exclusion criteria. Describe arrangements for medical supervision of the testing. The 1986 American College of Sports Medicine Guidelines for Exercise Testing chart is a common guideline. For non-invasive studies, attach a copy of all test materials and indicate the time required for participation in the study.
6. Risks and Benefits to Participants: A complete and clear description of all known or anticipated risks and benefits of participation, whether physiological, psychological, economic and/or social in nature must be provided. Indicate how risk will be minimized to the extent reasonably possible. In cases of tasks involving psychological risk, indicate preparations to deal with any negative impact attributable to participation in the study. All studies must have some benefit in order to justify their conduct. Thus, a description of known and/or potential benefits to the participants and/or society, is required.
7. Informed Consent: Participants must give informed consent to participate in any science fair project before it begins, and this is normally obtained in writing. Parental approval is required for the participation of minors as research subjects. Details which must appear in the consent letter to ensure the participants have been properly informed and thus given free consent, without pressure to participate include:
• name(s) of investigator(s), school, supervising teacher, telephone number;
• description of the procedures;
• description of risks and benefits from participating;
• details of time commitment;
• details of any plan to re-contact participants;
• details of remuneration;
• plans to ensure confidentiality of data;
• details about their right to withdraw at any time without fear of reprisal;
• information about how to communicate a decision to withdraw from the study, and
• a statement that the project has been reviewed and received ethics approval from whatever authority was consulted.
Note: There may be circumstances under which written, informed consent cannot be reasonably collected. For surveys, consent may be assumed by the completion of the survey. In these circumstances a detailed explanatory letter should accompany the questionnaire, and provide identical information as listed above.
8. Anonymity of Participants: The confidentiality and anonymity of all participants must be maintained. Use coded systems of references; no identifying information may be used. Also, appropriate safeguards for storage and access to data, or destruction of data, must be planned.
9. Feedback to Participants: Feedback of the findings to the participants, their parents and/or teachers should be part of the plan. If deception is used, provide details about the nature of the deception and why it was needed. Participants in such a study must receive adequate and immediate debriefing at the end of their participation. This debriefing, provided orally and as a written handout, should tell why the deception was required, offer the opportunity to answer any questions and then seek their written consent to use all information obtained from them.
10. Additional Attachments: Sample letters of consent, parent permission letters and pre-exercise medical screening forms should be included as appendices to the form.

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT PERMITTED WITH THE EXHIBIT AT THE FAIR: