Please note that Humber REB does not operate between June 20th and September 2nd. Submissions for delegated review must be received by Monday June 9, 2025 at noon in order to be considered during the 2024/2025 academic year. Applications may be submitted after this date, but they will not be reviewed until REB activities resume in September 2025.
In 2021, during the COVID pandemic, the federal government's (Panel on Research Ethics) (PRE) issued revised guidelines and interpretations related to research being conducted during the pandemic. These guidelintes highlighted risks related to privacy and confidentiality of information, including data storage and data handling when using digital platforms and home offices. The need for new security and safety measures to protect participants’ information is critical.
The guidelines should be viewed as not being time limited to the period of the pandemic but rather as an outline of best practices for data handling. Accordingly, Humber faculty and staff conducting research from home are advised to take precautions with research data. Please consider uploading all files to your Humber One Drive or using Humber’s remote access (VPN) network when accessing your Humber H:/ Drive or I:/Drive.
For further information on the new guidelines, please contact the Humber Research Ethics Board Chair, Audel Cunningham at, audel.cunningham@humber.ca.
The Humber Research Ethics Board (REB) is mandated to review the ethical acceptablility of all research involving human participants that takes place within Humber's jurisdiction or under its auspices. This means that the REB must review all proposals for research involving human participants where the research:
The REB is also required to approve all courses to be taught at Humber in respect of which research involving human participants is a component of the course work.
The REB ensures that all research involving human participants aligns with the standards set by the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS). If your research involves human participants in any capacity, you need to apply to the REB for ethics approval. All applications must be reviewed and approved by the REB before any research begins.
NOTE: There are other ethical concerns regarding research with animals, plants, and/or the environment. Please contact the Humber REB if you are contemplating these types of research.
The HREB does not accept REB applications from undergraduate students.