A program that analyzed hair and tested for drug and alcohol use – has been termed inadequate – and unreliable for use in child protection and criminal cases.

The Ontario government ordered the independent review last November – to look into the Motherisk Drug Testing Laboratory operated by the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.

The review found that between 2005 and 2015 the laboratory didn’t meet internationally recognized forensic standards.

The province’s highest court set aside a criminal conviction last year – after experts gave differing opinions about a particular hair-testing method used before by Motherisk.