ONTARIO

On May 14, 2008, the long awaited Access to Adoption Records Act, 2007 (AARA) passed in the Ontario legislature.  MPP Marilyn Churley first initiated legislation but it was talked out in the Legislature.  Then Minister Sandra Pupatello brought in Bill 183 which was defeated after a Court interpretation.  Finally Minister Madeleine Meilleur steered Bill 12 through the Ontario Legislature to Proclamation and Ontario began to catch up to the other Canadian Provinces.  It should be noted that British Columbia passed the first open records legislation in Canada under the leadership of then Minister Joy MacPhail on July 4, 1995.

Many people have struggled over the years to achieve this legislation among them Parent Finders Monica Byrne, Pat McCarron and Jim Kelly, COAR members Karen Lynn of the Canadian Council of Natural Mothers, Wendy Rowney of Adoption Support Kinship, Michael Grand, PhD Dept of Psychology, University of Guelph and the individual members of all the adoption advocacy groups who wrote letters, visited their MPP's and turned out to contribute to this effort.  Thank you all for your energy and determination to bring about this legislation. The Disclosure Veto clause is a disappointment but at least the records will finally be opened to all Ontario adoptees of aged 18 years or older and to all birth parents whose birth child is 19 years of age or older .  The documents available will be a copy of the original birth registration and adoption order for adoptees and information from the original and substituted birth registration and adoption order documents showing their birth child's new adopted name for birth parents. 

ServiceOntario  www.serviceontario.ca is the one-window contact for adoption information disclosure services and we suggest you check that site for full details.  There are also toll free numbers at 1-800-461-2156 or (416) 325-8305 (Toronto)   

Parent Finders of Canada   www.parentfinders.org   will continue to maintain the Canadian Adoption Reunion Register (CARR) and Alice and Rick McDonald will continue to maintain their very successful Canadian Adoptees Registry  www.canadianadopteesregistry.org   Once the records open in June of 2009, the adoption advocacy groups will be there to help those seeking information and reunion guidance as they have done for the past 34 years as volunteers.  

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Page last updated: July 10, 2008