In an effort to reduce the burden on Indigenous communities, the Ontario government is permanently waiving several fees for family members trying to locate records of children who attended residential schools.
The province said fees are being permanently waived for death registration searches, death certificates, and certified copies of death registrations. Fees are also being waived to register a delayed registration of death for children who attended residential schools.
Those seeking death records will also no longer be required to make a request to two offices; the Archives of Ontario and ServiceOntario’s Office of the Registrar General.
“The tragic legacy of Indian Residential Schools continues to be a source of pain and suffering within Indigenous communities,” said Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, in a news release. “Our government is committed to advancing reconciliation and making it easier and more affordable for Indigenous people to access records and services.”
The government is also permanently eliminating fees for residential school survivors and their families who wish to reclaim a traditional name, or Indigenous peoples seeking to change their name to a single name if it is in accordance with their traditional culture.
