Ontario Adoption Records
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Accessing Adoption Records in Ontario
In 2008, Ontario opened adoption records to allow adoptees and birth parents access to personal and family information. The province keeps records for all adopted children born in Ontario, even if the adoption was handled elsewhere.
While Ontario adoption records are open, the steps you need to complete to access the information you want can be overwhelming. Lengthy processing times may delay your search, and some information isn’t available to biological siblings, grandparents, or other relatives.
If you’re having trouble getting adoption records in Ontario, Adopted.com is here to help. Our voluntary reunion registry allows anyone impacted by an adoption to register and search for their family members. Reunions happen through mutual consent, whether you have official records or not.
To begin your search, you just need to fill out a simple form with ten questions you likely know about your adoption. If there’s a potential match on the platform, you’ll be notified right away.
We have the largest voluntary adoption registry in the world, with people searching for family members in Toronto, Ottawa, and across the entire province. Register today to take the first step toward a potential reunion.
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10,986 Are Adoption Records Public in Ontario?
Yes, Ontario passed a law in 2008 to open adoption records, including birth registrations and adoption orders. Under this law, adoptees and birth parents can access information from sealed adoption records. The information includes an adoptee’s original name and their birth parents’ names. Birth parents can learn the name the child was given after the adoption.
By request, the Ontario government will release this information, as long as the adoptee or birth parent has not filed a disclosure veto to protect their privacy.
How to Find Adoption Records in Ontario
There are different steps to find adoption records in Ontario, depending on your involvement in the adoption and the information you want to access. You can request both identifying and non-identifying information through ServiceOntario.
Non-identifying information refers to details that don’t reveal the names or contact information of anyone involved in the adoption. This information can include the adoption date, the adoption agency, and the birth family’s medical history.
You can request non-identifying information in Ontario if you’re:
- An adoptee who’s at least 18 years old
- An adoptee under 18 with your adoptive parent’s consent
- An adoptive parent
- A biological parent, grandparent, or sibling of the adoptee
- A child of a deceased adoptee
- A birth parent’s sibling
You may also have access to identifying information from an original birth registration or an adoption order. This information can show you the identities of people involved in the adoption. It may include the adoptee’s name at birth or after adoption, the birth parents’ names, and the adoptive parents’ names.
You may be able to access this information if you’re:
- An adoptee who’s at least 18 years old
- A birth parent if the adoptee is at least 19 years old
There’s no fee to access adoption records in Ontario. You just need to complete the correct form and mail it to the address listed. You can’t fax, email, or deliver an application in person.
How Can I Find a Biological Parent in Ontario?
If you’re an adoptee, you can find your biological parents’ names by requesting post-adoption information through ServiceOntario. However, if one or both of your birth parents have asked to keep their identities private, you will not receive this information.
Birth parents can also agree to release information but ask not to be contacted. If your biological parent has completed a no-contact notice and you attempt to contact them anyway, you can be fined up to $50,000.
How Can I Find Someone Who Was Adopted in Ontario?
You can only request an adoptee’s identifying information if you’re the biological parent. The adoptee must also be at least 19 years old before you can search for them. This rule gives an adoptee one year after they turn 18 to file their privacy and contact preferences.
Just like birth parents, an adoptee has the right to keep their identity private or ask not to be contacted by their biological family. If the adoptee has a no-contact notice on file and you contact them anyway, you can be fined up to $50,000.
Other biological relatives, including grandparents and siblings, can’t access identifying information from adoption records, but they can join the Adoption Disclosure Register. If you register, you’ll be notified if or when a match occurs.
Let Adopted.com help you find your lost family today!
Adopted.com is a powerful adoption reunion registry designed to help you reconnect with your birth parents. By registering, you gain access to a growing database of over 1,205,522 profiles, increasing your chances of finding your biological relatives. The platform respects your privacy and allows you to update your profile anytime.
Registration is free, and the unique search tool ensures measurable match results. When you find your birth parents, remember to approach the reunion with an open heart and understanding, as it can be an emotionally significant experience for everyone involved.
Register NowRECENT MEMBERS IN Ontario
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
1501. Caroleanne : Daniel was in the care of foster parents through child welfare in Peterborough Ontario , he resides with his older brother Peter in Norwood with the Wilburs.
1502. Caroleanne : I do not know where he is and who adopted Jeremiah or if his name is the same
1503. Bbqking70 : Born on June 13, 1970 at North York Branson Hospital in Toronto. Birth parents apparently were stationed at Downsview Airbase. birth Mothers name was Mary Jane Carfrae
1504. Jbabin : My name given was Jeniffer Stacey Babin. I am looking for my mother who gave me away to a foster carer and then 6 months later i got adopted.
1505. LJP22 : Looking for Baby Girl born about 1936-1938 to Audaline (sp?)Dougherty (Birth mother) Audaline Dougherty was a young unwed mother who lived at 142 Seaton street at the time of adoption. Baby girl was possibly named Shirley and was adopted out at aprox. 15months-2 years old. Lived with Birth Mother and maternal Grandmother until adoption. Possibly adopted through the Toronto Childrens Aid society.
1506. YYZ73 : Stella Dorothy (either Thompson or Johnson) adopted as Dorothy Willa Brake went by Willa Dorothy.
1507. Gloriadiane : I am 74 years old and wish to obtain information about my birth mother (who would be deceased at this time). Her name was Jane ross monck and she gave birth to me at Victor Home in Toronto, ont. A man named Steve declared that he was the father.
1508. LindaVolkert : Born in York ( Toronto) Mother was immigrated from England
1509. Xxemosid2001xX : You are missed and loved very much by everyone. - Love, as you and your older brother Eric used to call me, Auntie Sidney
1510. Denisehebert : Birth name fernand junior lavigne Mother fernande lavigne Father fernand Hebert ( may not b named ) Born August 1979 In Hamilton Ontario He was premature Lived in sturgeon falls Ontario Adoption took place in north bay
1511. Denisehebert : Fernand junior lavigne Fernand hebert Fernande lavigne Sylvie or Nicole lavigne Lise langlois Roger desrochers North bay Sturgeon falls Mattawa
1512. Kpearlman : I was born August 17,1989 and am searching for my siblings but I am also willing to meet my birth parents. My birth mother and father were both born in 1968. I have one full brother who was born July 30th, 1988. He has brown hair and eyes. I also have a half-sibling sister who was born December 10th, 1985. I was given the name Dusty S, and I don’t know the given birth last name. I was placed in Coles’ foster care August 21,1989, then placed with adoptive parents September 21,1989. Birth mother was born in 1968 and is of German and English ethnic origin. Birth mother was 5 feel tall and had brown hair and eyes. Birth mother has one sister. Birth father was also born in 1968 and is of Canadian ethnic origin. He was 5’9 and had blue eyes and blonde hair. He also had a skin condition which was hereditary and called hyperkeratosis which effects hands and feet. Birth father has one brother. At the time I was born birth parents had known each otehr for about 3 years and described their relationship as serious. They were married in 1988 for less than on year and separated in early 1989. They had no intentions of getting back together. As a single mother who was not employed was being supported by socail assistance. She recognized that with the seperation she was left with the full responsibility of the other two children and couldn’t handle the stress of an additional child. Birth father was is no position to take on the care of a child by himself.
1513. Joshawa : I would really like to see or talk to her and I have bin looking for her for a long time her birth name is Emily lamarr I think of her all the time and want to know if she is doing good
1514. Drproftor : I am looking for a sibling that might have been born between 1955-1957. I would want to do a DNA test. I believe my mother had a child out of wedlock a year after I was born when she changed cities.
1515. Catnap65 : Ottawa ont Child welfare act
