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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10,989 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 1,204,964 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.
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A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Ontario Who Chose To Be Featured
4216. Tea123 : I am looking for my father his name is Ron his wife’s name is Linda . I think they live in Toronto or Ontario somewhere. Would love to meet my family .
4217. Paulapouliotte58 : Paula Pouliotte was born at the Hawkesbury General Hospital‚ Ontario January 26th 1958 or 1959. Her birth Mother is Madelienne Pouliotte born in Rockland‚ Ontario. There were 21 other young girls in the Hospital that were forced to give up their babies. Madelienne was 21 or 22 years of age when she gave up Paula for adoption. Madelienne has 3 other children and is still living at the age of 85 years of age. She is married under the last name Berndt and lives in Sudbury‚ Ontario.
4218. LoopyLoo3 : My daughter was born with a full head of hair June 1‚ 1984 in Charlottetown‚ PEI. She was adopted in March of 1985 to a French Canadian couple in Ontario. I want to be sure I am find-able for her if she happens to be searching but in no way want to disrupt her life! I would love to know how her life has been. I truly hope it was great as I was just a child when I had her and had no way to keep her unfortunately.
4219. Abigail_Andrews2022 : I believe Abigail’s birth parents are from Sutton‚ Ontario‚ Canada‚ and their surname was Andrews. She was born at Westlake Hospital in Newmarket ‚ Ontario. Her name was Abbigail (2 b’s) Rosemarie Andrews at birth. Hope we are able to give her some help. Thank you.
4220. Terilooking4sarah : You were born to me when i was just 14 years old. I named you Sarah Marie Jesse Cameron. My name is Teri Marie Cameron and your dad name Kenneth Lawrie. He was just 6 months older then me. I was in the Children’s Aide in group homes and where i got pregnant. I then moved into the homes for unwed mothers at the Scarborough Grace Hospital where i gave birth to you at Toronto East General. You were perfect. I wanted nothing more to be your mom‚ but i was just a kid myself and did what an adult told me to do whicjh was to sign documents‚ I had no idea what i was signing‚ I am sorry. I never ment to sign my rights away as your mom‚ but i know that it was probabky the best thing i could have done was to give you a better life‚ i hope it was for the better. I would really love to be able to meet you one day if you would like to also. You also have brother and 2 sisters now. Hope to hear from you soon. Mom
4221. Zorrony : I’m on 23 and Me. And a lady named Margaret Curry is my cousin once removed. My name at Birth was kimberlyann. My mother is Lithuanian and my Father is English.
4222. Catherine1980 : Adoption took place in Toronto at Grace hospital on Church Street. He was 7lbs 5oz and born at 8:28 pm.witness was Jane Cooper who worked for Children’s Aid in Toronto. He was born Fredrick Allen Armstrong. He was adopted on August 22 ‚ 1972
4223. Briannajarl : childrens aid society
4224. Michellebelle : Adopted at birth‚ born at Etobicoke General Hospital.
4225. JDFoster : I found my mother‚ Thelma Anne DALE Cox from Clinton‚ Ontario. She named me John Cox at birth. I have traced my father’s family to the NUTKINS from London‚ Ontario. He is a decendant of John Nutkins and Elizabeth Bayley‚ originally from UK
4226. Mcbaxter : My father was born on May 13‚ 1945. To be fair‚ not 100% sure he was adopted but some recent DNA tests and family history point to it. It is also possible he was born to at least one Jewish parent. My father passed away in the early 1990s and no other family members are alive who might know. My father was raised in North York‚ Ontario and lived with his parents‚ older brother and maternal grandparents. His father was a vocational shop teacher and his mother was a housewife.
4227. Jsavagebauer : My mother sent to a maternity home in Toronto and gave the baby up for adoption. I believe the baby born at Humber River regional hospital
4228. Wolfeden : I was born in London‚ Ontario. I am interested to make contact with my biological parent(s).
4229. Lianaviens : Not sure where to start
4230. Deborahpuddles : I am searching for a full blood brother....would love to at least meet him...born in Hamilton Ontario before my parents actually got married
