Bill 87 explained in plain English

This bill amends the Vital Statistics Act to provide for greater access to adoption information and to allow for information sharing with other Canadian provinces and territories.

Source: Bill 87, 2023

This section clarifies who is considered the 'next of kin' for an adopted person (child, grandchild, great-grandchild, or other descendant) and for a birth parent of an adopted person (child, grandchild, great-grandchild, or other descendant, parent, or sibling).

Source: Section 1

This section allows the Registrar General to create agreements with authorities in other Canadian provinces or territories responsible for birth registrations, if a child born elsewhere in Canada has been adopted in Ontario. This is for the purpose of sharing information.

Source: Section 2

This change allows the next of kin of a deceased adopted person to apply for uncertified copies of registered documents, in addition to the adopted person themselves.

Source: Section 3 (1)

These changes establish that applicants (adopted persons or next of kin of deceased adopted persons) must be at least 18 years old to apply for uncertified copies. They also outline the conditions for obtaining these copies, including payment of fees and providing proof of identity, age, and the adopted person's death if applying as next of kin.

Source: Section 3 (2)

This change allows the next of kin of a deceased birth parent to apply for adoption information, in addition to the birth parent themselves.

Source: Section 4 (1)

This establishes an age restriction for the next of kin of a deceased birth parent applying for information: they must be at least 18 years old, and the adopted person must be at least 19 years old.

Source: Section 4 (2)

This outlines the conditions for obtaining adoption information when applying as the next of kin of a deceased birth parent, including payment of fees and providing proof of identity, age, and the birth parent's death.

Source: Section 4 (3)

This amendment specifies that if an adopted person has a disclosure veto in effect, the Registrar General will not release information to an applicant if the veto does not name the specific birth parent or their next of kin (if deceased) against whom it is effective.

Source: Section 4 (4)

These changes clarify that adopted persons (at least 18 years old) can specify contact preferences with birth parents or their next of kin (if deceased), and birth parents can specify contact preferences with adopted persons or their next of kin (if deceased).

Source: Section 5 (1) and (2)

These changes create exceptions to when a notice of contact preference takes effect. A notice may not take effect if the Registrar General has already provided information to the other party before the match is made.

Source: Section 5 (3)

These amendments add provisions for the next of kin of a deceased birth parent or a deceased adopted person to be included in the sections related to disclosure vetos and contact preferences.

Source: Section 6 (1) and (2)

Similar to changes in section 48.3, these create exceptions to when a notice of contact preference takes effect, preventing it from coming into effect if information has already been disclosed.

Source: Section 6 (3)

These amendments extend the provisions for disclosure vetos to include the next of kin of a deceased birth parent or the next of kin of a deceased adopted person.

Source: Section 7 (1), (2), and (3)

These changes create exceptions to when a disclosure veto takes effect, preventing it from coming into effect if the Registrar General has already provided information to the specified party before the match is made.

Source: Section 7 (4)

This section allows the Registrar General to enter into agreements with authorities in other Canadian provinces or territories responsible for adoption registrations to share information. This sharing is for the purpose of determining if disclosure vetos or contact preferences have been filed in other jurisdictions or under Ontario's Act.

Source: Section 8

This section creates new rules and penalties for contacting a birth parent or an adopted person (or their next of kin) if they have expressed a wish not to be contacted. It also prohibits others from contacting on their behalf. The penalty for contravention is a fine of up to $50,000 for an individual or $250,000 for a corporation.

Source: Section 9