City of Port Colborne

Newborn Registration

Birth Registration is carried out by the Province of Ontario.  Birth Registration is completed on-line through Service Ontario at http://www.ontario.ca/english/default.htm.

With this Newborn Registration Service, you can:
1)  Register the Birth of your baby under 1 year;
2)  Apply for your baby's Birth Certificate;
3)  Apply for a Social Insurance Number; and
4)  Apply for Canada Child Benefits.

Birth Certificates

On-line Birth Certificate Application forms are available through Service Ontario at www.ontario.ca/english/default.htm. Application forms can also be obtained from City Hall.

The death of every person who dies within Ontario shall also be registered in the office of the division registrar of the registration division within which the death occurs or, if the place of death is not known, then in the office of the division registrar of the registration division within which the body is found.

The Clerk of the City of Port Colborne is a Division Registrar, responsible for the registration of all deaths which occur within the boundaries of the municipality.  Registrations are performed in accordance with the Vital Statistics Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter V.4.

Division Registrars frequently receive requests for information relating to vital statistics. However, The Vital Statistics Act, Registrars specifically prohibits Division Registrars from disclosing any information concerning deaths and marriages. Individuals seeking this type of information may have the option of contacting the Archivist of Ontario or the Office of the Registrar General depending on their individual circumstances and the nature of the information they require. 

As of January 2009, the Archives of Ontario has the indexes (where they exist) and registration books from the Office of the Registrar General of Ontario for:

Births 1869 - 1911
Deaths 1869 - 1936

These records are publicly available on microfilm. Each year, an additional year's records are sent to the Archives. These are restricted until they have been made available on microfilm. To access these records for genealogical purposes, clients may visit the Archives Main Reading Room, submit a request through their local library, contact the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through their Family History Centres or contact the Ontario Genealogical Society.  More detailed information regarding these options is available on the Archives of Ontario website.

Information regarding more recent vital events must be obtained directly through the Office of the Registrar General.

Certified copies of birth and death certificates may be obtained directly from the Office of the Registrar General.  The rights to obtain such certificates are limited. Information and on-line application forms for birth and death certificates are available on the Service Ontario website.

Another possible source of information for people undertaking genealogical research relating to the Port Colborne area is the Port Colborne Marine and Historical Museum:  

Assistant Curator 
Lynn van Dillen 
280 King Street, Box 572 
Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada L3K 5X8 
Tel.:  905-834-7604 
Fax:  905-834-6198 

Click Here To Email Assistant Curator