College members are now allowed to provide this important service, but must be careful not to sign for persons they haven’t known for two years.

Teachers have been added to the list of approved guarantors for birth certificate applications. The recent change to a regulation under Ontario’s Vital Statistics Act acknowledges teachers’ integrity and leadership in the community. It includes teachers in primary or secondary schools – provided they are members of the College – as well as principals and vice-principals as authorized guarantors.

"The new regulation sends a clear message about teachers’ professionalism and integrity and places our profession among a group of officials highly regarded for their leadership," said College Registrar Joe Atkinson. "Teachers are delighted to be recognized in this way and will carry out the new responsibility with all the diligence that it deserves."

Doctors, mayors, pharmacists, optometrists, judges, engineers and bank officers are other approved guarantors.

The new regulation took effect in February 2002 to increase security of vital documents and protection of personal information. Every application for a birth certificate will now have to bear the signature of a guarantor, a process similar to a passport application.

"You will note in the regulation that the types of professionals who can serve as guarantors all belong to some form of regulatory body," said Ontario’s Deputy Registrar General, Judy Hartman, in her letter informing the College of the new regulation. "Birth certificates are foundation documents relied upon by all levels of government and law enforcement agencies to establish proof of identity, age and citizenship."

Guarantors have a serious responsibility to fulfill and the College strongly advises teachers to sign as guarantors only if they have personally known the applicant for at least two years and are confident that the statements made by the applicant are true. If the applicant is the parent of a child, the guarantor must have known the parent for at least two years – not the child, as the parent is the applicant. If teachers have not personally known the applicant for two years, they must not sign as guarantor.

Serving as guarantor is voluntary. Guarantors cannot charge a fee for the service and are free to refuse to provide the service. Periodically, the Office of the Registrar General of the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services will contact guarantors to verify their capacity to serve as guarantor, just like the Canadian Passport Service would do to verify guarantors for passports.

You can get more information on guarantors from the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services at 416-325-8305 or toll-free in Ontario at 1-800-461-2156. You may also visit the ministry’s web site at www.cbs.gov.on.ca/mcbs/english/welcome.htm.