actionnetwork.org
Eliminate the $50 Fee for Accessing Adoption Records in British Columbia
We call on the Government of British Columbia to immediately eliminate the $50 fee for adoptees and birth parents seeking access to their original adoption records. British Columbia led the way in Canada by being the first province to unseal adoption records in 1996. This courageous step acknowledged the basic right of individuals to know their origins and set a precedent for other provinces to follow. It is deeply disappointing, therefore, that BC now lags behind on a key aspect of this legacy. While provinces like Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta now provide this service for free, BC continues to charge a $50 fee—creating a financial barrier to the very records it once fought to open. This fee creates a financial obstacle to personal identity. Accessing one's original birth registration and adoption records is a basic right, not a privilege. For adoptees and birth parents, these records are essential for understanding personal history, family ties, and important medical information. Charging $50 for this right is unjust. This fee impacts thousands of British Columbians. According to official data from the BC Vital Statistics Agency, from 1996 to 2020, there were 18,049 releases of adoption records. This means the province has collected an estimated $900,000 from individuals simply seeking their own identities. This is a significant financial burden on those undertaking a deeply personal and often emotional journey. BC is out of sync with the rest of Canada. Major provinces, including Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, offer this service at no cost. British Columbians should not be unfairly penalized for seeking the same access to their history that other Canadians receive as a right. We respectfully demand that the BC government take immediate action to amend the relevant legislation and remove this financial barrier. No one should have to pay to know who they are.
