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Reunion registries

A reunion registry or disclosure registry is a system for matching people who desire contact or reunion with their next-of-kin by birth. Adopted children may want to get in touch with their birth parents when they grow up, and vice versa. Adults can register personal data and ask to be notified if other parties to the adoption also register. Many provinces have adoption disclosure registers to allow reunions between adoptees and birth parents.

Lost Connections -- Web site was launched in April 1998, sponsored by TorStar Electronic Publishing, to help adoptees and their birth families reunite. Parent Finders Inc. of Toronto (since disbanded) planned discussion forums, search advice, information about making contact, a reunion gallery and links. "Lost Connections", at www.torstar.com/lostconnections, and "www.lostconnections.com" are no longer available. --Jan. 21, 2005

NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR New Adoption Act, www.gov.nf.ca/health/legislation/adoption/1202n02.htm - Health and Community Services, 709-729-2662. NOVA SCOTIA Family and Children's Services, www.gov.ns.ca/coms/files/FCS.asp, scroll to Adoption Services. Dept. of Community Services, 902-424-2755. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Adoption Disclosure Services, www.gov.pe.ca/infopei/onelisting.php3?number=18537 - Health and Social Services , 902-368-6139 NEW BRUNSWICK Post Adoption Disclosure Register, www.gnb.ca/0017/adoption/postadoption-e.asp - Family and Community Services, 506- 453-2949. QUEBEC The following information was provided by Louise Jessop, Director of Child and Family Services, Louise_Jessop@ssss.gouv.qc.ca on Aug. 21, 2003: "There is no central registry in Quebec. You must go to the agency that completed your adoption and thus holds your file. For English Montreal, that agency is Batshaw Youth and Family Centres for all present and past adoptions for the English and Jewish communities. The services that we offer include non-identifying background information for which there is no fee. Requests are usually processed within six months. There is a waiting list for search and reunions and we are currently working on requests registered in 2001. There is a $450 fee, with a reduced fee of $50 if you meet the government's criteria. Contact: Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, Adoption Department, 6 Weredale Park, Westmount QC, H3Z 1Y6, 514-932-7161." ONTARIO Adoption Disclosure Register. Ontario's new Adoption Information Disclosure Act, 2005 will allow more open access to adoption records for adult adoptees and birth parents. Once it is in force, adult adoptees and birth parents may be able to find out who their birth parents/children are through identifying information from original birth registrations and adoption orders held by the Office of the Registrar General However the Adoption Disclosure Register is winding down [see update below]. Since Jan. 3, 2006, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services has been accepting new requests for searches only if a severe medical issue is involved (e.g. information needed for an organ transplant). Search applications submitted before Jan. 3, 2006 will be processed during the interim period, with priority given to severe medical searches. Once the Act is fully implemented, in September 2007, all non-medical searches will be discontinued. A severe medical search may be requested by: adult adoptees, adoptees under the age of 18 who have the consent of an adoptive parent, birth parents, adoptive parents on behalf of a minor adoptee, adult birth siblings, birth grandparents, those who have legal custody of minor adoptees or birth siblings, and individuals authorized to act on behalf of incapacitated individuals. As of April 24, 2006, the ministry no longer accepts new requests to be named in the voluntary adoption disclosure register. Applications received before April 24, 2006 will be processed, and if a match is found on the register, the parties involved will be notified. Contact the Adoption Disclosure Unit at the Ministry of Community and Social Services, 2 Bloor Street West, 24th Floor, Toronto ON M7A 1E9, 416-327-4730, adoption.disclosure@css.gov.on.ca. --July 5, 2006 See Ontario adoption files open up June 1, 2009, Family Helper, Oct. 29, 2008 UPDATE, Apr. 15, 2009: The Ministry has decided to keep the Adoption Disclosure Register. If you were involved in an Ontario adoption, you can search for different types of adoption information. In particular you can place your name on the Adoption Disclosure Register. For instructions, choose one of these: I was adopted My child was adopted I am a birth relative (I am related to an adopted person through birth) Canadian Adoptees Registry Inc. (CARI), www.canadianadopteesregistry.org. Online registry run by volunteers who used to run the Parent Finders group in Barrie, Ont. Searchable database; over 37,000 online entries. No fees. Canadian adoptions only. Canadian Adoption Reunion Registry (CARR), 63 Welland Ave., Toronto, Ont. M4T 2H9. Pat Richardson. The Canada-Wide National Registry and Family Finders, 115 First St., Suite 335, Collingwood ON L9Y 4W3. ffcwnr@georgian.net. This registry, "re-uniting Canadians from coast to coast", is at www.adopting.org/ffcwnr.html. Names and information on adoptees, birth parents, and family members who wish to reunite. Services: search assistance, free surname search, free third-party calls, Family Finder News. MANITOBA Adoption Registry Coordinator (Manitoba), 270 Osborne St. N., Winnipeg, Man. R3C 1V7. 204-945-4562. Founded in 1980. Post-Adoption Registry, www.gov.mb.ca/fs/childfam/registry.html - Family Services and Housing, 204-945-6964. SASKATCHEWAN Post Adoption Registry, www.dcre.gov.sk.ca/services/famyouth/Adoption/ado6.html - Community Resources and Employment, 2240 Albert St., Regina, Sask. S4S 3V7. 306-787-3654, 1-800-667-7539. Founded in 1977. ALBERTA Post Adoption Registry, www.child.gov.ab.ca/whatwedo/postadoptionregistry/page.cfm - Children's Services, Seventh St. Plaza, 10030 - 107 St., Edmonton, Alta. T5J 3E4. 403-427-6387. Founded in 1985. Registry at www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/6743/ includes a bulletin board for searching birthrelatives, an adoption chat and links. Helen Gilbert, dancer@sympatico.ca, and her son were reunited through the web and want to help other triad members use this medium. --Helen Gilbert, 20 Aug 1997 BRITISH COLUMBIA Adoption Reunion Registry, www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/adoption/reunion. Adoption Branch, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Box 9705, Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria V8W 9S1, 250-387-7078, 250-356-1864. Carol Alexander, Supervisor, Adoption Services, 250-387-7078, carol.alexander@gems4.gov.bc.ca. Provincial government registry, founded in 1988. Helping adoptees and birth-family members who are seeking to get information about each other or to arrange reunions. Under MCFD since May 2003; formerly run by Family Services of Greater Vancouver. --Carol Alexander, MCFD, Jan. 19, 2005 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Search and Reunion Services, www.hlthss.gov.nt.ca/Features/Programs_and_Services/progandserv.htm. Health and Social Services NUNAVUT Health and Social Services, www.gov.nu.ca/Nunavut/English/departments/HSS. Health and Social Services YUKON Placement and Support Services, www.hss.gov.yk.ca/prog/fcs/placement.html. Health and Social Services U.S. registries AdoptionRegistry.com, email editor@adoptionmedia.com, web adoptionregistry.com. Search for birthfamily in the Internet's largest adoption reunion registry with 280,000+ records. ALMA Society, Adoptees' Liberty Movement Assn., Box 85, Denville NJ 07834, www.almasociety.org. Non-profit organization. ALMA registry reunites family members separated by sealed adoption records. The reunion registry databank helps in matching adoptees, birth parents and all persons separated by adoption. For each child it contains: sex, date of birth, place of birth. Volunteers staff the local chapters, the search assistant network and the ALMA Research Library. Reunites 200 birth families with adoptees each year. ALMA was founded by Florence Fisher in 1971. Jeanie Jackson, president; J. M. Jackson, registrar; Marie Anderson, coordinator. Denville NJ. --Dec. 28, 2011 C.A.R.E. Countrywide Adoption Reunion Enterprises, care@careadoptionregistry.com. Web: careadoptionregistry.com. --Anne Cordoba, cordoba@maui.net, 12 July 1999 International Soundex Reunion Registry, (I.S.R.R.), Box 371179, Las Vegas NV 89137, 775-882-7755, 888-886-ISRR. reunionregistry@hotmail.com, www.isrr.net. This non-profit organization will register your name, address and phone number if you're an adoptee, or birth-family member, and try to match people based on the data. Some tips for adoption-related searching, including registering with ISRR, are at www.execpc.com/~reunions/adopt.html (by Reunions Magazine, Box 11727, Milwaukee WI 53211-0727). Read carefully and follow the ISRR directions to the letter. Answer every question as thoroughly as you can to give them details to make a match. Registration is free; send a self-addressed, stamped envelope; donations are accepted. ISRR is a totally volunteer organization thus your complete cooperation is required. --Feb. 11, 2008 Re-Unite (Box 7945, Aspen CO 81612, 303-927-1400) helps reunite adopted children and their biological families. Its two computer databases, one for adopted children, one for birth families, are compared for matches. Reunions are arranged only for those expressing a desire to do so. --OURS, Jan/Feb 1994, p. 45 Searching? May we suggest ... ... Parent Finders National Capital Region, Ottawa, Ont. (pfncr@aol.com).

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