Canadian BMD records .....

anne · Post by **anne** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 5:23 pm

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to find out whether a resident of Winnipeg, Manitoba is still alive?

If Canadian records are as readily accessible as Scottish ones, can someone with access to them help me?

If someone can help I would of course explain my reasons for needing this information.

Anne

Lahb · Post by **Lahb** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:34 pm

Hi Anne, no they aren't as accessible as Scottish ones. BMD's are arranged and handled by each province separately and unless the person is a direct relative you might be out of luck for more recent records as you have to prove you are next of kin for BMD's depending on the time period you are looking at.

You can certainly access phone book directories easily enough though! Might be a start for you if you know where the person is located. Census records are sealed beyond 1911 and prior to 1901 are of use only depending on where the person lived. Hope that is a start for you. Try googling Manitoba death records maybe and see what comes up - don't live in that province myself so am unsure if they have much on line.

PS - if you have access to ancestry they do have a Canadian database that might also help

)

Lahb · Post by **Lahb** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:40 pm

Here is a link to the provinces BMD division
http://web2.gov.mb.ca/cca/vital/

they state:

Who can apply...
Effective January 1, 2003, The Vital Statistics Act was proclaimed providing unrestricted access to some records.

Restrictions will still apply for the following records:

Births less than 100 years ago
Marriages less than 80 years ago
Deaths less than 70 years ago

If either the party concerned or the immediate next of kin (spouse, children, parents, or siblings) are living, written proof of their consent to release the requested information is to be attached to the application.

anne · Post by **anne** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:58 pm

Lahb, thank you for your info. I have tried Winnipeg phone listings but the person is no longer listed at the address we have. Not sure if my Ancestry subscription covers Canadian databases but will check.

I'll try the link you gave to the provinces BMD and hope that someone there can help.

Thanks again

Anne

Post by **paddyscar** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 3:35 am

Hi Anne:

You might like to try the 'Ask a Librarian' option on this page of the Winnipeg Public Library. You may submit a request for information online and they will respond.

http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/librarys ... ailref.asp

Have you tried:

http://canada411.ca or http://whitepages.ca

Frances

anne · Post by **anne** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:02 pm

Thanks Frances

I'll try the Library Service. I mailed Vital Stats who said I could apply for a death cert if they have one. So frustrating - I don't need the details, just to know if the know if the person has died, in which case there's no point in me taking further steps to find him.

Ah well, I'll keep ferreting away at it!

Anne

anne · Post by **anne** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:14 am

Very belated thanks to Lahb and Frances
It may interest you to hear the story:

My father well remembers a close friend of his parents, a Canadian who left Winnipeg in 1915 with the Expeditionary Forces. The soldier never returned to Canada and died in England leaving some of his personal belongings to my Dad.

Early 2006 and Dad discovered a distant relative who passed on a letter he had had on file since 1991. The writer was Merlin, a Canadian trying to find out more about his father (left Winnipeg in 1915, part of Expeditionary Forces...) Having recently come upon info about his father's whereabouts at the time of his death he wrote to all the households with my Dad's surname in that area, but by then my father had long since come to live in Scotland.

Dad was quite upset to discover the man he remembered with a lot of affection had left a young son behind in Canada and wanted to contact him, or his survivors, as soon as possible. We searched telephone directories but it seemed the family had moved away from the 1991 address. I knew just what to do - ask for help on TS.

Following your advice, I contacted Winnipeg Library who provided me with Merlin's wife's obit and from the names and locations mentioned there we found the e-mail address of Merlin's son Bill in literally minutes. Bill was quite overcome when we got in touch. He had done a lot of research into his family but there was always this big gap in his knowledge, and a lot of sadness that Merlin had died before contact was finally made with my father.

Bill has recently come to visit Scotland and has taken home papers relating to his grandfather, photos, some of his books and details of his grandfather's life that Dad was able to provide.

The power of the internet - and the wonderful TS site!

Anne

Post by **emanday** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:11 pm

That's great news, Anne. It must have been quite a meeting.

Lahb · Post by **Lahb** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:31 pm

Wow, that's just lovely. Thanks so much for sharing your results with us - makes you want to just keep trying no matter how hard or distant it may seem!

Lisa

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:50 pm

yes thanks anne for updating us - I am so glad your Dad and Merlin's son have met each other It's a poignant reminder that the barriers of time and distance can occasionally be broken.
Well done to you for making this happen.
Sally