People seeking to legally change their names facing delays in Ontario

A Toronto woman reached out to Speakers Corner to share her experience with ServiceOntario delays.

“It’s just frustrating not being able to pick up a package or, you know, buy something at Apple and not having a proper ID to pick it up,” said 19-year-old Elisha, a college student.

Elisha has been waiting to apply for an identification card until her request to legally change her last name is approved through ServiceOntario.

“I submitted the name change request around April 7, and it arrived at the office in Thunder Bay on April 15, and ever since then, I’ve been waiting,” she said.

According to ServiceOntario’s website, name change requests can take up to 12 weeks. Elisha said in her experience it’s been much longer, with a recent call to a representative stating it could take up to 19 weeks.

“I could understand if I had a criminal record or something but my application is pretty straightforward, I just can’t see why something like this would take so long,” she told CityNews. “The process is you submit an application and then pay a fee to have your application processed but I haven’t even gotten to that point yet, they’re just like ‘sorry, it’s delayed.'”

Elisha is far from alone. Name change request delays is a frequent and recent topic on social media sites like Reddit, with contributors sharing similar stories.

“The fact is like it’s really sad that even the name change takes so long, but also once it’s approved, I could be waiting an additional four to six weeks just to get an ID. So when does it stop?”

All name change applications are processed through one office in Ontario, the Office of the Registrar General in Thunder Bay. While a representative did not say what may be behind the delays they say they’re working on a solution.

“ServiceOntario is working continuously to address any increased volumes of applications and look for ways to reduce processing times,” a spokesperson told CityNews. They went on to say that people can apply to expedite their application if they can prove it’s urgent.

“For urgent requests, customers may contact ServiceOntario at 1-800-461-2156 or 416-325-8305 and submit their proof of urgency for review,” a spokesperson said.

Speakers Corner inquired about Elisha’s case and while the spokesperson could not comment due to privacy concerns a representative did reach out to her after we made contact.

“They now told me by next week my application should be processed,” she told CityNews in a follow-up email.

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