Ontario introduces new polymer birth certificates

The province is introducing new birth certificates made with a polymer material and security features that officials say will make them more durable and harder to counterfeit.

“As technology evolves, we want to make sure that the government evolves with it,” Premier Kathleen Wynne said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“And we’ve learned from experiences of other provinces and territories that paper birth certificates are due for an update.”

Wynne said the polymer birth certificates, available starting April 15, won’t cost any more than the current paper ones.

The polymer birth certificates have a variety of embedded security features, including raised print, transparent windows and colour-shifting images.

They are also more durable and should last for a person’s lifetime with normal use.

The birth certificate is one of the most important pieces of identification, Wynne said.

“We’re asked to present it to get all our other pieces of identification: a passport, drivers license or a health card,” Wynne said.

“We use it to enroll in school, get a marriage license. So we need it to last.”

The new birth certificates are more than twice the size of the old credit card style.

That’s because the government doesn’t want you to carry it around in your wallet. It should be kept in a safe place at home.

“We know how painful fraud and identity theft can be for anyone who experiences it. We need to do everything we can to cut back on that possibility,” Wynne said.

Current birth certificates are still valid and don’t have to be replaced.