Canadian Citizenship Requests & Church Archives

My frenemy, an archival microfilm reader

Demand for birth registrations and baptism records is increasing, as more people seek Canadian Citizenship. But how easy is it to obtain these records?

In Ontario, registrations of births started in 1869. Prior to 1869, we are usually seeking a baptism record instead. In Ontario, Catholic records are well-digitized, but other denominations' records are less so. Baptisms are housed at a variety of religious archives and churches, sometimes kept at the parish, diocesan, or national level, depending on the denomination. First, we need to figure out where the family lived, then what denomination(s) they might have adhered to, then try and determine the nearest congregations, and then try to determine where those records may be today, if they survive.

In 2024, I blogged about Visiting Religious Archives for Genealogy. I mentioned the news that the Presbyterian, Anglican, and United Church Archives had planned to move into shared accommodations in Toronto. The Anglican and Presbyterian Churches were to sublet space from the United Church at 300 Bloor Street West, which is conveniently located not far from the Toronto Reference Library, and easily accessible by subway.[1]

This was exciting news for genealogists– a newly renovated building housing all three denominations would certainly have meant state-of-the-art archival preservation, cost-saving efficiencies, and time-savings for researchers, particularly when our Ontario ancestors flip-flopped between churches and denominations. The Anglican records to be housed there were from the General Synod, and while the parish registers tend to be kept in the diocese-level archives, there would still have been many Anglican records housed there of interest to the genealogist.

I missed the news from December 2025, that the Anglican Church had  pulled out of the lease.[2] The concern was over expense, and they apparently claimed that their representative had signed the lease improperly without consulting the Council of General Synod.[3]

The withdrawal of one partner led the Presbyterian Church in Canada to say they were also reviewing their options.[4] A December article speculated that they might also pull out of the deal, but I couldn’t find any recent information on their decision.[5] Their current location is in North York, not at all central like the new location will be.

With the recent changes to Canadian citizenship eligibility, professional genealogists are receiving frequent requests from clients trying to obtain proof of their ancestor’s birth in Canada. I’m sure churches and their archives are receiving similar requests directly. This is on top of the usual requests they’d receive from family history researchers, from Canadians trying to apply to countries like Ireland for dual citizenship, from those gathering documents for Métis Citizenship, or from those researching residential schools. And, of course, we can’t forget that the mandate of these archives is to preserve their own history and support their clergy, so they will have other priorities beyond those I have mentioned.

The wait time for recent requests I've made for certification of Catholic church records has been in the months, not weeks. I was told the delay was due to a large backlog of requests. I don’t blame the churches or archivists for these issues– they are doing their best with increased demand and limited resources. That is why the idea of multiple groups pooling their funds into one archive was so appealing.

I sincerely hope that the Presbyterian Church in Canada announces that they are sticking to the deal, so that we will see at least the two denominations sharing space. While genealogists would much rather see these records preserved by digitization and made available online, second best would be conveniently accessible in a purpose-built, shared facility.

[1] Emma Prestwich, “Anglicans pull out of joint Toronto headquarters with United Church,” Broadview (https://broadview.org/anglican-church-united-church-office-lease/), published 3 December 2025.

[2] “Statement Regarding Anglican Exit from Lease Agreement for Shared Office Space,” The United Church of Canada(https://united-church.ca/news/statement-regarding-anglican-exit-lease-agreement-shared-office-space).

[3] Sean Frankling, “National Office Negotiating exit from United Church lease, CoGS hears,” Anglican Journal (https://anglicanjournal.com/national-office-negotiating-exit-from-united-church-lease-cogs-hears/), published 28 November 2025. Also, Sue Careless, “Canadian Church Resists Expensive Lease,” The Living Church(https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/canadian-church-resists-expensive-lease/), published 8 December 2025.

[4] “Update on the Proposed Move of the National Office,” The Presbyterian Church in Canada (https://presbyterian.ca/2025/12/12/update-on-the-proposed-move-of-the-national-office/).

[5] Emma Prestwich, “Presbyterians reassess office-share deal after Anglican exit shakes ecumenical plan,” Broadview (https://broadview.org/presbyterian-church-united-church-office-plan/), written 5 December 2025, updated 7 Jan 2026.