Ontario making long anticipated changes to the Notaries Act and the Commissioning of Affidavits Act

A win for Access to Justice, the Justice System, and Clients

Ontario is making it easier for Paralegals in their daily practice to fully serve their clients. The Ontario Paralegal Association is pleased to announce the Ministry of The Attorney General is putting forward proposed changes to the Notaries Act and the Commissioning of Affidavits Act.

These changes will treat paralegals like lawyers, in that paralegals will be notaries by virtue of their office. Paralegals would receive a single life-time appointment and would no longer be required to refer their clients out to a lawyer for the purposes of notarization. The changes will likely come into effect in July 2020 and this will also advance the technology to move towards remote notarization and commissioning in the future.

This is a change that the Ontario Paralegal Association has been working hard to achieve and is pleased that the Ministry of The Attorney General has listened to our concerns and is moving forward on this change.

These changes to the Notaries Act and the Commissioning of Affidavits Act will make accessing notary services easier for the people of Ontario and is another great way the Ministry of The Attorney General is ensuring access to justice for Ontario.

Read the full release here: Building a Stronger Justice System to Grow Safer Communities -Ministry of the Attorney General – December 9, 2019