CHAPTER 203.

An Act respecting the Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths.

HIS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, enacts as follows:

SHORT TITLE.

1. This Act may be cited as "The Vital Statistics Act." 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 1.

INTERPRETATION.

2. In this Act and in any orders or regulations passed under the authority of any of the provisions herein, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) the expression "inspector" means the inspector of "Inspector." vital statistics;

form."

(b) the expression "prescribed form" means the form "Prescribed prepared by the Minister and approved by the LieutenantGovernor-in-Council;

(c) the expression "house" includes part of a house and "House." a tenement, building, room or dwelling place, and a suite or flat in an apartment building, and a hotel;

(d) the expression "occupier" includes the governor, "Occupier." keeper, warden or superintendent of a gaol, prison, penitentiary, lunatic asylum, poor asylum, hospital, industrial home and house of refuge, and of a public or private charitable institution, and the tenant, proprietor or manager of a hotel;

(e) the expression "Minister" means that member of the "Minister." Executive Council whose Department for the time being is charged with the administration of this Act;

(f) the expression "physician" means a duly qualified "Physician." medical practitioner practising his profession in Manitoba and registered as such practitioner in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba;

"Undertaker."

"Midwife."

(g) the expression "undertaker," for the purpose of this Act, means a person who takes charge of the burial or other disposition of dead bodies;

(h) the expression "midwife," for the purposes of this Act, means a woman who takes charge of a confinement where no physician has been in attendance. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 2.

Appointment of inspector.

Report to
Legislature.

Regulations.

Search of records.

Certified copies of records.

Certificate prima facie evidence.

INSPECTOR- -ANNUAL REPORT-REGULATIONS

RECORDS, ETC.

3. The Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council may appoint an inspector of vital statistics, whose duty it shall be to inspect the registration offices and examine the schedules prepared under this Act and to see that the entries and registrations are made and completed in a proper manner and in legible handwriting. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 3.

4. The Minister shall annually collate, publish and distribute for the use of the Legislature a report of the births, marriages and deaths registered under this Act during the preceding calendar year, giving such details, statistics and information as the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council may deem necessary. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 4.

5. The Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council may make such regulations as he may deem necessary for the purpose of obtaining the information required by this Act. 2 Geo. 5, C. 97, s. 5.

6. Any person furnishing satisfactory evidence that it is not for any unlawful or improper purpose shall be entitled at all reasonable hours, on payment of the prescribed fee, and on signing an application in the prescribed form, to have search made of the record of a birth, marriage or death, kept in the office of the Minister, for any one city, town, village or municipality.

(2) The Minister or the inspector of vital statistics, or an acting inspector of vital statistics, appointed by the Minister, shall when requested give a certificate of the details of any birth, marriage or death of which there is a record in his office on payment of the prescribed fee.

(3) Every such certificate shall be prima facie evidence in any court, or in any proceeding before a justice of the peace, of the facts certified to be recorded.

searches.

(4) The fees to be paid for searches and certificates Fees for shall be prescribed by the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council, but shall not exceed,

(a) for a search for one registration confined to one municipality or registration division and a period of not more than three years, twenty-five cents;

(b) for a search for one registration, for any number of municipalities or registration divisions and for any period up to four years, seventy-five cents;

(c) for a search for one registration extending over more than one municipality or registration division for more than four years, two dollars;

(d) for a search in the parish registers, for the register of each religious denomination searched, twenty-five cents; (e) for a certificate, in addition to the fee for the search, fifty cents. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 6.

7. The Minister shall cause such schedules and forms to Forms. be prepared as may be approved by the Lieutenant-Governorin-Council in order to obtain correct statistical information, and he shall distribute them to the division registrars, and the cost of and incidental thereto, and of the distribution thereof, shall be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 7.

REGISTRATION DIVISIONS.

8. All territory within Manitoba shall be a part of some Registration registration division.

divisions.

(2) Every municipality shall be a separate registration Munidivision.

cipalities.

territory.

(3) Territory not within a municipality may be at- Unorganized tached to an existing registration division or set apart as a registration division by the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 8.

registrars in

territory.

9. Where a registration division is formed of territory Division not within a municipality the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Coun- unorganized cil may appoint a division registrar for it, and may make such regulations as he may deem necessary to secure a correct record of the births, marriages and deaths occurring therein. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 9.

OFFICE AND DUTIES OF THE DIVISION REGISTRARS.

registrars.

10. The clerk of every municipality shall be the division Division registrar of the same.

Forms to be supplied.

Forms to be delivered up to successor.

Forms to be

filed in duplicate.

to Minister.

(2) The Minister shall supply to every division registrar schedules in the prescribed form upon which the division registrar shall enter the details of every birth, marriage and death registered in his office, and it shall be the duty of such division registrar to apply to the Minister for the issue of such forms whenever he may require them. In case of the resignation or dismissal of any such division registrar, or the termination of his appointment by the effluxion of time or otherwise, he shall hand over all such forms and other matter pertaining to his duties under this Act in his possession to his successor in office.

(3) The division registrar shall make every schedule in duplicate, and on or before the fifteenth days of January and July in every year, he shall transmit to the Minister one duplicate of each schedule down to and including the last day Transmission of the month next preceding, and the other duplicate schedule shall be kept by the division registrar on file in his office. He shall, on or before the seventh day in each month, transmit to the Minister the original returns of every birth, marriage or death made by the person registering during the month next preceding, and, if no births, marriages or deaths occurred in any month, he shall on the seventh day of the following month report the fact to the Minister on the prescribed form.

Monthly returns.

Duplicates to be bound.

Care of forms and obtaining

(4) The duplicate schedules shall be bound up or otherwise arranged from time to time by the division registrar in such manner as may be prescribed.

(5) The division registrar shall keep the schedules, information. forms and documents received by him in a place of safety, and he shall use all available means to obtain the necessary information for the purpose of completing the records required to be made by him.

Duty of division registrar when party fails to register.

Expenses

of division registrar.

(6) If the division registrar has reason to believe that a birth, marriage or death has taken place within his division which has not been registered, he shall inform the proper person of his duty to register the same, and, on failure of such person to make the registration, the division registrar shall forthwith supply the inspector with such information as he possesses in regard to the matter.

(7) The expense incurred by the division registrar for postage, stationery and all other matters under this Act shall be paid to him by the municipality of which he is the division registrar. 2 Geo. 5, c. 97, s. 10.