The Town of Rainy River has two Commissioners of Oaths – the Chief Administrative Officer and the Deputy Clerk-Treasurer 

What is a Commissioner of Oaths?

A person who is appointed as a commissioner under the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act may administer oaths and take affidavits, declarations and affirmations. They can do this where permitted or required by law, and subject to any limitations specified in their appointment certificate.

An affidavit is a written statement confirmed to be true by oath or affirmation, often used as evidence in court. An oath, declaration or affirmation is a solemn pledge with legal consequences that can be made before a notary or commissioner.

Before you begin

What can and cannot be signed?

The following is small listing of forms a Commissioner of Oaths can sign:

• Declaration Affirming Parentage
• Election to Change Name of Child under age of 12 (service Ontario)
• Statutory Declaration by an Applicant to Correct an Error in Registration
• Legal Name Change Application
• Blank Statutory Declaration, i.e. single/double status declarations
• Insurance Claims multiple forms, only charge once
• Vehicle Ownership Transfers - Sworn statement for a transfer of a used vehicle in the province of Ontario (Service Ontario)
• Special Invitation to Family members overseas
• Statutory Declarations In Lieu of a Guarantor - Passport Applications and Permanent Residency Cards (We must also sign their pictures)
• Pension Purposes-attestations of recipient being alive and confirming their residency
• Federal Government Permanent Residency Card applications (only this form – we can certify their documents as true copies) we must also sign their pictures.
• Delayed birth registrations
• Application to amend birth registrations
• Lost passport
• Consent letter to travel with a child (travel document)
• Common Law or single status affidavits
• Affidavit waiving vaccinations based on religious grounds
• City of Ottawa Planning and Heritage applications
• Bank Related documents
• Application for Authorization and Statutory Declaration (For the Purposes of Entry into Canada for Extended Family Members - Covid-19 Emergency Orders in Council Under the Quarantine Act)
• Any court-related documents (with court file # on top right)
• Any affidavit related to divorces, separations, child custody or estates;

The following is a listing of documents a Commissioner of Oaths cannot sign:

• Documents that need to be certified or if true copies need to be authored;
• Forms which call upon a Commissioner of Oath, yet also request certified true copies of other documents as attachments. Because the Commissioner cannot certify attachments, they cannot sign the affixed application (as listed above, the only exception is that of a federal government permanent residency application);
• Affidavits of true identity required for an applicant of a marriage license. These must be signed by a notary public.