Bill 77, a bill to amend the Child & Family Services Act by opening up secret adoption records to adult adoptees and birth relatives, approaches third and final reading this fall. In little more than a month the legislature will debate the Bill, and it won't be easy. We need the support of any and all who believe they have the right to identifying information about their loved ones lost to adoption.

The legislators who oppose this will claim that the system works fine as it is, that birth mothers were promised confidentiality, that adoptive and birth families will be harmed by reunions etc. Please help us to close this chapter in our history and to make the future better for adoptees, birth families and all of their descendants.

If you haven't already, please take the time to visit or write a letter to your MPP telling him or her that you want the records open to adults. Tell them your personal stake in this and present your arguments against the myths of adoption which keep the records closed. Ask your friends and family to write letters. If you need the address of your MPP or if you don't know who your MPP is, you can find out by simply entering your address here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/side_bar/sitemap.htm.

When you write, also send a copy to:

John Baird, Minister of Community and Social Services in Ontario:
Queen's Park Office:
The Hon. John Baird, M.P.P.(Nepean-Carleton)
Hepburn Block, 6th Floor
80 Grosvenor Street
Toronto ON M7A 1E9
416-325-5225 Fax: 416-325-5221
Website: www.johnbaird.com
E-Mail: mailbox@johnbaird.com

Those MPPs who we think will oppose Bill 77 are below. If one of them is your MPP please try to visit him and write a strong but respectful letter letting him know that your vote depends on his support of Bill 77:

1. STERLING, Hon. Norman, Lanark-Carleton
Minister of Consumer and Business Services (Responsible for the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act which will also need to be amended)
Constituency Office Address:
Heritage Walk 130 Lansdowne Ave., Unit 5
Carleton Place, ON K7C 2T7
Telephone: 613-253-1171
Fax: 613-253-1175
Toll-Free: 1-800-267-1020
norm_sterlingco@ontla.ola.org

2. TILSON, David, Dufferin--Peel--Wellington--Grey
PA to the Attorney General (used his personal reasons to oppose last time - why should we all suffer because of one bad experience? He also spoke about the "poor birthmothers" If you are a birth mother tell him we 'appreciate his support of us' and that's why he should vote YES)
Constituency Office Address:
244 Broadway Avenue
Orangeville ON L9W 1K5
Telephone: 519-941-7751
Fax: 519-941-3246
david_tilson@ontla.ola.org

3. BRADLEY, James, St. Catharines
(agenda unknown)
Constituency Office Address:
2 Secord Drive, Unit 2
St. Catharines, ON, L2N lK8
Telephone: 905-935-0018
Fax: 905-935-0191
jim_bradley-mpp@ontla.ola.org

4. BOYER, Claudette, Ottawa--Vanier
(concerned that aboriginal rights aren't in the Bill - however we are very happy to include these - no reason to oppose)
Constituency Office Address
237 Montreal Road
Vanier, ON K1L 6C7
Telephone: 613-744-4484
Fax: 613-744-0889
claudette_boyer-mpp@ontla.ola.org

5. JOHNSON, Bert, Perth--Middlesex
Second Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole House
Constituency Office Address
556 Huron St.
Stratford ON N5A 5T9
Telephone: 519-272-0660
Fax: 519-272-1064
bert_johnson@ontla.ola.org