Marriage Licence

Before getting married in Ontario you must obtain a Marriage License through your local municipality. If you are being married in a religious ceremony, you may be eligible to be married by a Publication of Banns (making an announcement of the details of your intent to marry in your church, mosque or synagogue). Further information concerning a marriage under the authority of the Publication of Banns may be obtained from a Minister or a member of the Clergy.

License Requirements

A Marriage Licence cannot be issued after the ceremony has taken place.  Marriage Licences are valid for ceremonies that occur anywhere in Ontario and are good for three months from the date of issue.  The fee for a Marriage Licence is $160.00 and is non-refundable.

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Civil Marriage Ceremonies

Temporary Pause on Wedding Officiating Services

We regret to inform you that, effective immediately, the City of Cornwall will be pausing Civil Marriage Ceremonies.  This decision has been made to ensure that we continue to provide the highest quality of service to our community.

You may wish to contact surrounding municipalities who offer the service, or visit Getting married | ontario.ca for further information.

 Death Registration 

All deaths occurring in the City of Cornwall must be registered with the Vital Statistics Office of the Clerk's Division through a secure on-line portal, by fax 613-933-1860 or drop off in the secured mail box located at the front door of City Hall. Copies of Death Certificates can only be obtained by sending an application with the applicable fee to The Office of the Registrar General. Application forms for this purpose are available from the Vital Statistics Office or by clicking on the following link: Request for Death Certificate.

Vital Statistics Office 
City Hall
360 Pitt Street 
Cornwall, ON K6H 3P9 
Telephone: 613-930-2787 ext 2334 or 2305

Monday to Friday (excluding holidays) 
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

or

The Office of the Registrar General
P. O. Box 4600 
189 Red River Road 
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6L8
Telephone: 1-800-461-2156

 Lottery License

To be eligible for lottery fundraising an organization must demonstrate that one of its primary purposes meet the guidelines for one of the classifications of charitable purposes:

a) Relief of Poverty

• Must assist those who are in financial need, distressed, suffering or experiencing social disadvantage, such as:
• The homeless
• Disabled persons
• Victims of crime

b) Advancement of Education

• Must provide programs that are geared to scholastic and vocational training for individuals.
• It is the provision of opportunity, supplies or facilities, for such as:
• Public schools,
• Colleges/universities,
• Parent/teacher associations which are non-profit and which support any of the institutions.

Note: The applicant organization should be the parent entity, i.e. the school itself and not a class or department within the school. 
An organization that provides any type of program or curriculum that promotes racism, intolerance or violence is not eligible for lottery licensing. 
Education that forms part of the professional development of a person or group of people, such as training courses for teachers, lawyers, nurses etc., are not accepted for educational purposes

c) Advancement of Religion

• An organization must demonstrate that its programs and services serve in religious services and programs to the community, interpreted to include the provision and maintenance of places of public worship

d) Any Purpose Beneficial to the Community

• The purpose must benefit the general public.
• The purpose must be exclusively charitable.
• A purpose is charitable even if some of the objects are not, so long as those objects are ancillary to the main charitable object.
• Purposes beneficial to the community include:
• Groups dedicated to community projects
• Certain service clubs
• Improvement for cultural or ethnic groups
• Improvement of quality of health
• Medical research
• Sporting and recreational public facilities

Bingo

Bingo Lottery Application
Bingo Lottery Report

Break-Open Tickets

Break-Open Ticket Licence Application 
Break-Open Ticket Report

Procedures for Break-Open Ticket Lotteries (Nevada)

Break-Open tickets are instant-win lottery tickets also known as pull tab or Nevada tickets.

All new organizations wishing to sell Break-Open ticket lotteries in the City of Cornwall must provide the Clerk's Division with the following information or documents for their application to be considered:

• An application form completed, in detail, by two bona fide members of the organization.
• A copy of the organization's budget for the preceding and coming year detailing how the break-open lottery revenues will be acquired and dispersed, as well as the organization's constitution and/or By-laws.
• A copy of the Gaming Supplier registration from the third party location at which the organization is applying to sell the tickets. If the organization is applying for the sale of the tickets at their own premises, they are exempt from providing registration under the Gaming Control Act.
• Letters Patent (Federal Government) or Letters of Registration (Provincial Government)
• Letter detailing objects and purposes
• Sample ticket

After review of the information submitted:

• The Clerk's Division will advise the Applicant, by letter, of the status of the Application.
• Once approved, the two signing officers must provide this Office with police clearances.
• The license fee is 3% of the prize value per box, payable by cheque only, to "The City of Cornwall".
• The cheque must be from the Lottery account and not from a general or personal account. Cash cannot be accepted as a method of payment.
• When the Licensee has completed the sale of tickets, the Applicant must submit a report form along with a copy of all receipts for each expense incurred.
• Also, a Financial Year-End Statement must be submitted after the organization's year-end. Every organization's year-end is different.
• An organization can only sell from one (1) location in the City of Cornwall.
• The organization must comply with the Terms and Conditions set out by the Alcohol and Gaming Control Commission.

Raffles

Raffle Application
Blanket Raffle Application
Raffle Report

Procedures for Raffles (Draws)

A Raffle is an event for which tickets are sold and the winner of a prize is determined through random selection by draw of one or more tickets from all those sold. The draw must take place in the City of Cornwall.

Prizes may consist of:

• Merchandise or cash, or a combination of the two
• Alcohol may be awarded as a prize for a Raffle Lottery provided the licensed organization assumes responsibility for ensuring that the prize is awarded only to those persons 19 years of age or over.

All new organizations wishing to sell Raffle Ticket Lotteries in the City of Cornwall must provide the Clerk's Division with the following information or documents for their application to be considered:

An Application form completed, in detail, by two bona fide members of the organization.

• A letter detailing what the raffle proceeds will be used for.
• A copy of the organization's budget for the preceding and coming years.
• A copy of a ticket (can be hand drawn).

After review of the information presented:

• The Clerk's Division will advise the organization, by letter, of the status of the Application.
• Any new organization, once approved, must provide this office with police clearances on the two signing officers.
• The license fee is 3% of the prize value, payable by cheque only to the City of Cornwall.  Cash cannot be accepted as a method of payment.
• The cheque must be from the lottery account and not from a general or personal account.
• Within 30 days after the Raffle Lottery event, the Applicant must submit a report form along with a list of winners and include receipts for each expense incurred.

Individuals wishing to raise monies through a raffle are ineligible for lottery licensing.

A municipality is entitled to issue a Raffle Lottery License where the prizes to be awarded are $50,000.00 or less. When any prizes awarded have a combined total of $10,000.00 or greater, the organization must submit, along with the application, an irrevocable Letter of Credit from a bank, made payable to the City of Cornwall. The Letter of Credit should be in the amount of the total value of the prizes with a minimum expiry date of no less than 45 days after the date of the event. The organization must comply with the Terms and Conditions set out by the Alcohol and Gaming Control Commission.

For further information on any of the above lottery licenses, call 613 930-2787 ext 2305 or 2334.

 Commissioner of Oaths

Commissioners of Oaths’ services are offered at City Hall (360 Pitt Street). These endorsements include but are not limited to oaths, affirmations and Affidavits. Since the nature of documents varies, it is strongly recommended that you contact the Clerk's Division prior to your visit to confirm that your attestation can be commissioned by one of our staff members. 

Furthermore, it is important to note that the City of Cornwall’s Commissioners of Oaths cannot sign documents or certify true copies requiring the certification of a Notary Public. A list of notary public or lawyers can be found in your local phone directory.

What is an Oath? 

An oath is a solemn declaration of one’s words by which a person signifies that he/she is bound in conscience to perform an act faithfully and truthfully.  The oath is used to encourage if not to ensure that the truth be spoken. 

What is an Affirmation? 

An affirmation is a solemn declaration that serves the same purpose as an oath if an oath is objectionable to the person on religious or ethical grounds. 

What is an Affidavit? 

An Affidavit is a document containing statements that are verified by the swearing of an oath or by an affirmation. Affidavits are generally used for the purpose of establishing legal rights and may be required to attest to a certain fact or set of facts. 

There are four parts to an Affidavit: 

1.       Identification of the person giving the Affidavit (deponent or affiant).

2.       Body of the Affidavit, which provides the evidence or the statement of facts

3.       The signature of the deponent

4.       Jurat – including the signature of the Commissioner taking the Affidavit. 

The Jurat is the certificate of the Commissioner before whom the document was sworn.  It sets out the location of where the oath was administered and the date of the oath.  By signing the Jurat, the Commissioner is certifying that he or she has administered the oath to the deponent.  If Exhibits are attached to the Affidavit, then the Commissioner must also sign the Exhibits certifying them to be part of the Affidavit.

Documentation 

Once you are certain the City of Cornwall can commission your document, you must visit City Hall in person. The request for the Commissioner of Oaths service must be made by the same individual taking the oath and signing the document. You must present one original piece of photo identification in the form of government-issued photo identification (i.e. a valid driver's license, a valid passport, etc.). If your identification is in a language other than English or French, an official translation of the document may be required. 

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

• Delayed birth registration forms;
• Application to amend birth registration;
• Declaration affirming parentage;
• Election to change of name of child under the age of 12;
• Statutory declaration by an applicant to correct an error in registration;
• Legal name change application;
• Blank statutory declaration;
• City of Cornwall planning applications;
• Insurance claims;
• Common law status Affidavits;
• Vehicle ownership transfers;
• Special invitations to family members overseas;
• Passport applications (in lieu of guarantor);
• Pension purpose attestations of recipient being alive and confirming their residency;
• Residency document;
• Lost passport;
• Single status certificate;
• Consent letter for traveling with a child commonly referred to as a travel document;
• Federal government permanent residency card applications (this is the only application for which the City of Cornwall reserves the right to produce a true copy as required);
• Municipal Information Form (MIF) for liquor license;
• Affidavit waiving vaccinations based on religious grounds. 

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

• Any Affidavit related to divorces or separations;

Affidavits relating to Powers of Attorney, Wills or estates;

• 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 Affidavits required for an applicant of a marriage license. These must be signed by a notary public. 

Fees 

The City of Cornwall charges $30.00 for each document to be sworn. This fee is payable by cash, cheque, debit or credit card. Documents must be signed in the presence of the Commissioner before they can be commissioned.