Document Commissioning

A Commissioner is a person authorized by the Province of Ontario to take oaths or declarations when you sign an affidavit or statutory declaration.  The Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer are commissioners for taking affidavits in the Township of Stone Mills.  This authority is conferred by the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act.  The Commissioner is not responsible for the content of the affidavit.  It is the sole responsibility of the person whose signature is being commissioned (the "deponent") to ensure the content of the affidavit. The deponent must understand not only the details to which he or she will attest but also the fact that he or she is swearing an oath that the details are correct.

In order for an affidavit to be commissioned, the deponent must bring proper identification to prove their identity and the affidavit must be signed in the presence of the commissioner.  An affidavit that is presented with the signature already included will not be commissioned by Township Staff.

It is important to note that a Commissioner for taking Affidavits is not the same as a “Notary Public”.  A Notary Public is a person who is authorized under the Notaries Act to commission documents, certify documents as true copies and to verify signatures.  The requirements to become a Notary Public are more stringent than for a Commissioner and most are lawyers or judicial officers.  If you require a document to be "notarized" as opposed to "commissioned", the person administering the oath or affidavit generally is a lawyer.

The following are examples of situations where you may need a Notary Public:

• Birth Certificate - if you are applying to be married in another country, that country may required a notarized copy of your birth certificate
• Consent letter for children travelling abroad
• Land Transfer Signatures
• Mortgage Signatures
• Passports in certain situations
• Professional Exam Applications
• Single Status Declaration – before you can be married abroad by foreign officials, they will require that you provide a Single Status Declaration to verify that you are actually single.

We strongly recommend that you schedule an appointment with us to have your document commissioned. Walk-ins will be accepted Monday 8:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m, Tuesday to Thursday 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m and Fridays between 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., depending on staff availability.

The fee for commissioning a document is $15.00.