The Manitoba government has entered into an agreement with the Government of Canada to allocate $1.5 million toward the implementation of an electronic death registration system within the Manitoba’s Vital Statistics Branch, Consumer Protection and Government Services Minister Lisa Naylor announced today.

“We are modernizing government services to reduce wait times and make it easier for Manitobans to get services,” said Naylor. “This change will expedite death registrations, simplifying the process for grieving families and ensuring faster access to benefits.”

The funding will cover the initial project costs for developing and implementing the electronic death registration process, which is expected to be operational by spring 2025, the minister said.

The new process will enable Event Registrars and other designated medical professionals to notify the Vital Statistics Branch of a death electronically rather than submitting paper forms by mail or in person, the minister noted, adding that this electronic submission will prevent errors that result in backlogs.

The Vital Statistics Branch registers all vital events in Manitoba and provides documents as proof of those events. The branch also keeps a database of all vital event records from 1882 to present.

For more information on the Vital Statistics Branch, visit https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca.