A Manitoban is voicing her displeasure over a lengthy wait to have her baby's birth registered.
Tasha Gregory, a mother of three, says it’s been six weeks since her son Jethro was born and Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency told her his birth registration papers will likely not get to her until the end of summer.
“I was nowhere near the front of the cue,” Gregory said she was told.
“They probably wouldn't get to June births somewhere near the end of August or the beginning of September.”
Gregory said without the papers, she has to wait for the Canada child benefit for Jethro to kick in, a social insurance number to start a savings account and she has had to cancel vacation plans with the infant.
“We’re in limbo right now,” Gregory said.
A provincial spokesperson confirmed the backlog to CTV News.
It said, “Since the new year; Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency has processed approximately 5,300 applications for documents per month.”
“As a result, the typical processing time of 6 to 8 weeks has been extended to 10 weeks.”
It added, "If the information provided includes errors of omission or incorrect information, service time may be longer."
"Other factors influencing processing times include recent IT issues that have since been resolved and increased complexity of registrations and applications, such as name changes requiring fingerprinting and sex designation applications.”
It said more than 4,800 applications are in cue specific to issuance of documents.
It said wait times are expected to improve. Since May, waits dropped from 13 weeks to 10.
