The Ontario Metis Aboriginal Association (OMAA) represented many Metis people of Ontario.  For those of you who were members of this Metis group, you probably know that they are no longer in operation due to financial problems.  It seems unlikely that they will be back.

There are many former OMAA members looking for an alternative source for their Certificate of Aboriginal Status cards (sometimes referred to as a Metis card or Metis status card).  The primary focus of the Ontario Metis Family Records Center (OMFRC) is researching and documenting the aboriginal and Metis families of Ontario.  Our vast record collections put us in the ideal position to issue the cards.

These cards are sometimes referred to as an Indian status card, certificate of Indian status, native card or native status card.  There are distinctions between the terms.  Some are issued by the government, others by bands, and still others by Metis organizations or Metis associations.  Our cards are aimed primarily at the Ontario Metis but are available to anyone with aboriginal ancestry.   Your membership fee will help to fund our research.

The OMFRC’s main focus is to document and preserve First Nations and Métis family history.  The OMFRC was founded by Art Haines with the help of a great many people who shared his goals.  We hope to someday have all aboriginal and Métis records in our files.

 Art has been documenting his own extended family for forty years and has spent the past fifteen years researching aboriginal and Métis families in an ever-increasing area that now includes all of North America.  The OMFRC now has an extended network of volunteer researchers who add to our files on a daily basis. 

 In late 2006 Art was asked to issue the Certificates of Aboriginal Status cards previously issued by OMAA.  In February of 2007 the OMFRC was formed to do this.  Another new organization, the Métis Family Records Center, or MFRC, has also been organized.  This organization issues cards in other parts of Canada and throughout the United States. 

 Other Métis organizations require you to provide full documented proof linking you to your aboriginal ancestor.  We take a different approach.  If you don’t have full documentation, we try to confirm your Métis status from our own records.  There are many Métis who simply can’t get the official documents demanded by other groups.  We don’t feel that fact should exclude them from being recognized.

 When we receive an application we search our records to confirm the information you give us.  A Certificate of Aboriginal Status is issued if we are able to connect your family to our files.  There is no charge for this and your money is refunded in full if we can’t confirm your information.

 We offer a second service that is unrelated to the Certificate of Aboriginal Status.  This service is a search of our records as well as archives and other record collections not in our files.  The purpose of this search is to identify for you your aboriginal ancestors and to give you whatever information is available about them.  We charge $100 for this search.  This money doesn’t cover the dozens, even hundreds, of hours that go into the search.  The money is used to purchase more records to add to our collection.  Please visit our other website at www.omfrc.org if this is of interest to you.