FAQ for Life Events

What is a Life Event bundle?

Significant changes come into everyone's life - such as birth, marriage, retirement, and even losing one's wallet! It is also true that into the life of every business there is a series of predictable events such as the registration of a new business or relocation of a business or government forms and reports associated with various stages in a business' life. We call these life events.

The Ontario government is using Life Events as a new way to organize information and services - in groupings that cross government jurisdictions and ministerial lines in order to bring everything on a subject together in one place.

Why is the Ontario government developing these Life Event Bundles?

A recent study shows that 86 percent of Canadians say that it would be useful to have a single Web site that gives them access to many different government services. That is the purpose of Life Event bundles. Life Event bundles provide access to all relevant government information and services through a single Web site for individuals and another single access point for businesses, regardless of which level of government is responsible for that subject. This means connecting and presenting inter-ministry and inter-jurisdictional information, services and transactions in an intuitive way, using plain language and consistent navigation terminology to create a comprehensive and integrated grouping of information for consumers and business.

Can I suggest other topics for Life Event bundles or other online resources that should be included in a Life Event bundle?

Yes you can. Fill out the Life Events online survey. Your suggestions will be added to the list being considered by the Life Event bundle team.

Why did the government choose to post these particular bundles instead of others such as Buying A Car or What to Do if You Are Disabled?

The topics chosen are based on inquiries and customer feedback received from customers at province-wide Government Information Centres. Two important criteria used to decide which Life Event bundles to implement next are the number of requests received for information pertaining to a certain topic, and the number of citizens expected to experience that Life Event.

Life Event bundles that you are looking for may already be in development. Feel free to ask us by filling out the Life Events online survey.

Life Event bundles only link to other sites and do not contain significant content. What is the value that you add?

Our aim is not to duplicate what is already available online. Instead, we add value by bringing it all together in a single place. This eliminates that need to spend time searching through various ministries or other jurisdictions for the relevant information or forms since governmental responsibility for information and services is often distributed between the municipal, provincial, and federal levels and even further among agencies within each level.

Many individuals also do not know where in government to go to access the services they need. Life Event bundles take you to the relevant information immediately. As well, an individual may not know all that he or she needs to about a particular life event. Each bundle makes suggestions that may alert an individual to a need that was not even known.

Can I ask you a question about the content that you link to?

The sites that we link to from the Life Event bundles are the responsibility of those specific program experts. Any specific queries about content on these other sites should be directed to the owners and operators of that particular resource/Web site.

What Ontario Ministries operate this site and what other services do they offer?

The Life Event bundles are operated by the Ministry of Government Services

Can I get this information over the phone or over-the-counter?

Yes you can. The Ontario government aims to provide individuals with more choices in how, when, and where they can access government services and products. One of the guiding principles of the Life Event bundles is a no-wrong-door approach. An individual will be able to access information by the channel of his or her choice. This means being able to access Life Event bundles through the Government of Ontario central Web site, the Online Services Gateway, and in person at a Government Information Centre (GIC). For general information on Ontario government services, you may call the Citizens' Inquiry Bureau at:

Why are all of the sites that you link to not available in both French and English?

All of the Ontario government Life Event sites are available in both French and English. However, some private sector organizations that we link to are not required to provide their content in both languages, and so the information on some external sites is available only in the language in which it was provided.