Some people who applied for birth and death certificates in Ontario have been waiting for months as the ministry responsible for issuing them faces apparent delays.

ServiceOntario, which is operated by the Ministry of Government Services, confirmed on Twitter that there is a “backlog” and warns on its website that applicants could face wait times of 14 and 15 weeks because of “longer than normal processing times.”

Some Ontarians report waiting for nearly twice that long.

“We have been waiting for our son’s birth certificate for almost 6 months,” wrote one Windsor, Ont., woman on ServiceOntario’s Facebook page earlier this month. She said she requested to have the document expedited so it will arrive before a planned trip in April. “Under no circumstances should this have taken this long. We live in a border city and we cannot cross without his certificate.”

ServiceOntario has not responded to requests for comment from CTVNews.ca.

Another woman wrote to CTV News explaining that she has been trying to get a death certificate for her mother since October. She was told that the service is experiencing a backlog, and that it doesn’t have paperwork due to the Canada Post strike. ServiceOntario has not publicly given an explanation for a processing delay.

“I have called every week since the 14 week mark to try to find out the status and I keep being told to wait,” she wrote. The woman said she needs the death certificate to travel with her mother’s remains. “We have purchased the flights to travel and I fear that we won't have the documentation in time.”

ServiceOntario is also responsible for providing other documentation, including driver’s licences, plate stickers, health cards and marriage certificates.

Currently there is a backlog. Due to this backlog, birth registrations are taking approx 15 weeks. To request an expedited service, please fax a letter of explanation why you need it quickly (include your file/order number) + proof you need it urgently to 1-807-343-7445. — ServiceOntario (@ServiceOntario) February 19, 2019