Jury Duty in Canada...I don't live there anymore!

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

I was checking my e-mail at the library ( I still don't have my phone and internet hooked up at my new house..so sorry if I take awhile to respond back), only to get an e-mail attachment (and print it out) from a relative of mine in Canada about...

"A Questionnaire for Jury Service"....

What going on here?

First it was Elections Canada earlier this year about being on the voter's list in Canada...

And now it's a letter about being selected to serve on a jury in Canada?...

I moved out of the country 3 years ago (in 2006) and have no plans on returning to Canada to reside in, and did inform various government agencies about such already before about my change of address/residence...So why do they still have my outdated information in their records?

As well, I got this e-mail attachment just yesterday in September and the notice was dated in August, which I was supposed to respond to within 5 days...Yikes! How the heck was I to know that I was supposed to return such in that short of a time. or face legal consequences for not responding to such?

Lol..I guess the Canadian government wants me back in Canada?...

Seriously though, have any of you ever received such a notice before? Did you ever receive such a notice in the USA or in Canada? How did you respond to such? Should I even respond to such? How should I respond to such? Am I in trouble for not responding to that on time because I didn't know about it?

Help! I can't serve on a jury in Canada.....How do I get out of being on jury duty?

I live here in America, many miles away, with my family here, for pete's sake!!!! Travelling back to Canada for jury duty...forget it!

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, humour, jokes, whatever else, is greatly appreaciated...Thanks.

Ant

P.S. Lol...Another point of humour...Still waiting for my son's birth certificate here in the USA...Can't travel back to Canada without that anyways....6 weeks of waiting already..geee...

Edited September 8, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[trailmix 77]

You could email them and tell them you aren't living in Canada?

[antda 13]

Hi Trailmix,

There was no e-mail provided on that questionnaire...

And my cell phone doesn't work for long distance calls to Canada...

Snail mail perhaps?

Ant

You could email them and tell them you aren't living in Canada?

[Flames9_RN 358]

If they have a snail mail addy, i would just go that route and explain the situation, and if one has proof ur in the USA (utility bill????) copy that and send it,lol if they had a phone #, i would call that, may be the fastest route

[JillA 2]

If they have a snail mail addy, i would just go that route and explain the situation, and if one has proof ur in the USA (utility bill????) copy that and send it,lol if they had a phone #, i would call that, may be the fastest route

Good idea, and also a photocopy of your green card to prove your residency

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Someone is obviously using an old voter's list! Yes, send them the letter advising them of the date you left Canada and that your name should no longer be on the voter's list, hence no longer listed for jury duty. Remind them that you did notify the appropriate Government departments at the time of your departure. You'll be fine.

[SapphireDreams 71]

If it's just the survey, just send back the survey with a letter saying that you don't live in the country anymore.

They won't make you go any further into the process.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone (Fellow Canadians!),

Thank for your helpful and quick replies about "jury duty"...

Sorry that I didn't get back to you earlier, as I'm still waiting for the phone and internet to get hooked up...

Anyways, here is an update on the situation:

-I did the snail mail route (as you all suggested), and sent them the following this week: the completed questionnaire (easy really, just a few yes/no questions), a photocopy of my US Green Card, a photocopy of my US Driver's license with my address on it, a photocopy of my US marriage certificate (the notice was in my maiden last name...so had link my current married name and former name together), a photocopy of my son's US birth announcement (at that time I still didn't get the US birth certificate yet), and a cover letter explaining as to why I couldn't serve on jury duty (I don't live in Canada anymore and haven't since 2006, I live in the USA as a permanent resident and have no future plans of living in Canada again anytime soon, I can't be out of the country with a newborn son, and it's too damn far to travel to Canada to serve on a jury...750km+ round trip out of my own expenses for jury duty...forget it..)

Oh and one last thing which I also wrote: "Please remove me from this jury duty list and from any other jury duty lists in the future....I don't live in Canada anymore! Thanks"...

Am I excused from jury duty in Canada now?...

Hopefully no more Canadian government agencies will bug me any further after that.... (and I agree, they should update their information and lists too, especially since I did my part by updating them a long time ago even though I didn't have to really...)

Lol...now as for US Government agencies contacting me...that's another story....

And as an extra lesson to all you Canadians...Just because you tell the Canadian government that you moved to the USA, doesn't mean a darn thing to them...So don't be surprised if you get something "extra" like this in the mail and be prepared to deal with such accordingly!

Ant

P.S. I can't help but wonder if Passport Canada is behind me getting mail from government agencies in Canada, even though I don't live there anymore and told them about the change as...1) When I applied for my new passport this year...a few weeks later Elections Canada sent me mail about being on the voter's list...2) When a relative of mine (with the same former last name) applied for their passport a few weeks ago....recently I got the notice for Jury Duty....

Any thoughts or ideas on that? Hmmmm.......

You could email them and tell them you aren't living in Canada?

If they have a snail mail addy, i would just go that route and explain the situation, and if one has proof ur in the USA (utility bill????) copy that and send it,lol if they had a phone #, i would call that, may be the fastest route

Good idea, and also a photocopy of your green card to prove your residency

Someone is obviously using an old voter's list! Yes, send them the letter advising them of the date you left Canada and that your name should no longer be on the voter's list, hence no longer listed for jury duty. Remind them that you did notify the appropriate Government departments at the time of your departure. You'll be fine.

If it's just the survey, just send back the survey with a letter saying that you don't live in the country anymore.

They won't make you go any further into the process.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Emancipation 2]

I've already been on the jury lists here in CT.. I think it's connected with the DL.. that's the only reason they would have me on the list. They excused me very quickly once I told them I wasn't a citizen..

[bradcanuck 1]

I am receiving all sorts of goofy stuff from the government lately. I sent in a letter (a VERY VERY rude one) informing them that I am sick of this as I haven't lived there in years etc etc and that's why I moved because the government are full of inefficient bureaucratic morons who can barely breathe on their own and if the person reading this IS a moron, then I am sure I will continue to receive mail.

Haven't heard from anyone since aside from a personal letter from the govt apologizing for the confusion.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Emancipation-Hmm...It's possible that it connected with the DL here in the USA..I can't believe that they put you on the jury list twice, despite you not being a citizen....Still they should have corrected it....At least you know better not to serve on a jury here in the USA...wouldn't want to get in trouble for their clerical errors!

I've already been on the jury lists here in CT.. I think it's connected with the DL.. that's the only reason they would have me on the list. They excused me very quickly once I told them I wasn't a citizen..

Bradcanuck-Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Canadian government. Lol...which agency were you referring to, by the way? Well, at least they sent you an apology letter, so at least that is some sort of compensation for their incompentency...Hope you don't have any other further problems from them..

Lol..I have still yet to have an apology from Canadian government officials..oh well..

On another note...apparently government officials are incompentent here on this side of the border....apology needed there too...(that's another story...)...Doubt that I'll ever get one....(lol..especially from the USCIS)...

I am receiving all sorts of goofy stuff from the government lately. I sent in a letter (a VERY VERY rude one) informing them that I am sick of this as I haven't lived there in years etc etc and that's why I moved because the government are full of inefficient bureaucratic morons who can barely breathe on their own and if the person reading this IS a moron, then I am sure I will continue to receive mail.

Haven't heard from anyone since aside from a personal letter from the govt apologizing for the confusion.

Ant