Amnesiac 'Yorkshireman' is denied new birth cert

A man with a Yorkshire accent who says he cannot remember anything about his past has lost his bid for a British Columbia birth certificate.

Philip Staufen, who woke up in a Toronto hospital in November 1999 with no knowledge of how he got there, is believed to be from England, based on his accent.

The only information about him comes from his identity bracelet and information card at the Canadian hospital, which listed his name as Philip Staufen and his birth date as June 7 1975.

Staufen says he doesn’t know how the hospital got that information. He wants a Canadian passport so he can travel to England to search for clues to his identity.

In May, Staufen asked the British Columbia Supreme Court to force provincial authorities to grant him a birth certificate, which he needs to get a passport.

The court refused, and the Court of Appeals in Vancouver unanimously upheld that ruling, saying Staufen presented no evidence to show he was born in the province.

Staufen is diagnosed with postconcussion global amnesia. He had been unconscious for a few days in the Toronto hospital before waking up without a memory 21 months ago.

Elinore Caplan, the federal minister of immigration and citizenship, has offered Staufen a special 18-month permit that would allow him to work or study in Canada and travel outside the country.

Staufen has rejected the offer, saying it would not allow him to visit England, which he says requires a passport. A University of Toronto expert in dialects said last year that Staufen spoke with a Yorkshire accent.

David Roberts, the deputy British consul in Vancouver, said his Government has been unable to establish any connection between Staufen and Britain.