My sons both sent in for their kids passports this summer by sending everything through the mail and although it took about 3 months everything came back with new passports. They're advising now that it will be 8 weeks to receive it if you mail it in, only 2 weeks if you go to a passport office.
Here is what it says about the new guarantor policy and the link for it.
Under the new policy effective today, an eligible guarantor must:
* Be a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older;
* Hold a five-year Canadian passport that is valid or has been expired for no more than one year;
* Have been 16 years of age or older when they applied for their own passport; and
* Have known the applicant personally for at least two years.
Demand for Canadian passports has more than doubled over less than a decade. In 1999-2000, Passport Canada issued 1.7 million passports. In 2006-2007, it issued 3.6 million passports and this fiscal year, the figure is expected to reach more than four million.
Now, any family member as well as any individual residing at the applicant's address may act as guarantor, provided he or she meets the requirements noted above. To simplify the verification of guarantor eligibility, Passport Canada will use its own database, thereby increasing the security and efficiency of the process.
http://www.ppt.gc.ca/newsroom/news.aspx?lang=e&page=/newsroom/20071001.aspx
