In recognition of not only the historical trauma but to acknowledge the living trauma of the Survivors of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, effective immediately all police agencies in Alberta will waive the fees associated with criminal record checks and fingerprints required for Indigenous people who wish to reclaim their Indigenous name.
This decision supports The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action report recommendation:
“17. We call upon all levels of government to enable residential school Survivors and their families to reclaim names changed by the residential school system by waiving administrative costs for a period of five years for the name-change process and the revision of official identity documents, such as birth certificates, passports, driver’s licenses, health cards, status cards, and social insurance numbers.”
The process for applying for a legal name change in the province of Alberta, can be found on the Government of Alberta website. The Government of Alberta currently waives the application fees for residential school Survivors and persons who were part of the Sixties Scoop and wish to reclaim their Indigenous name. Descendants such as children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and spouses/partners of residential school and Sixties Scoop Survivors are also eligible for name changes.
In Alberta, anyone requesting a legal name change requires both a criminal record check and fingerprints, and the payment for these services falls within the scope of Alberta policing agencies. To further remove barriers for all Indigenous people who wish to complete the name change process, there will be no charge from Alberta policing agencies for these services for those seeking to reclaim their Indigenous name.
The Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police is committed to working collectively with policing agencies and Indigenous people across the province on a path toward reconciliation. This work is ongoing and will strive towards restoring trust and confidence in policing among Indigenous people and in communities across the province. We recognize that walking the journey together toward truth and reconciliation first requires us to understand truth. The truth is that for many Indigenous people, the reclaiming of their Indigenous names is but one step toward the reclamation of much more. As policing agencies across Alberta, seeking to remove barriers for this powerful reclamation is one way we can continue together toward truth and only then, reconciliation.
