Following an announcement that the Government of Alberta will join Saskatchewan in enacting changes to prohibit sex offenders from changing their names, Saskatchewan and Alberta called on all provinces to enact similar changes to prevent sex offenders from changing their names anywhere in Canada on June 24.聽
Alberta is now the second province to enact these changes, following Saskatchewan as the first province in Canada to make these changes in February 2020.
Amendments were made to the Regulations for The Change of Name Act, 1995 to introduce criminal record checks as part of the change of name application process for anyone 18 years of age or older.聽
鈥淭hese changes were absolutely the right thing to do, and we鈥檙e glad to see Alberta following suit,鈥� Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said.聽鈥淲e urge other provinces to join Saskatchewan and Alberta to enact similar changes that protect children and other vulnerable individuals from sex offenders trying to avoid scrutiny by changing their name.鈥澛�
While these changes prevent sex offenders from changing their name in Saskatchewan and now Alberta, they don鈥檛 prevent someone from moving to another jurisdiction and changing their name, or changing their name in another jurisdiction and moving to Saskatchewan or Alberta.聽
鈥淧rotecting our loved ones requires a joint effort between law enforcement and human services professionals,鈥� Health Minister Jim Reiter said. 鈥淲e are hopeful that our colleagues across Canada will join us in this important endeavour.鈥澛�
Under the Regulation changes implemented in Saskatchewan in February, more than 20 different offences prohibit someone from changing their name in Saskatchewan, including sexual assault and incest.聽
The designated offences are set out in subsection 490.011(1) of the Criminal Code and are the same offences necessitating registration in the National Sex Offender Registry.
