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By Canadian Press

banned for life

Alberta to end name changes for dangerous, long-term, high-risk offenders

Mar 22, 2021 | 4:26 PM

EDMONTON – Alberta is moving to stop dangerous, long-term or high-risk offenders from legally changing their names.

Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish has introduced legislation in the house to make the change.

The bill calls for designated offenders to be banned for life from changing their names, even if the designation were eventually removed.

It builds on amendments made to the Vital Statistics Act last year, which barred some convicted sex offenders from changing their name.

“These changes will provide peace of mind to Albertans and especially to survivors, who live with their trauma for the rest of their lives,” he said.

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Glubish says he is urging other provinces to make similar changes, because it’s critical to prevent someone from changing a name in one jurisdiction only to move to a new province under a new identity.

“Having been a victim of a violent sexual assault, I speak to the very fact the accused got three years and I got life and that lifetime was spent looking over my shoulder; but at least I knew who I was looking for,” said Karen Kuntz, executive director, Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society. “Adding or allowing another layer to the rights of the accused only reiterates with victims that we have no voice. We as victims and survivors need to know we have the right to protection and the right to information.”