As a display of commitment to reconciliation, the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police has unanimously agreed to waive the fees that were previously required for Indigenous people to reclaim their original Indigenous names.
Chief of the Estevan Police and SACP President Rich Lowen says before the SACP took this stance, anyone of Indigenous descent that wanted to change their name to their original Indigenous title had to pay a fee for both fingerprinting and record checks. These could cost from $55-$100 per person.
He adds that the more barriers that can be removed regarding Indigenous people reclaiming their identity, the better. The decision came after the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police called on all levels of government to remove barriers and fees when it came to name change processes and the revision of official identity documents.