The Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police announced that police agencies in Saskatchewan will waive the fees associated with criminal record checks and fingerprints required for Indigenous people who wish to reclaim their Indigenous name.
The decision comes “in recognition of not only the historical trauma but to acknowledge the living trauma of the Survivors of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop,” the announcement said.
It also comes after the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police’s (CACP) resolution earlier this year that called on all levels of government to implement the immediate waiver of all administrative fees related to the criminal record check and fingerprinting process for indigenous citizens.
In Saskatchewan, 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 Saskatchewan policing agencies.
“The Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police (SACP) is committed to working collectively with policing agencies and Indigenous people across the province, and this policy change is one way we can journey together on a continued path toward reconciliation.” the SACP said.