Members of the Airdrie and District Victims Assistance Society (ADVAS) were at the Alberta legislature on March 22 to provide feedback on and champion a new bill that will prevent serious, long-term or high-risk offenders from legally changing their names.
“This is the right thing to do,” said Nate Glubish, Minister of Service Alberta, during the government’s deliberation on Bill 61. “This is another step that we can take to help Alberta families. This is a case where doing nothing is not an option. To accept the status quo is to embrace an unacceptable public safety risk for Albertans.”
During his announcement, Glubish referenced an example in Edmonton where a dangerous offender sought to have a court ban publication after attempting to change his name. The bill came after Leo Teskey, according to a CBC article, filed to have his potential new identity kept secret in December of 2020 amid anticipation of his parole.
“The thought that someone with such a violent criminal history such as the monster Leo Teskey could change his name and blend in with our community and hide from his past is completely abhorrent,” Glubish said. “We cannot wait any longer to bring these changes forward.”
The bill means designated offenders will be unable to legally change their name, even if the designation is eventually removed.
As Glubish’s announcement concluded, he called on Karen Kuntz, executive director for ADVAS, to give her thoughts on what the new legislation means for the province.
“For the last 23 years I have been involved in victim services in a number of roles,” said Kuntz, who took over the top role at the Airdrie-based charity last fall. “I feel so passionate about supporting victims and their rights.”
Kuntz said it is imperative that victims have all the proper information regarding their cases in accordance with the law – including the names of any offenders.
“When you look at the Victims of Crime Act principals, and the Victim Bill of Rights, we know victims and survivors have the right to protection and information,” she said.
“Each day we work with victims, we work with them from the time of the incident and support them with information. Their need for information throughout this process does not end once the offender has been sentenced.”
In addition to the work she has done with ADVAS and other organizations, Kuntz mentioned how she is also a survivor of aggravated sexual assault, showing how the bill has personal significance, as well.
“I was fighting for my life,” she said. “I realized at one point I couldn’t fight anymore, and I truly believed I was going to die. When it was over, he introduced himself to me and asked me my name.”
She added the offender said if she went to the police, he would kill her. Kuntz said the man who sexually assaulted her was ultimately given a three-year prison sentence.
“I got the life sentence,” she said. “I spent that lifetime looking over my shoulder, always wondering if he would come back. This became a way of life for me. How much more fearful would I have been if I didn’t know who he was or who I was watching for?”
She said her fight to support victims is no longer about her, but about the many others who go through similar events.
“It’s about their protection and their information,” she said. “It’s about their rights and it’s about empowering them. I believe those who make the conscious choice to intentionally hurt another human being should never be allowed to hide.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
