By Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Manitoba will indefinitely waive fees for name changes to help residential school, Federal Indian Day School and `60s Scoop survivors and their families reclaim traditional Indigenous names. “At birth, these children were given names that connected them to their rich Indigenous cultures, only to have those names taken away when they entered the residential school system,” Consumer Protection and Government Services Minister James Teitsma said in a media release. “This change will allow those affected to proudly reclaim that important link to their families and heritage at no cost.” The Vital Statistics Branch will waive fees indefinitely and “engage with Indigenous-led organizations to develop a simplified and trauma-informed application process and forms specific to residential school, Federal Indian Day School and `60s Scoop survivors.”

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