In a previous article, “Battle to Use One Name Won After 26 Years”, Indian Time (Vol. 35 #6), was incorrectly stated as, ‘She is now legally recognized as Ienonhkwa’tsheriiostha NLN. The acronym is just as important as her name: NLN stands for “No Last Name”.’ For all legal and practical reasons, a First Nation person choosing to be identified by one name no longer has to use the acronym ‘NLN’ for no last name.

To help clarify, as Sheree Bonaparte stated, “She is legally known as Ienonhkwa’tsheriiostha, not Ienonhkwa’tsheriiostha NLN. Ienonhkwa’tsheriiostha is what is on her birth certificate.”

That is what they fought for and on Ontario forms the single name is entered in the last name field, leaving the first name blank.

Computers holding official records (government offices, banks, health forms, doctors reports, school education records) and other offices have not been updated since the Vital Statistics Act was amended to recognize the use of a Single name, and are required to reprogram and update to accept the change in the law over time.

When Sheree Bonaparte and her children met with Service Canada to get a Social Insurance Number (SIN) number, a recognized birth certificate was required and Canada would not accept the Mohawk Nation Certificate of Birth. At that point the family hired the law firm of ‘Gowlings’ as their lawyers who pushed ServiceOntario to conduct a policy review, which resulted in recommended changes to the Vital Statistics Act that became law.

The adult and child Change of Name Act was also amended. The application forms including the request for a single name forms are now available on the Ontario.ca website at https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-name-adults. The fee of $137.00 can be waived for individuals who are changing their name to a single name and for residential school survivors who are reclaiming their original names.

The fee will be waived for 5 years. The link for the fee waiver application is http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/GetFileAttach/007-11341E~1/$File/11341E.pdf

The link to a new birth registration webpage that includes information on how to register a birth using a single name is namehttps://www.ontario.ca/page/register-birth-new-baby. For delayed registrations of birth (child is over one year of age) applicants must first submit a request for a birth certificate so that a search can be done to ensure that the birth has not been registered. If no registration is found a delayed birth package will be sent to the applicant.

For more information, please contact; ServiceOntario, Thunder Bay Production and Verification Services Branch, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, PO Box 4600, 189 Red River Road, Thunder Bay ON P7B 6L8 or call 807-343-7409.

For easy access to information:

Google: Single name application Ontario