B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
The move comes after an outcry over the revelation that Allan Schoenborn – who killed his three children – has legally changed his name.
A spokesperson for the victims posted to social media Monday afternoon, saying Schoenborn's new name is Ken John Johnson.
Health Minister Adrian Dix tabled a bill in the legislature Monday proposing changes to the province's Name Act that would prevent people who have committed some serious offences from legally changing their names even if they were found not criminally responsible, as Schoenborn was.
The fact that Schoenborn changed his name first came out during a Review Board hearing last month where he applied, unsuccessfully, to have a publication ban imposed on his new identity.
BC United leader Kevin Falcon tabled a private member’s bill in the legislature soon after, titled the Name Amendment Act. That bill, which has not passed, would have automatically prevented those who have been designated as a dangerous or long-term offender under the Criminal Code from changing their name. It would not have captured someone like Schoenborn.
Schoenborn has been held at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam since 2010. He was diagnosed with delusional disorder and told the court that he stabbed and smothered his children in 2008 to protect them from an imagined threat of sexual abuse.
He was granted unescorted overnight leave for up to 28 days in 2022.
His Review Board hearing is scheduled to continue on June 25. Following that hearing, the board will publish his new name along with its reasons for judgment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
No jail time for man who fatally stabbed senior in Vancouver
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
EXCLUSIVE: 'We were privileged to be friends with our sister': Family mourns murdered N.S. woman
More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.
Hot-air balloon strikes and collapses radio tower in Albuquerque during festival
A hot-air balloon struck and collapsed a radio tower Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the city's famous festival -- the second time in 20 years that a balloon has come into contact with the tower.
Boeing to cut 17,000 jobs, or 10% of its global workforce
U.S. planemaker Boeing will cut 17,000 jobs, or 10 per cent of its global workforce, delay first delivery of its 777X jet by a year and announced substantial new losses in its defence business as a month-long strike batters company finances, CEO Kelly Ortberg said on Friday.
Trump says he'll renegotiate North America's trade deals. Trudeau says Canada will put its interests first
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that if the next U.S. president re-opens trade negotiations for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Canada will prioritize its own interests.