Saskatchewan

Assman, denied licence plate, displays name across truck's tailgate

Dave Assman is sticking it to the man by sticking it to the back his truck.

Melville man puts large decal on back of his pickup after province rejected appeal

Dave Assman poses next to his pickup truck, now emblazoned with the name he could not get on a licence plate. (Submitted by Dave Assman)

Dave Assman is sticking it to the man by sticking it to the back of his truck.

When Assman (pronounced "Oss-men") applied for a personalized licence plate, his request was denied. Saskatchewan Government Insurance, which manages vehicle registration, called the name an "unacceptable slogan."

The Melville, Sask., man has since immortalized his last name on the back of his truck with a large decal that looks like a giant Saskatchewan licence plate. 

"It's just a name, and censorship should be out of the window," Assman said.

He would still like the licence plate, but he is happy with the decal.

Assman said the government seems to want to "cater" to those who may be offended by the name rather than give him the freedom to display his name.

"It upsets me, but I'm not one of those guys to take offence to it," he said. 

Assman said he filed an appeal Tuesday of SGI's decision not to give him the licence plate and that SGI denied the appeal that same day.

SGI responded to the whole situation on Twitter and kept it short and sweet.

The Facebook post revealing the decal has been shared more than 3,000 times.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Rae Pasiuk is a reporter for CBC Edmonton who also copy edits, produces video and reads news on the radio. She has filmed two documentaries. Emily reported in Saskatchewan for three years before moving to Edmonton in 2020. Tips? Ideas? Reach her at emily.pasiuk@cbc.ca.