Thread: Ontario introduces new Enhanced Driver's License that can be

Ontario introduces new Enhanced Driver's License that can be used at the US border

Local News Tue, 2008-11-25 10:47
By Ken Johnston
Editor

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the international boundary between Canada and the United States has been under increased pressure to tighten up security in an effort to prevent would be terrorists from crossing into either country.

While it has been delayed several times, it appears that next June (2009) all Canadians and Americans will be required to carry either a Passport or another form of approved identification to enter the United States.

The passport has been the most widely touted form of I.D. to be carried by citizens and many people have already applied for and now carry one.
However, last week another possibility for Canadians who reside in Ontario was announced. The provincial government passed legislation to produce and Enhanced Driver’s License that meets the requirements of an alternate form of I.D. as laid out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in it's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

While the bill easily passed the provincial legislature, members of the New Democratic Party voted against it. A spokes person for Kenora-Rainy River Member of Provincial Parliament, Howard Hampton, Marion Nader said, “We have expressed serious concern about the way the Bill gives broad powers to the Ministry of Transportation to share information with other organizations. We are also concerned that the Bill does not do a good job protecting people from the possibility of identity theft resulting from the unauthorized use of card readers.

The new Ontario Enhanced Driver’s License will not replace the current license. It will only be voluntary. However, anyone wishing to get one once they are available will be able to do so. The concerns the NDP have voiced over the illegal card reader use stems from the fact that the license will have a Radio Frequency I.D. tag or chip in it. It will broadcast a person’s personal information to a compatible scanner such as the ones used at U.S. border crossings.

The concern raised by the NDP and other groups is that the chip broadcasts 24/7 and that puts a person’s information at risk of being stolen unknowingly.

Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said that the public need not be concerned. He said they have listened to concerns from the public and privacy advocates and notes that the only info broadcast will be identifying numbers rather than profiles and it will only be accessible by the proper authorities.

It has been suggested that a sleeve to cover the card may be issued with them to prevent illegal scanning of them however other advocates have called for the cards to have a sort of on off switch so they are not broadcasting all the time.

There is no word at this time when exactly the new Enhanced Driver’s Licenses will be available to the public and whether they will cost more than the existing driver’s license. At present the five year renewal of an Ontario driver’s license is comparable in cost to the Canadian Passport.

There is also no word as to whether the new EDL will be available as readily as the current licenses are throughout many communities in the province, including Rainy River.
Other acceptable forms of I.D. at the border include the NEXUS card and the FAST card. British Columbia and several U.S. states are working on similar types of EDL’s

http://www.rainyriverrecord.com/node/5424

OOpppsss.....already copied and false ones available.

This might be alright as long as they don't let Mexico make licenses that will let people enter the U.S.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

This might be alright as long as they don't let Mexico make licenses that will let people enter the U.S.

The Real ID has the same standards and it is the same standard being pushed world wide. This is a slippery slope