Saskatchewan motorists who plan to travel to the United States are being advised to use a passport at the border after the provincial government halted a plan to offer an 'Enhanced Driver's Licence" (EDL) on Monday.

Starting in June, Canadians travelling to the U.S. will need to show authorities some form of secure document confirming their identity.

Saskatchewan's EDL program was being developed to meet that need. However, the province's privacy watchdog observed that the proposed cards raised questions about protecting people against identity theft.

'It takes some courage to kill the bill'—Gary Dickson, privacy commissioner for Saskatchewan

On Monday, the government issued a news release to say it was abandoning the so-called smart-cards.

The release cited concerns "over cost, public interest and changing card requirements," as factors for not going ahead. Barely a month ago, the government had introduced legislation to support the cards. At that time, Gary Dickson, Saskatchewan's privacy commissioner, said the plan needed closer study.

On Monday, Dickson praised the move to scrap the plan.

"I think that it, frankly, makes better economic sense to simply have Saskatchewan residents buying Canadian passports and carrying passports," Dickson told CBC News on Monday. "It means that we don't then have the additional privacy risks that are associated with the enhanced driver's licence program."

The government estimated that each card would cost between $50 and $80 to produce.

Ken Cheveldayof, the minister responsible for the agency that oversees the provincial driver's licence program, said he was concerned with "start-up costs and costs going forward for many years."

Cheveldayoff said the government had spent about $600,000 developing the cards. An official with Saskatchewan Government Insurance, the agency that issues driving licences and which had been working on the EDL, said it might be possible to trim the expense by $100,000 if some leased costs are recouped or redirected.

Dickson said he was impressed that the government withdrew the scheme.

"You know once a bill's been introduced in the assembly, there's a lot of momentum behind something like that," Dickson said. "I think it takes some courage to kill the bill when it's recognized there are all kinds of problems with it."

The special licences are being developed in other provinces, including British Columbia and are expected to be rolled out soon in Ontario and Manitoba.