Ontario's enhanced ID cards will be 'privacy nightmare': critics
Last Updated: Monday, October 20, 2008 | 2:50 PM ET
The Canadian Press
A coalition of privacy, consumer and civil liberties groups says Ontario should cancel plans to develop enhanced photo identification cards as an alternative to a passport for travel to the United States.
The high-tech cards and driver's licences are a waste of money and a potential privacy nightmare, the group says.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the cards would lay the groundwork for a new identity regime whose effects are not yet known.
The association was raising its concerns Monday before a committee that is considering legislation to allow the province to develop and offer the cards.
Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley introduced the legislation in June, saying the move will reduce congestion at the border as the U.S. steps up security.
Starting next June, all travellers to the U.S. will have to present either a passport or an acceptable alternative. Previously, a regular driver's licence together with a birth certificate were accepted at land borders.
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