MARKHAM, Ont - Ontario says it's designing a new high-tech driver's licence to combat identity theft that could potentially be used an alternative to a passport.
But Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield says the new licences will not contain all the new security features right away.
Although the government plans to have the first licences produced by the end of the year, they will not come embedded with citizenship data or other information that could be used by American officials as a travel document to cross the border.
Cansfield says that additional data could be added at a later date, but the government has not yet decided to go that route.
The new card's security features will include a fine-line background, 2-D bar code, micro and rainbow printing, a secondary photo, signature images and ultraviolet features.
Cansfield says the technology behind today's licences is about 10 years old so an update is needed.
She said she's optimistic American officials will warm to the idea that a travel document other than a passport could be acceptable at border crossings.
"If in the future there is an opportunity to use this as part of citizenship identification then we will have those discussions with both Washington and the privacy commissioner,'' she said.
"Any discussions about how the card might be used in the future vis-a-vis identifying citizenship has yet to be determined.''
Cansfield said the new licences won't cost more than the current cards and the project fits within the ministry's existing budget. The cost of obtaining a new licence or renewing one will also stay the same, she said.
It's expected to take several years for the identification to be phased in for all drivers because a licence is valid for five years. But drivers can choose to upgrade to the new card at any time before the expiry date.
The premiers of Ontario, Manitoba and New Brunswick visited Washington, D.C., last week to raise concerns about new security requirements disrupting flow at the border.
