TORONTO - There's still no firm date for when Ontario motorists will be able to use an enhanced driver's licence instead of a passport to cross into the United States.
On Monday, Quebec Premier Jean Charest unveiled that province's new driver's licences, which contain a hidden radio frequency identification chip that allows border guards to access information such as citizenship.
Only Quebec residents who are Canadian citizens can obtain the new enhanced licences, which they can use to cross the U.S. border without a passport.
Quebec's privacy watchdog approved the new licences despite initial concerns by privacy advocates about how much information would be available and who would have access to it.
Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has been promising to unveil its enhanced driver's licences sometime this spring.
A spokeswoman for the ministry says she cannot give a firmer date for the introduction of the new licences in Ontario.
Starting June 1, new American security regulations will require anyone entering the U.S. by land or sea to have a passport or an enhanced driver's licence.
British Columbia is also expected to unveil an enhanced driver's licence this spring.
