Winnipeg — Manitoba drivers will not have to provide biometric information such as fingerprints for new drivers' licences being developed by the provincial government.
While the idea smacked of Big Brother to some, it was a big price tag that killed it in the end.
"We think that there might be more economical ways of looking at improving security features within the drivers' licence," explained Marlene Zyluk, the province's registrar of motor vehicles. "You need to weigh how effective it is in light of other security features that might not be as costly."
The NDP government asked businesses last September to provide information on using technology to enhance its drivers licence system, with biometrics specifically mentioned as an area to explore.
There were more than a dozen responses, according to Ms. Zyluk, but she declined to reveal the projected cost of including biometrics — a field of measurements of the human body that range from fingerprints to retinal scans.
Civil liberties organizations are glad the idea is off the table, but remain worried it may be revived if the technology becomes less expensive.
"We understand everyone's concern with security, but we do become worried when we see government trying to routinely maintain more and more data on its citizens," said Valerie Price, executive director of The Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties.
Two years ago, the Ontario government looked at using biometric data on so-called smart cards that would replace drivers' licences and other government documents.
But the province backed away from the plan over privacy concerns.
"It starts to sound a little like a police state," said Ms. Price, who also wonders where fingerprints and other biometric data might be stored.
"There are concerns about identity theft. If you're going to [store the data], there need to be an awful lot of safeguards in place."
The Alberta government is expected to move this spring to incorporate facial recognition software into its drivers' licence system. Detailed information about the facial features of motorists will be kept in a central data bank.
The federal government will likely put more personal data on file as well. The U.S. has said it wants all Canadian passports to contain biometric information.
But the Manitoba government is searching for simpler ways to protect drivers' licences from tampering or forgery. Among the ideas on the table is the use of hard-to-see visual details similar to anti-counterfeit measures used in money.
"There can be overt and what they call covert features that are embedded in the card, " said Ms. Zyluk.
"No decisions yet have been made ... but we do want to see if we can make some improvements in the security of the card."
The government hopes to make a decision on a course of action this spring, she said.
