In the cards
New drivers’ licences will be more secure, cost effective
Islanders can feel more secure about their identity thanks to the changes coming to the provincial drivers’ licences over the next three years.
On Tuesday Paula Biggar, minister of Transportation for the province, announced the launch of the new drivers’ licences, which will be more cost effective in their production.
“The fees for a licence will not change. However, the new licences will reduce the cost to produce them by being made in a secure site off Island. This will cost us about $300,000 over the next five years,” said Biggar.
The new security features are expected to increase protection for Islanders from fraud. Starting in November, cards will not be produced upon request at Access P.E.I. Instead they will be produced by a centralized system off site. However, Islanders will still need to register for a new licence at Access P.E.I. but will not be able to pick it up in the same time. Instead they will receive their licence within 14 days via mail.
“While Islanders wait for the new card to arrive, they will be able to use the receipt given when they renew their licence
as a temporary licence good for 30 days. They can also use their existing card, if they have one, in the meantime,” said Biggar. Graham Miner, the province’s director of Highway Safety, added, “The delay in issuance allows for proper checks to be performed to assure the province that the individual applying for the new licence is who they claim to be and not an imposter trying to claim another’s identity.”
A similar process is already in place for Canadian passports, credit cards and other important documentation.
All four Atlantic provinces unveiled
their new licences in conjunction with announcing the partnership in the initiative.
“It will mean cost savings for all provinces and consistency for law enforcement, airport authorities and Islanders as they travel across the region. Our new system will not only enhance security and fraud protection, but ensure personal information is housed in the most secure of production facilities,” said Biggar.
P.E.I. produces 50,000 identification cards and licences annually. Last July, a tender was awarded to Gemalto, the company that produces Quebec’s drivers’ licences, as well as drivers’ licences in nine U.S. districts.
For the past 10 years, the Atlantic provinces have used software and equipment jointly procured from a third party company. That contract expires this year.
These new cards have a formatting system in how the card is built and will meet the standards of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators.
The cards will have laser engraving with visible effects produced by a combination of irreversible changes to the data page material, several layers of marking during the engraving process and chemical interaction between the laser beam and data page material.
There will be multiple secure printed patterns on the cards as well as optically variable ink similar to that in currency, two barcodes and rainbow printing feature that allows one colour to change to another before transitioning back to the original. Law enforcement agencies across the Island will also be trained on the new details of the card, said Miner.
“They can expect training in the coming weeks on the new licences and the security features.”