Ontario refuses to release update on digital ID plans

Cabinet discussing the issue for more than two years, it says

The Ford government admits its digital ID program is on life support but insists that it hasn’t pulled the plug yet.

The program announced 2020 was part of a strong movement led by governments, banks, credit unions, hospitals and the payments system to develop a single, secure digital ID that residents could use throughout their daily lives confident that they were protected from fraud.

The financial services industry, mostly the big banks, has invested many millions in the system and Interac, best known for its debit and e-transfer services, has made deals with companies that provide the IT guts of the system. The industry sees digital ID as a way to reduce fraud and increase efficiency, since customers won’t need to provide their contact information over and over.

The technology works, but the political climate has changed. During COVID a small slice of the population was adamantly opposed to any government system that gathered their ID information. It became clear that their reluctance would carry over to the broader digital ID platform that was being developed.

In June the Toronto Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief Rob Benzie quoted a Conservative insider as saying, “Our base hates the…