Alberta poised to share driver’s licence data with StatCan after 5-year delay
The government of Alberta appears set to share its driver’s licence data with Statistics Canada after a five-year delay and three requests from the national statistics agency.
StatCan has been seeking the data for census purposes since 2016, according to a September 2020 briefing note to Anil Arora, the chief statistician of Canada.
The document was obtained by CTV News through an access to information request and describes how prior requests to two Alberta governments went nowhere.
“Statistics Canada attempted to engage numerous officials, ministers, and deputy ministers, with no success,” it reads.
“Multiple administrative and legal delays within the Government of Alberta, including a change in government and changes to departmental structures and personnel, prevented the fulfilment of this request.”
The note includes a renewed appeal to Alberta for the data that was later acknowledged.
A StatCan spokesperson told CTV News “we are well on our way to a successful agreement for Alberta to provide driver’s licence data.”
Service Alberta, the ministry that manages the province’s licence registration program, cited administrative changes for the delay and said it’s working to ensure privacy rules are followed.
“The motor vehicles system required to obtain it was undergoing a necessary update and so we were unable to gather the requested information,” reads a statement from Service Alberta.
“As that system update is now complete and Statistics Canada has again requested the information, we are working together on an agreement.”
The information sought by StatCan is found on Alberta licences but excludes individual biometric data such as height, weight, hair colour and eye colour:
- Licence number
- Full name
- Sex and/or gender
- Date of birth
- Residential, civic or service address
- Mailing address
- Phone number
- Issue date
- Expiry date
An additional seven variables StatCan is requesting from driver’s license files were redacted from the document.
The agency wants the driver's licence numbers to augment its usual data collection process which was impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Driver’s licence files will improve the efficiency of census collection … by providing a more recent and more accurate residential address for highly mobile populations, reduce the response burden for citizens and businesses, and improve the availability of small-area data.”
The note outlines how the request was formally made in 2016 and 2017 and that StatCan officials attempted to “engage various officials in the government of Alberta” through 2019.
It cites how the information “has been supplied by other provinces for many years.”
Among all provinces and territories, only Quebec does not share its driver’s licence data with StatCan, according to the agency.
It says information on response rates to the latest census will be provided later this month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A man was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.