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March 16, 2009

Quebec launches enhanced license

Should ease border crossing; complies with new regulations

BY DAN HEATH

SAINT-BERNARD-DE-LACOLLE — The Province of Quebec has rolled out its version of the Enhanced Driver License.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest proudly showed his new license, which features the number 00001, as it is the first one issued in Quebec.

"This new Driver License will allow people to have the flexibility they need to move back and forth across the border," Charest said.

The Quebec Enhanced Driver License will cost an additional $40. It has been deemed acceptable by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for entry into the United States under the provisions of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, slated to take effect June 1.

It is especially useful for those who live along the border and cross back and forth frequently and sometimes spontaneously. He said most people don't carry a passport with them every day, but they do carry a driver's license.

Families also benefit. For a family of five, passports could cost about $500. The two adults can instead use an Enhanced Driver License, and children under 16 can travel with a birth certificate, Charest said.

Alternative documents include a passport, passport card, Nexus card or FAST card.

The Quebec Enhanced Driver License has both a scannable bar code and an embedded electronic chip. The chip transmits a number that gives border agents access to data about the license holder, but for security reasons, does not contain the personal data itself.

The state of New York unveiled its own Enhanced Driver License program last year and began accepting applications last fall.

Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said a passport will actually be the slowest document for establishing citizenship and identity under the WHTI provisions, because it will need to be presented to border personnel for processing. That information will already be on screen when an Enhanced Driver License is used.

Charest said Quebec is the first province in Canada to create a driver's license that meets WHTI requirements. A pilot program is under way in British Columbia, and the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are working together to develop an Enhanced Driver License program.

"We're quite proud to have accomplished this in such a rapid amount of time," he said.

Charest announced the availability at a press conference Monday afternoon outside the Canada Border Services Office at the Champlain-Lacolle border crossing.

Charest said the Quebec government wants to do everything it can to help facilitate its citizens ability to enter the United States. Canada and the United States engage in $1.6 billion in trade every day, he said, and the United States is Quebec's largest trading partner, receiving 75 percent of the province's exports.

A secure yet accessible border is essential even more in these troubled economic times, Charest said. Whether business or social travel, he said, it is essential that crossing is made as easy as possible.

"Hopefully, this will encourage people to visit even more."

Consul General of the United States in Montreal Lee McClenny said the Enhanced Driver License is a pragmatic alternative to security issues at the border.

Quebec Minister of International Relations Pierre Arcand said the Enhanced Driver License meets security needs while maintaining a fluid and open border.

"Mr. McCLenny, we will continue to make Quebec, Canada and the United States a safer place for all," he said.

E-mail Dan Heath at: dheath@pressrepublican.com

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