Government Services
December 11, 2006

The following statement was issued by the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Government Services. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Minister Presents First Driver's Licence at Mount Pearl Location

I rise today to announce that the roll-out of new and more secure drivers� licences and photo identification cards has begun. The first cards were issued last Monday, December 4 at our office in Harbour Grace. Mr. Harry Lilly of Heart�s Delight was the very first person in our province to receive one of these cards - a new photo identification card.

This morning, I had the honour of presenting the first driver�s licence issued at our Mount Pearl location to Susan Brown of St. John�s.

We are very proud to partner with our colleagues in the other Atlantic Provinces in providing these new licences. Although all of us are responsible for our own jurisdictions, we have worked together through a joint Request for Proposals to offer a new licence and photo id with enhanced security features and a similar format. Through this cooperative approach, we have been able to provide better security for the same or slightly lower cost than we previously paid.

For example, the new design includes security patterns on the front of the card which are visible only under ultraviolet light. There are one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcodes, micro-printing and a �ghost� portrait. The laminate coating on the card contains an optical image that increases the card�s durability, security and tamper resistance. These patterns shift in colour as the card is tilted. With these new security features, the new licences are extremely difficult to alter or counterfeit without detection.

The new design includes a 19th birthday indicator for young drivers followed by the date the cardholder will turn 19 in bold yellow text. This text is positioned vertically next to the portrait. The new design also includes our new provincial brand.

The roll-out is over a five-year period and residents will receive a new driver�s licence upon renewal. That means that people do not need to replace their driver�s licence until the expiry date noted on them.

I am also the minister responsible for consumer affairs and, from that perspective, I am confident that the new driver�s licence will help prevent identity theft. I am very pleased that we are able to offer this improved service to our customers and I would like to thank the staff at the Motor Registration Division for all their hard work on this initiative.

We will continue with the roll-out of the new drivers� licences this week. In addition to our Mount Pearl office, residents in Grand Falls-Windsor and Labrador City will receive these new drivers� licences tomorrow. On Wednesday, our office in Corner Brook will start issuing them and then on Thursday our office in Clarenville will as well.

Photo #1:Cashier Terry Parsons hands Mr. Harry Lilly his new ID card, the first issued in the province

Photo #2: Minister Dianne Whalen presents Ms. Susan Brown of St. John's with the first driver's licence issued at the Mount Pearl location

Minister Announces Roll-Out of New Drivers� Licences and Photo Identification Cards

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2006 12 11                                                       2:05 p.m.
 


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