'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada's border agency has an "urgent need" to hire a global technology firm to help develop a biometric strategy in response to rapidly evolving issues including COVID-19.
The Canada Border Services Agency issued a notice of procurement Monday inviting 15 firms to submit proposals for immediately setting up an Office of Biometrics and Identity Management.
The agency also wants a strategy and road map for digital solutions using biometric-related technologies to address issues flowing from the pandemic and other priorities.
Biometric information -- a unique identifier such as an iris scan or a fingerprint record -- is considered useful in managing the passage of people across borders, though it also poses privacy risks.
The chosen contractor would help the border agency develop a plan to "manage, evolve and adapt" the use of biometrics while considering its relationship with other federal departments and international partners.
The border agency provided no answers Monday to questions about the plans.
In its latest annual planning document, the agency said it would explore measures to standardize the collection of biometric information on potentially inadmissible travellers to strengthen controls.
It also plans to look at options for greater use of technology that relies on voice recognition and geolocation to confirm the identity and location of people required to report to the agency.
In the United States, the Office of Biometric Identity Management helps match, store, share, and analyze records as part of the biometric services it provides to the Department of Homeland Security and its partners.
It is encouraging to see Canada's border agency is establishing a proactive and systematic approach to the adoption of more biometrics at the border in the form of a new office, said Tamir Israel of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, based at the University of Ottawa's law faculty.
"But I am deeply concerned at the substantial increase in biometric use that this procurement document implies. Biometric recognition and identity can be highly intrusive, and we have seen significant pressure to adopt facial recognition technologies in particular at border crossings," he said.
"The experience from other jurisdictions has been that, once in place, reliance on these technologies tends to expand rapidly beyond its initial objectives and frequently facial recognition technologies are repurposed for use beyond the border."
Canada's privacy commissioners recently said respect for laws and principles governing personal information must guide introduction of digital or paper proof-of-vaccination certificates that could smooth the transition to post-pandemic life.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2021.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.