Manitoba moves to address park pass, licence data collection concerns: minister

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/06/2023 (1143 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Manitobans bask at provincial park beaches and fish the lakes and waterways this long weekend, they can rest assured the private information they provided online to an American firm in order to do so is safely stored in Canada.

That assurance Thursday from Natural Resources Minister Greg Nesbitt follows a Manitoba Ombudsman report critical of the collection of identifying information — such as passport and health card numbers — to create accounts that allow the purchase of annual park passes and hunting and fishing licences as part of the e-licensing system announced in 2020.

The 28-page report, dated March 31, appeared on the ombudsman’s website last week.

It said the province’s e-licensing system contravened the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Personal Health Information Act by collecting more personal and personal health information than is reasonably necessary in the first step of the process — the creation of a customer account.

“The intention isn’t to infringe on people’s privacy,” Nesbitt said in an interview Thursday.

The intent of the online system was to reduce the department’s carbon footprint, improve delivery of service, and simplify the licence purchase process, making it available to buy online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and allowing for it to be reprinted by the purchaser (who creates an online account using a driver’s licence or passport or health card number) if that ID was lost or damaged.

“I think the majority of Manitobans like going online and being able to purchase their pass (or licence),” said Nesbitt.

Prior to the e-licensing system, Manitoba recreational outdoor licences and permits were available for in-person purchase at various outlets, while vehicle park permits were available at park entrances.

Any personal information that may have been collected depended on the specific licence or permit being acquired, the ombudsman report said.

Name, address, date of birth and confirmation of a hunter education certificate was collected in the case of a hunting licence purchase, for instance. No personal information was collected from individuals purchasing park vehicle permits.

When Manitoba contracted with Texas-based RA Outdoors to modernize the department’s licensing system and serve as its information manager, the deal included obligations to protect user data, it said.

When the e-licensing system launched in 2020, members of the public complained to the ombudsman about the collection of personal and personal health information.

“We certainly take privacy concerns very seriously,” said Nesbitt, who was appointed to cabinet in June 2022. “We were quick to jump on these concerns, even prior to the ombudsman’s report.”

The March report made five recommendations and most of them have been acted upon, said Nesbitt.

“We removed the option to provide a health card as identification,” he said, noting some identifying information is required when issuing hunting licences, for instance. “We do need information on people.”

Another recommendation was addressed ahead of the report coming out, Nesbitt said: the province updated its privacy statement to clarify Manitoba owns and controls the data collected through the e-licensing system.

“The data is stored in Canada and is not sold to any third parties.”

The province still has some work to do on privacy assessments in other parts of the system, the MLA for Riding Mountain admitted.

He made no apologies for contracting with the American e-licensing service, noting there was no Canadian company at the time available to do the work.

Nesbitt said he expects a request for proposal will be issued next year ahead of RA Outdoors’ contract expiring in March 2025.

“Things have likely changed since this (first) contract was issued,” the minister said. “Our new parks reservation service is now being done by a Canadian company, and went over really well this spring.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Manitoba Ombudsman - Manitoba Conservation and Climate personal information collection report