[News] Rollout of new licence, ID requirements a headache for some senior Albertans

The rollout of Alberta’s new three-in-one driver’s licences comes with additional documentation requirements some seniors in the province may need to spend some time digging up.

Teta Engram, for example, says her 84-year-old mother was told she’d need to present a birth certificate or passport in order to fully renew her licence, which expired while she was recovering from a stroke. She did not have a passport.

“She basically tore her house apart looking for these documents,” Engram told CTV News Edmonton.

When she did produce her birth certificate, she realized it only had her maiden name — so she also had to dig up her marriage certificate from 1961.

“I think it’s rather discriminatory in that context. It was very common for women to change their names when she got married in the 1960s, and there will be a lot of women her age going to do this who don’t have a passport,” she said.

At the end of June, Ralf Luthe drove from Kamloops, B.C., to help his 96-year-old mother Helga, an immigrant who moved from Germany in the 1960s, renew her Alberta ID card. Without it, she’s not eligible for her German pension.

Helga had her original citizenship documents from 1964 and managed to travel from her care facility in Edmonton to a registry. There, she was able to skip the line due to her health and mobility issues, but was told her documents may not be approved.

Luthe says she also required a note from her doctor and care facility to prove her residency and mobility issues, but the care facility wasn’t aware of what type of documentation she needed.

“It’s fortunate for Helga that she’s got a family that is willing to make this work for her, even though we haven’t yet been successful,” Luthe said. “But if you’re a senior and you need this and you don’t have anybody who can help, you’re hooped.”

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