Ontario To Launch a Digital Wallet Due to Coronavirus Disruption

Ontario, the second largest province in Canada, is working on a digital wallet under the Ontario Onward: Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for a People-Focused Government initiative. It is one of the 30 projects set for implementation as part of reforms that will see Ontarians access most services online. 

Specifically, the wallet will enable citizens to store identifying certificates like driving licenses, according to Peter Bethlenfalvy, the President of the Treasury Board, Toronto Sun reported on Oct 19. 

Ontario Plans for a Digital Wallet

Through the digital wallet, residents can easily and securely store their documents and access services without compromising their privacy. The service will be available in 2021. However, whether the wallet will be blockchain-based remains unknown for now.

The initiative will ultimately help government deliver better services to its people considering the disruption of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Statistics show that there are over 204,000 cases and over 9,700 deaths in Canada. 

Because of the changes forced by the zoonotic virus, businesses have had to adapt and use new strategies to stay afloat.

Given the prevailing circumstances, Ontario is now acting, rolling out projects that meet the needs of the people with “unprecedented speed and convenience.”

Plans are underway to digitize and avail online 70 percent of government services the residents of Ontario frequently use.

Peter Bethlenfalvy, commenting, said:

“Our government is seizing this moment to deliver government programs and services which meet the public’s needs with unprecedented speed and convenience. Building on what we’ve learned from the pandemic, this action plan includes more than 30 initial projects that will bring major change to government both in what it does and how it does it.”

Support for Blockchain in Ontario

Early this year, Victor Fedeli, the province’s Minister of Finance, said he supports blockchain technology and its ability to expand business opportunities in Ontario.

He said the legislature should explore ways through which residents can directly benefit from the data economy while protecting their privacy.

The BTCManager reported that the Bank of Canada (BoC) CBDC will be accessible, efficient, affordable, and resilient according to comments from some of the central bank’s analysts. Overly, the CBDC, if rolled out, will meet the needs of its people.