There is now a stop-gap fix to a problem caused by Ontario’s new gender-neutral health cards and drivers’ licenses.
The province announced in June that starting next year, people will have the option of selecting X on their driver’s license and health card instead of M for male or F for female.
However, that creates a problem for people who don’t have a driver’s license; they won’t be able to use the new health cards to apply for a passport.
Health Minister Doctor Eric Hoskins says the province has come up with a temporary fix. He says while ServiceOntario – which administers the health card program — negotiates with Ottawa for a permanent solution, ServiceOntario can issue receipts that contain all the identifying information needed for a passport application.