Alberta Launches Digital Wallet for Health Cards, Government Documents

Alberta has launched the Alberta Wallet, a new digital platform that allows residents to securely store and present government-issued documents, starting with the Mobile Health Card, on mobile devices. The initiative, unveiled by Premier Danielle Smith, aims to replace the province's long-standing paper health cards, which are prone to damage and limited in functionality, with a more durable digital and upcoming plastic card that will combine health and driver’s license credentials. Participation in the Alberta Wallet is voluntary, with users maintaining full control over their personal information protected by advanced encryption, although critics express concerns over potential privacy risks and the long-term voluntariness of digital ID systems. The government plans to expand the wallet to include additional documents like birth and marriage certificates and educational credentials and integrate it with platforms like Apple and Google Wallets. This move positions Alberta as the first Canadian province to offer a government-backed digital wallet, aligning with global trends toward digitized identity systems while emphasizing modernization and user privacy. Despite some skepticism, Alberta continues to build on its existing digital identity infrastructure, with 1.8 million residents already holding verified Alberta.ca accounts.