Question Period Note: Exposure Notification Mobile App

• Why did the Government of Canada develop and implement an exposure notification app?

• The COVID Alert app is part of a suite of tools and guidance developed by the Government of Canada to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

• Since its launch, more than 5,5 million Canadians have downloaded the app and more that 6,900 users who tested positive for COVID-19 have notified others of a possible exposure.

• The app uses strong measures to protect the privacy and confidentiality of any data it collects.

• We encourage Canadians to use this app, as it will keep our friends, neighbours, and communities safe.

On June 18, 2020, the Prime Minister announced a national exposure notification app. On July 31, 2020, the Prime Minister of Canada announced that the app, called COVID Alert, is available for download by all Canadians.

The app, originally developed by the Government of Ontario, will help Canadians and public health officials identify and isolate the spread of the virus more quickly. Use of the app will be voluntary. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, a health care provider will give them a one-time key they can enter into the app. Other users who have downloaded the app and come in close contact with that person will then be notified, through the app, that they may have been exposed to the virus. The app will provide users with information on steps they can take to keep themselves and others safe. Health Canada is working with the provinces and territories so they can customize public health information based on their jurisdictions context.

It builds upon an exposure notification solution developed by Shopify volunteers in coordination with the non-profit Linux Foundation Public Health. It is also the work of a team of developers from across the country. The app underwent a security review by BlackBerry and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. It incorporates Bluetooth technology provided by Apple and Google to log instances where users have come into close contact without collecting personally identifiable information or tracking a user location. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been engaged on the app and the Commissioner has indicated they support the use of the app by Canadians.

Ontario began providing the one-time keys on July 31, 2020 followed by Newfoundland and Labrador on September 3, 2020, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan on September 18, 2020, Manitoba on October 1, 2020, Quebec on October 5, 2020, Prince Edward Island on October 8, 2020, Nova Scotia on October 15, 2020, and the Northwest Territories on November 26, 2020. Health Canada is working with the other provinces and territories to have COVID Alert implemented in all jurisdictions.

SYNOPSIS

On July 31, 2020, the Prime Minister announced that COVID Alert, a voluntary national exposure notification app, is available for download. The app uses Bluetooth and mobile technology to notify users that they have been in close contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19.

COVID Alert is a collaboration between Health Canada, the Canadian Digital Service, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and the Ontario Digital Service. It builds upon an exposure notification solution developed by Shopify volunteers in coordination with the non-profit Linux Foundation Public Health. It is also the work of a team of developers from across the country.

While the app is national in scope, provincial and territorial health authorities are responsible for providing the one-time keys to users who test positive for COVID-19. The one-time keys can then be entered into the app to notify users of a possible exposure. Eight provinces have onboarded and are able to issue one-time keys:
• Ontario on July 31, 2020
• Newfoundland and Labrador on September 3, 2020
• Saskatchewan and New Brunswick on September 28, 2020
• Manitoba on October 1, 2020
• Quebec on October 5, 2020
• Prince Edward Island on October 8, 2020
• Nova Scotia on October 15, 2020
• Northwest Territories on November 26, 2020

Health Canada is working with the other provinces and territories to have COVID Alert implemented in all jurisdictions.
IF PRESSED ON APPROACH CHOSEN

• A national approach supports cross-border towns and interprovincial travel.

• The approach chosen was an exposure notification app as opposed to contact tracing as it allows for users to be notified of a possible exposure without using personally identifiable data or location tracking.

• The decision to develop the app using Apple and Google’s Exposure Notification Framework was based on international experiences and advice from IT and security and privacy experts.

• Several other countries that used different frameworks have run into technical (e.g., battery drain), security and privacy issues.
IF PRESSED ON UPTAKE

• Evidence has shown that exposure notification apps can have a positive impact at all levels of uptake.

• The more people who use the app, the more effective it will be.

• As Canadians begin to move more freely across Canada, we are confident they will see the value in this app in helping them to modify their behaviour and limit the spread of COVID-19.

• We are continuing to implement a robust public awareness campaign with the goal of increasing the number of downloads.
IF PRESSED ON PRIVACY

• The protection of Canadians’ privacy is a priority for the Government of Canada.

• The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada continues to be engaged on COVID Alert, and supports its use by Canadians.

• The app uses Bluetooth technology, does not record users’ locations and does not collect identifiable information.

• The app has undergone a thorough privacy assessment, and all data provided to the app will be securely stored and protected.
IF PRESSED ON WHEN THE APP WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ALL JURISDICTIONS

• COVID Alert is available for download to all Canadians.

• We are pleased to report that we have eight provinces and one territory onboard COVID Alert including Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories.

• The government is working with the remaining provinces and territories to have COVID Alert implemented in all jurisdictions so that all Canadians can benefit from the exposure notification app.
IF PRESSED ON B.C. DECISION NOT TO ONBOARD AT THIS TIME

• B.C. is requesting functionality changes to COVID Alert that could have privacy implications.

• While we are continuing our discussions with British Columbia to implement COVID Alert, the privacy of the app will remain a high priority.

• The Government of Canada’s approach is to proceed with an exposure notification app rather than a contact tracing app. Contact tracing involves using phone numbers, addresses and known locations to track down individuals who were in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

• The app is designed to complement manual contact tracing by provincial and territorial public health authorities, which will continue to be an important part of Canada’s COVID-19 response.
IF PRESSED ON ALBERTA’s DECISION NOT TO ONBOARD AT THIS TIME

• We are aware of Alberta’s decision not to onboard to COVID Alert app, we will continue our conversation with Alberta.

• COVID Alert is one tool among a suite of tools and guidance offered by the Government of Canada to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

• COVID Alert is an exposure notification app, not a contact tracing app. The app is be designed to complement manual contact tracing, which is an important part of Canada’s COVID-19 response.

• COVID Alert app would help Albertans, who test positive for COVID-19, to automatically notify other users that would have been in close contact with them.

• It is still helpful for Albertans to download the bilingual COVID Alert. By downloading the app, Albertans will still be notified if they come into contact with someone from a reporting province or territory.

• COVID Alert is continually re-assessed and updated as it rolls out across the country based on public health guidance, provincial needs, user research, testing and updates to the underlying framework by Apple and Google.
IF PRESSED ON NOTIFICATION EXPOSURE WINDOW

• As of Oct 30, COVID Alert was updated to more closely align with current public health guidance on manual contact tracing.

• The app will now ask users who have tested positive for COVID-19 to provide the date of their symptom onset or their testing date to provide a better estimation of the period when they may have been most infectious to others.

• This means that the app will notify other app users who were in close contact with the case while they were most likely to be most infectious.

• The new features - to report testing date or symptom onset date -are optional and not required to use the app.

• COVID Alert is continually re-assessed and updated as it rolls out across the country based on public health guidance, provincial needs and participation, user research, analysis and updates to the underlying framework by Apple and Google.
IF PRESSED ON COST

• The Government of Canada has benefited from the volunteer efforts of Shopify, which has developed the code at its own cost, and from Blackberry, which is reviewing the security of the source code on a pro bono basis.

• The bulk of the cost of this app will be to work with provinces and territories to support the integration of the app within their existing systems, and to set up the necessary systems, such as technical support, so that Canadians can use the app with confidence.

• This will be a very important tool to support Canadians as we continue restart the economy and manage increased case counts.
IF PRESSED ON EQUITY/AVAILABILITY FOR CANADIANS WITHOUT SMARTPHONES OR OLDER SMARTPHONES

• COVID Alert uses the Exposure Notification Framework (ENF) developed by Apple and Google, which requires the phone to be running Android 6.0 or later, or iOS 13.5 or later.

• With existing specifications, the app can help protect those who don’t have a smartphone or who own older technology. For example, if a user receives a notification, they may decide not to visit a friend or relative.

• This means that friend or relative will be protected from potential exposure, even if they do not have the app.