By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
A few years ago, serving on the Social Policy Committee at Queen’s Park, I scrutinized a labour bill with early references to artificial intelligence. I remember feeling concern. AI was already weaving its way into legislation, yet as policymakers, we were only beginning to understand its scope and implications. So, I researched AI, trying to grasp not just the technology itself, but what it could mean for workers, privacy, and fairness.
This past week, that concern resurfaced during a conversation with a constituent worried about Ontario’s direction using emerging technologies. It brought me back to that committee room — to the responsibility we carry when legislating/regulating innovation. Technology can create opportunity and efficiency, but without oversight and safeguards, it can unintentionally entrench bias and erode protections.
Legislators must ensure innovation never outpaces accountability. Human rights cannot be an afterthought in the digital age; they must be foundational. In an ever-changing world where services, information, and even basic interactions are increasingly delivered through screens, I’m concerned for those who might be left behind.
While technology might be looked at as efficient, it does create barriers for people who rely on human interaction to navigate daily life.
I’ve seen restaurant menus appearing only as QR codes, assuming every person has a smartphone and the comfort to use it. Nearly every institution we transact with has pushed us toward a paperless world. What began as a convenient option has, over time, quietly become the only option. Bank statements, utility bills, appointment reminders all done over the computer.
I find keeping pace difficult, so what about the person who doesn’t own a phone or a computer? What about seniors, low-income people, or those who need or want the reassurance of speaking to another person?
Paper once served as a simple, reliable reminder. It meant we didn’t have to remember passwords or navigate online portals to go about daily life. A statement on the kitchen table was a physical reminder that something needed our attention. Today, with multiple email accounts and dozens, sometimes hundreds, of messages dumping into our inboxes daily, important information can easily get lost in the shuffle. A tangible prompt has been replaced by a digital stream where critical actions can be overlooked or buried in the electronic ether or sent to a junk folder without our knowledge.
Air travel was once a fairly intuitive process where you walked in, approached a counter, and spoke to a human who guided you to your seat. Today, much of that human interaction has been replaced by kiosks, apps, barcodes, and digital boarding passes. For frequent flyers, this may feel routine but for others the process is overwhelming.
In my office, we see the consequences of this “digital first” shift. For example, Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients are forced to use centralized call centres or online messaging rather than their local case manager. We are receiving calls from clients who are justifiably frustrated and feel it unfair to demand people on limited incomes pay for technology just to access the basic services they need.
I watch this rush toward technology with a bit of admiration but much concern. Our young people are driving innovation forward; however, in moving full speed ahead, I worry we are leaving behind the wisdom of age and experience of those who, ironically, paved the way for the systems we now take for granted. I believe progress must respect the bright techno minds of the day but should never result in exclusion, and efficiency should not mean we erase human connection.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk