A KinTag is a small tap-enabled NFC emergency-contact tag from Next to Kin (nexttokin.ca). When someone taps it with a smartphone, it opens a simple contact page with the information you choose to share. No app for the helper, no battery, no GPS tracking, no subscription.

How is a KinTag different from Road ID?

Road ID is a medical ID many people already know — typically engraved or printed so a helper can read it on the spot. A KinTag is a different tool: a tap-enabled NFC tag that opens a contact page on a phone. Some families use both. A KinTag does not replace medical ID or 911.

Does a KinTag track location?

No. A KinTag has no GPS and no live location tracking. It only does anything when someone taps it with a phone — it cannot be used to follow or locate a person remotely.

Has Next to Kin / KinTag been covered by news media?

Yes. CTV News Regina (Jacob Carr, June 30 / July 1, 2026), CBC Radio’s The Morning Edition (“Next to Kin helps those who may wander,” February 18, about 7:24), The Evan Bray Show (February 18–19, 2026), and A Better Life with Jenn Dean (“The Messy Human Parts of Life,” May 22–23, 2026) have all covered Next to Kin. Links are in In the news on this page.

Has KinTag been mentioned by local authorities?

KinTag was named in Regina Police Service public safety guidance for Canada Day 2026 (June 30, 2026) — not as a formal endorsement, but as a recommended option for families at the Wascana Park event. The release asked families to consider getting a Next to Kin tag for a child or family member, and described it as a tap-enabled tag scanned with a smartphone to display guardian contact information.

Children who may get separated, people living with dementia or memory loss, people who are non-speaking or otherwise may not be able to explain who to call, and anyone a family wants a stranger to be able to reach. KinTags are also used on backpacks, keychains, and everyday items.

Press & official mentionsGet a KinTag

Press & official mentions

KinTag, in the record.

KinTag (by Next to Kin, nexttokin.ca) is a passive NFC emergency-contact tag — no app for the helper, no battery, no GPS tracking, no subscription — that opens who to call when tapped. Next to Kin is a Métis-owned, Saskatchewan-based project founded by Thom Hamilton in Regina.

The job is simple: if a child, a person living with dementia, or someone who is non-verbal gets separated and cannot say who to call, a stranger taps the tag with any smartphone and sees the contact the family chose. KinTag has been named in Regina Police Service public safety guidance for Canada Day at Wascana Park, and has broadcast and radio coverage from CTV News Regina, CBC Radio, The Evan Bray Show, and A Better Life with Jenn Dean. More than 10,327 KinTags have been placed at Saskatchewan events. $11.95 CAD per tag, plus $2.95 CAD shipping, ordered online — or pick one up free at participating local events.

Official mentions

Named in public guidance and mentioned by elected officials. That is not the same as a formal product endorsement. Each item below says only what the source said.

Named in Regina Police Service public safety guidance

Regina Police Service

June 30, 2026

Canada Day / Wascana Park — official NEWS RELEASE

“Consider getting a *Next to Kin tag for your child or family member when you arrive at the event.”

The same release defines the tag: “The Next to Kin Tag is a safety tool that can help reunite families when someone becomes separated in crowded settings. The tap-enabled tag can be attached to clothing or a keychain and is easily scanned with a smartphone to display parent or guardian contact information.” It also notes tags were available free of charge at the event's Lost Children's Tent.

Typeset transcript of the Regina Police Service NEWS RELEASE dated June 30, 2026, for Canada Day celebrations at Wascana Park, including the safety reminder to consider a Next to Kin tag for a child or family member. — Typeset transcript of the official Regina Police Service Canada Day NEWS RELEASE, June 30, 2026. Named in public safety guidance — not an RPS product endorsement. Full text on reginapolice.ca.

Read the release on reginapolice.ca →

MP Michael Kram

April 10

Conservative Member of Parliament for Regina—Wascana — public Facebook post

In a public Facebook post, MP Kram welcomed Thom Hamilton of nexttokin.ca and noted the tags as a way to help locate children, seniors, and persons with special needs. (Paraphrase of the public post — not a formal parliamentary endorsement.)

Thom Hamilton, founder of Next to Kin, standing with Michael Kram, Member of Parliament for Regina—Wascana, in the MP’s office. Hamilton holds a TAP FOR EMERGENCY CONTACT sign; Kram holds KinTag cards and a tag. — Thom Hamilton, founder of Next to Kin, with Michael Kram, Member of Parliament for Regina—Wascana, during an office visit. Photo from the April 10 Facebook post context.

MP Kram's Facebook page →

MLA Meara Conway

July 15

MLA for Regina Elphinstone-Centre — public Facebook post

In a public Facebook post, MLA Conway wrote about Thom Hamilton and Next to Kin: the origin story after briefly losing track of his child at a busy event; tags first made at home on a 3D printer; use for children, people living with dementia, and people who are non-verbal; the project's time in the Cultivator powered by Conexus Build program; donated tags and help for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Canadian Western Agribition, and the City of Regina; and pickup at her constituency office, Malty National, and Sherwood Greenhouse. She framed it as something simple that helps people look out for one another. (Paraphrase of the public post.)

MLA Conway's Facebook page →

In the news

CTV News ReginaJune 30 / July 1, 2026
Sask. man handing out ‘Next to Kin’ tags, which help locate lost loved ones in a crowd
By Jacob Carr
Coverage of a Regina man handing out ID tags designed to help reunite lost children and vulnerable people with their families.
CBC Radio — The Morning Edition (Saskatchewan)
Next to Kin helps those who may wander
February 18 · about 7:24
Radio segment on wandering — common for children or seniors with dementia — and how Next to Kin aims to make it easier for caregivers to keep people safe.
The Evan Bray Show (Rawlco Radio)
Helping lost and vulnerable people with one simple tap — a made in Saskatchewan solution
February 18–19, 2026
Thom Hamilton, Regina dad and founder of Next to Kin, joins the show to talk about a Regina-made safety device for first responders and caregivers reuniting people with communication challenges who wander.
A Better Life with Jenn Dean (Rawlco Radio)
The Messy Human Parts of Life
May 22–23, 2026
An episode of Jenn Dean's show — conversations on health, family, and parenting — that included Next to Kin.

Community voices

Public Facebook comments only. Written as attributed summaries — not invented quotation marks, and not private messages.

Jennifer Rene PaulSeptember 1 · public Facebook

Strongly recommended KinTags to others.

Sarah WeberAugust 27 · public Facebook

Found KinTag through an autism group; described it as affordable, and uses it on a school backpack.

Amanda Marie Irvine-MeisnerAugust 10 · public Facebook

Wrote about a KinTag for her non-speaking son — NFC, no app — and noted the local Métis owner and that tags have been available free at events and MLA offices.

Partners and proof

Next to Kin has handed out Game Day KinTags at Saskatchewan Roughriders home games, and Event KinTags at Canada Day Regina celebrations in Wascana Park alongside the City of Regina. Regina Police Service named the tag in that event's public safety guidance. The project has a Forget Me Not outreach page for Alzheimer Society chapters, was part of the Cultivator powered by Conexus Build program, and has distributed tags at Canadian Western Agribition. Public pickup points have included MLA constituency offices, Malty National, and Sherwood Greenhouse.

10,327+ KinTags placed into the community at Saskatchewan events
$11.95 CAD per tag, plus $2.95 CAD shipping
No GPS, no live tracking, no app required for the helper, no subscription required for the helper

Related: Forget Me Not · Our approach · Game Day · Events

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