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ServiceOntario

ServiceOntario

A ServiceOntario location in Markham
Agency overview
Formed2006 (2006)[1]
Minister responsible
Websitewww.ontario.ca/welcome-serviceontario

ServiceOntario is part of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery which provides a single point of contact for core provincial government services to individuals and businesses in the province of Ontario, Canada. Established in 2006 from the existing network of Driver and Vehicle License Issuing Offices, ServiceOntario provides services primarily online and in-person at storefront locations, and also operates telephone call centres.[1]

Some services were also formerly provided by automated ServiceOntario self-service kiosks located primarily in shopping malls.[1] Following the discovery in 2012 that illegal card skimming devices were installed on some kiosks in the Greater Toronto Area, all kiosks were shut down province-wide for security reasons.[2] The provincial government permanently discontinued the kiosks later that year.[3]

Some ServiceOntario locations are operated by private businesses under contract to the government.[4][5] Since 2024, the provincial government has also piloted the co-location of ServiceOntario locations within retail stores.

Services

The following are some of the services delivered by ServiceOntario on behalf of the government:

  • Ontario Health Insurance Plan registration and health card renewals
  • Birth, marriage and death certificates
  • Driver and vehicle licensing (except driver testing and related transactions, which are generally delivered by separate DriveTest centres operated under contract by Serco)
  • Business registration
  • Fishing and hunting licence
  • Ontario Photo Card
  • Address change
  • Newborn registration
  • Ontario government publications
  • Landlord Tenant Board services
  • Commissioner of Oaths services

Retail locations

In January 2024, the Doug Ford government announced that some standalone ServiceOntario locations would be closed and replaced by locations co-located within retail stores as a pilot project.[6] The majority of these locations are situated within Staples Canada stores, while two are located at Walmart stores.[7] The program is intended to reduce the costs of delivering the services, reduce wait times, and increase availability, with further partnerships with other businesses being investigated.[8] Doug Ford defended the scheme as similar to Canada Post locations co-located within pharmacies.[9]

The program has faced criticism; the Ontario NDP questioned the provincial government's decision to enter into a taxpayer-funded sole-source contract with an American-owned corporation to deliver government services.[6] Taxpayer money is being used to fund the construction of the in-store locations, at an estimated cost of $1.75 million.[9] A request was made to the Financial Accountability Office by the Liberal Party in regards to the deal.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Auditor General of Ontario (2013). Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario: Ministry of Government Services (PDF) (Report). Queen's Printer for Ontario. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  2. ^ "ServiceOntario kiosks remain out of order after illegal card readers found". 680News. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  3. ^ "ServiceOntario kiosks permanently closed". Government of Ontario. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Own a private ServiceOntario centre". ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  5. ^ "ServiceOntario: The Straight Facts". opseu.org. Ontario Public Service Employees Union. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b Southern, Richard; Marchesan, John. "Ford government to pay for Staples retrofit as retailer looks to 'monetize' ServiceOntario". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  7. ^ Southern, Richard. "Ford government to use taxpayer funds to retrofit 2 Walmart stores to also host ServiceOntario kiosks". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  8. ^ Jabakhanji, Sara. "Minister defends plan to replace some ServiceOntario centres with Staples store kiosks". CBC News. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b Southern, Richard. "Staples Canada lays off head office staff, company takes $1.75M of taxpayer money for ServiceOntario retrofit". CityNews Toronto. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. ^ Ferguson, Rob. "Ford government facing renewed questions over ServiceOntario deals". Toronto Star. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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