Heather Latter
Health card
services to be
offered by fall
Local residents looking to renew their driver’s licences or vehicle registration will do so at a new location beginning next month.
ServiceOntario, located at 922 Scott St. (the Ministry of Natural Resources building), will take over most of these services starting March 15, with the services currently offered at 213 Second St. E. being fully transferred by March 26.
“ServiceOntario is making it easier for people to get important government documents by modernizing and streamlining its service delivery network, and providing a broader suite of services being available and more accessible,” noted Alan Cairns, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Government Services.
“The one-stop shopping concept will enhance convenience and save Ontarians valuable time, effort, and money,” he added.
“When the initiative is fully implemented by the end of the year, availability of most driver and vehicle licensing services will increase to almost 300 centres across Ontario.”
Included in this integration initiative will be a move to make routine health card services available on a full-time basis at the ServiceOntario centre here starting this fall.
Health card services for local residents currently are available through an outreach program that visits from Thunder Bay an average of two days each month.
“This will be a great improvement for Fort Frances residents,” said Cairns.
“The physical and mental health of Ontarians is very important, and we are making it easier for citizens to renew health cards,” he explained.
When Government Services minister Harinder Takhar announced the integration initiative last July 22, only two ServiceOntario centres in the province offered most driver and vehicle services as well as routine health card services.
Due to the initiative, Cairns said access to routine health card services in rural communities will expand from two to 163 ServiceOntario centres across the province.
In northern communities, service access will jump from six to 67.
“Soon, close to 95 percent of Ontarians will be within 10 km of an integrated ServiceOntario centre which offers both most driver and vehicle services and routine health card services,” Cairns remarked.
The local ServiceOntario centre currently offers hunting and fishing licences, as well as general information and referral services.
In related news, driver and vehicle services in Rainy River has moved from 610 Atwood Ave. to the ServiceOntario centre on 334 Fourth St., and is expected to see routine health card services available there by this summer.
Along with the more streamlined in-person services at ServiceOntario centres, Cairns also noted some services easily can be taken care of online, including change of address, obtaining an electronic driver or vehicle abstract, and renewing your licence plate sticker and having it delivered within five business days.
“The online alternative is getting more and more popular with citizens from all walks of life across Ontario, and it is anticipated that it will become even more preferable in the years ahead,” Cairns said.
For more information, visit www.ServiceOntario.ca
