Six ServiceOntario centres will be moving to Staples Canada stores as of Thursday, as part of the Ford government’s three-year pilot program to make services more accessible to residents.
The new Staples-operated ServiceOntario locations will be in Toronto (Scarborough), Oakville, Newmarket, Strathroy, Tillsonburg and Welland. Later this year, three more locations will open in Staples stores in Hamilton, Keswick and Toronto (Leaside).
This comes following an announcement by the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Todd McCarthy on Monday morning.
“By partnering with an experienced, established retailer with a strong community presence like Staples Canada, we can create simpler, faster and better ways to connect Ontarians to the vital services they depend on,” McCarthy said in a statement.
“Our retailer partnership program will enhance the customer experience and meet the needs of communities by bringing government services where people live, work and shop,” he continued.
The province says the program is expected to save approximately $1 million over the next three years.
The new locations will offer extended operating hours, increased service hours by 30 per cent compared to the centres they are replacing, readily available parking, access to public transit routes and access to retail services.
The new outlets are expected to open at 9 a.m. and close between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays, the hours of operation are between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Earlier this month, some Ontarians expressed confusion and anger upon hearing that the government will be using big-box American retailers as the new location for government services.
Some residents remain dissatisfied with the move with some suggesting that public libraries would’ve been a better, cost-effective alternative for taxpayers.
