Newmarket’s current ServiceOntario location could be closed as the province moves to shift locales into Staples Canada retail outlets.
The province said this week some ServiceOntario locations would be closing and replaced by new ones opening at Staples locations.
A source contacted NewmarketToday to disclose that Newmarket’s current ServiceOntario location at Yonge Street and Davis Drive would close, however, provincial officials will neither confirm nor deny this after weeks of repeated inquiries.
Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery press secretary Doug Allingham said the government made the decision after lengthy consultations on a pilot, including the store size, parking availability and number of locations.
“Staples Canada was selected as all locations met this criteria, and customers will be able to benefit from a 30 per cent improvement to current service accessibility hours,” Allingham said in response to a NewmarketToday inquiry about whether the Newmarket ServiceOntario location would close. “In addition, all ServiceOntario locations that are closing will have a new location open in select Staples Canada stores and service will remain uninterrupted.”
Asked to confirm if the statement meant the Newmarket location would be closing, Allingham declined further comment.
The province initially announced Staples would have ServiceOntario locations in early December but did not disclose that this would mean existing locations would close. The province said the move will enhance the customer experience of ServiceOntario, which provides things like driver's licences and OHIP cards.
The opposition NDP fired back on the move.
"This is not an expansion of service, but another attempt for Ford to quietly hand over more of our public services to private corporations,” NDP critic for finance and treasury board Catherine Fife said in a news release. “The public servants working at ServiceOntario locations cannot be left with uncertainty about the future of their jobs."
Allingham said employees impacted are “being provided opportunities to continue employment with Staples Canada.”
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union represents some ServiceOntario locations — but not most of them, including the one in Newmarket.
The union’s communication department said many of these offices were privatized, and the locations to be closed and moved to Staples would certainly be privately owned.
“This kind of retail public service model continues to erode the quality of public services that ought to be publicly run,” the union said.
The union represents about 80 publicly operated ServiceOntario locations, it said. Currently, there are 195 privately owned and operated locations.
“For years, the union has raised serious concerns about ServiceOntario privatization and its impact on quality and access to services, which have suffered.”
