Submitted Article | Photo by Jason Setnyk

Queen’s Park – MPP Jim McDonell, who is the PC Critic for Government & Consumer Services, is pleased that the planned closure of nine Service Ontario locations has been put on hold pending further review.

“Local communities came out in force against this plan,” MPP JiMcDonell stated. “Hundreds of constituents signed petitions to save their local Service Ontario outlets. Smaller communities count on these locations to deliver essential government services that aren’t available at privately-run locations. Many residents, furthermore, don’t have access to a computer, don’t have the mobility to drive long distances or their cases require the intervention of a supervisor. This is why preserving in-person service in smaller communities is essential. The fate of the Morrisburg, Embrun and Kemptville Service Ontario offices is still in the balance, but they have been granted a reprieve. I will continue to fight to preserve the delivery of in-person government services in smaller communities.”

The closure would have affected both Service Ontario and the Land Registry Office in Morrisburg.

“Moving the Morrisburg Land Registry Office to Prescott makes no sense,” MPP Jim McDonell commented. “Municipal officials and legal professionals would need to travel out of their own county to consult essential records. It would impose additional costs and inconvenience on all residents of Dundas County. It was an absolute travesty that the Ministry even considered such a move”.