In most places April showers bring May flowers, but here they brought the opening of a new vehicle and health card office.
Residents can now get health cards, driver’s licences and vehicle registration services in one location, Perth-Wellington MPP John Wilkinson announced on April 7.
“When the driver’s licence office closed suddenly last year, the people of Arthur asked me to lobby my colleague, Minister of Government Services Harinder Takhar, to see it reopened,” Wilkinson said.
“I am proud that Arthur is one of the first communities in Ontario to receive this new expanded service and want to thank Minister Takhar. More importantly, I want to thank the Arthur Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Mike Broomhead and all the good people of Arthur and area who called and wrote letters of support. Working together made all the difference.”
The new centre, located at 497 Smith Street, will offer integrated licence and health card services. Arthur residents will now need only to make one trip for most health card and driver and vehicle registration services.
ServiceOntario is integrating most health card and driver and vehicle services to give people better access to more routine government services , especially in rural and northern communities.
“We are thrilled to have this new ServiceOntario location open,” said Wellington North Mayor Mike Broomhead. “Our residents have missed not having a local site and we appreciate all the support by MPP?John Wilkinson to ensure that Arthur would remain open for business, as it is an asset in our Wellington North community.”
The office is open 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to noon on Saturday.
Wilkinson said the opening marks the culmination of what was an “ongoing saga in Arthur.”
Last July, the licence bureau there was shut without advance warning.
“What has happened is a bad situation, where there was a service that had to be withdrawn temporarily, has now turned into a very good News story.”
Wilkinson said, “We are at the very first, full-service ServiceOntario office in southwestern Ontario. So Arthur is actually leading the province, particularly rural Ontario. What we want in rural Ontario is to have our services closer to home. The reason we are out here is because we love it here. So the idea of having to go to London or Guelph or Kitchener to get a government service, just doesn’t sit right with us.”
He said because of the internet and improvements to technology, the government can now provide these services closer to home.
“As a rural member, one of the frustrations we’ve had since 2003 is the fact that people need to renew their health cards,” said Wilkinson.
He added people would get that notice to renew their health card in three months. The person would call in the number provided to make an appointment, and be told the appointment could be made in five months.
Wilkinson said, “Either we’re going to have these cards working, or not. The backbone of this is to have an easy, accessible way for people to not just renew their driver’s licence and vehicle registration, but their health card as well.”
