Ford says move of 11 ServiceOntario locations to Staples, Walmart kiosks due to ‘convenience’

Over a week after it was first revealed the provincial government would be closing 11 ServiceOntario locations and converting them to kiosks in Staples and Walmart, Premier Doug Ford finally addressed the move that has raised eyebrows at Queen’s Park.

Ford said the move came down to convenience and reiterated the previous response from the deputy premier that the change would save taxpayers $1 million per year.

“Not everyone can make it into one of the outlets from 9 [a.m.] to 5 [p.m.]. They’re going to open up until 10 p.m.; people are going to have more access,” said Ford on Monday. “It’s pretty simple. It comes down to customer service, and I think that was pretty distorted before.”

He added that ServiceOntario locations are already in private stores all over Ontario but “are not touching government-run stores at all.”

CityNews first reported that the government was set to close 11 ServiceOntario locations in a sole-sourced deal. Ontario will also be paying to retrofit the U.S.-owned stores hosting the kiosks.

“Just like we pay for the infrastructure for the other stores, we’re going to help them. But at the end of the day, it’s saving the taxpayers over a million dollars, and it’s going to expand the hours and convenience right up until 9 p.m.,” said Ford. “So it’s going to go across the province, and it’s the best thing to do for customer service.”

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Ford did not address why the deal was sole-sourced, meaning it was not put to tender so other companies could not openly bid for it.

The province has also not revealed how much they will spend to retrofit the stores, while Staples has admitted it is looking to monetize the new arrangement. The Premier’s office has also not responded to previous requests from CityNews about how the government arrived at the $1 million savings figure.

The Ontario Green Party leader, Mike Schreiner, has requested the Auditor General (AG) conduct a value-for-money audit on the deal. “The Office reviews the requests we receive and considers all the information available to determine whether we will look into those matters as part of our audit selection process,” read a statement from the AG.

The kiosks, where Ontarians will be able to do things like renew driver’s licences and health cards, are part of a pilot project first announced in December 2023 to “reduce the overall cost to deliver government services to the public.”

All the ServiceOntario locations being closed by the government are privately owned and run as small businesses. Only the two outlets moving into Walmart in London South and Keswick will be run by the existing owners, although that arrangement may change in the coming months.