City politicians, residents upset by impending closure of ServiceOntario location

Residents in the neighbourhood of Glen Cairn are upset the province is closing its Service Ontario location. CTV London’s Bryan Bicknell reports.

Residents and business owners are expressing disappointment upon learning that a London location of ServiceOntario will soon close.

A notice in the window at the 920 Commissioners Road East location at Adelaide Street says its last day of service will be Feb. 25.

Elyas Samano, who uses the location every day for his auto dealership, says the closure will be a major inconvenience.

“There is not another place. If you go all the way Commissioners East and Commissioners West, and all the way Adelaide to Hamilton, there is no place. So, I don’t know what kind of decision, and always when I come here, the guys are busy,” he exclaimed.

London resident Dave Moore attended the Glen Cairn neighbourhood location Tuesday for an official Ontario photo identification for a family member. Soon, they won’t have that option.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, there’s not that many of them around anymore. They need to either add more of them or keep the ones open they have,” said Moore.

It was just over two years ago that the provincial government announced it would close 11 service locations across the province and move services into Staples and Walmart stores. The Commissioners and Adelaide location was not on the list at that time.

“I feel that’s a little unprofessional. It’s nice to know there’s professionals behind the counter to help you with your needs. At Staples, I don’t think that’s possible,” said driver April Doughtery.

Ward 1 Councillor Hadleigh McAllister said the city was only informed by the provincial government of the closure a little more than a week ago.

He’s written to Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, looking for answers. The letter says, in part:

“We are prepared to discuss concerns that have been shared and seek a better understanding on the rationale behind the closure, any mitigation strategies that may be available, and whether alternative service delivery options could be explored to lessen the impact on the community.”

McAllister told CTV News he was taken by surprise at the brief notice.

“I think it would be good for the province to give some more advance notice,” he said.

“We got pretty late notice in terms of this location closing, and it really throws people off in terms of the service standards. So, not only could the province communicate better, not only with municipalities, but with residents in what their long-term plans with ServiceOntario are.”

CTV News also reached out to the Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement looking for answers on the reasons for the closure. It was not able to accommodate an interview, but offered the following statement:

In London, residents continue to be served by five ServiceOntario centres, including two that offer evening and Saturday hours, offering in-person options nearby, along with access to a growing number of services available online, 24/7.

To continue to ensure families in London have reliable, convenient access to government services, we opened a new location in the city in 2024 to increase in-person capacity.