ServiceOntario

I went today at 12pm to get my health card renewed. Everyone working was friendly and the wait was surprisingly fast after reading reviews and seeing the line of people in front of me, I anticipated a long wait. I was in and out of there in about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I had no issues with the process of getting a new card as I had my documents ready I read ahead what I needed to bring so I was prepared and the process was very fast!. This location is also inside a Canadian Tire so upon arrival, they gave me a pager to let me know when it was my turn and we were able to look around and shop while we waited. I know the experience can be different from day-to-day but I had an overall positive experience.

1 star is way to high. I wish negative stars were available. This location is a complete horror show. Stay way if at all possible. They have beepers that just allow you to stand in the long lineup. Not to go to the counter. ServiceOntario should pay us 50 dollars an hour for wasting your time. Only then will we get the service part of ServiceOntario. Be prepared to be standing for 2-3 hours at least.nHaving said that, the lady serving me at the counter was excellent. She was very helpful and pleasant. Therefore, I place the blame above this office because they can only work with the tools they are given by the upper management.

DO NOT GO HERE! THERE ARE SO MANY BETTER AND FASTER LOCATIONS!! I went at 9:30am on a Wednesday morning and there was a 30 person lineup just to get the buzzer after which the sign said it would be another hour wait there were at least another 20 people in the line for the actual service area. After waiting 10 minutes the line for the buzzer hadn't even moved an inch. Thankfully I decided to go home and check Google reviews for a better location. I went to Queensway and Kipling around noon and was in and out in less than 5 minutes. Literally there was maybe five people in line ahead of me and I waited maybe 3 minutes to get seen and then the actual transaction was 90 seconds including photo for my driver's license and health card renewal. If I had stayed at Canadian Tire I am sure I would have lost at least 2 hours of my day. Don't waste your time at the Canadian Tire location when there are so many better options!!!

Recommended to avoid:nnThe wait was about an hour or so, which is acceptable I suppose for the city during a mid day week. The staff were great.nnWhat was not acceptable is this location being inside Canadian Tire is subject to their horrible bag check policy. It's absurd to have one's side bag checked, especially while carrying important documents. Ending up with critical and valuable items in hand during a longish wait makes for a very poor experience. I hope the government leaves this location and establishes a proper dedicated location.

The worst service Ontario location I’ve ever been to. The staff are unknowledgeable about what documents are required to complete different services, and both of the attendants I encountered had heavy accents making communication incredibly difficult. The cue is an absolute mess - I went on a Tuesday around noon, and somehow the place was still packed. People were treating the reception desk like a Q&A booth, and you can’t even get into the actual line to speak to an attendant without first lining up at the reception desk to take a buzzer. Garbage.

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