This office, responsible for pension and employment insurance (EI) programs, is managed through a contract for services with a community service provider. Additional services offered at this location include labour market information, partnership initiatives and funding programs, occupational health and safety, old age security, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Recruitment Awareness and Skills Link, to name a few.
"The contract ending with Service Canada and Service Canada cuts is going to be a big issue in 2012," said Bonavista-Exploits MP Scott Simms.
MP Simms has been an advocate for the reversal of the decision since it was announced in 2011.
"I've already done a few petitions in the House of Commons, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears," he said. "I think there should be some sort of demonstration to gain attention to this. That particular location is one of the busiest on the island."
The contract is slated to end on March 31 and according to MP Simms, the elderly and the unemployed will suffer because of the federal government's decision to shut down the office.
"Service Canada employees will be sent elsewhere, but the office allows, especially seniors, access to government programs in front of an individual person," he said. "If someone needs assistance, that one-on-one service is very important."
Local reaction
"We are very sorry to see the site close and to see the part-time position it created lost," said Kimberley Boyd-Young of the Twillingate-New World Island Development Association.
"We would like the public to know that we have agreed to provide space in our building at Newville to Service Canada as it transitions to a new enhanced service two days per month."
Ms. Boyd-Young said the Association feels it is in the best interest of area residents for the Association to work with Service Canada to keep some service in the region.
"We sincerely hope that the new service will be seen as beneficial and there will not be too much inconvenience to users," she said.
The Federal Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada announced last year a new program will replace the offices and would be of greater benefit to rural residents of this province.
Though scheduled outreach services, experienced Service Canada staff will travel to communities and, where possible, offer the same services as provided at a regular Service Canada centre.
According to HRSDC, a full-service scheduled outreach site will offer enhanced in-person services where local citizens will be able to have access to a knowledgeable Service Canada official on a regular scheduled basis and access to a wide range of government services and information.
Frequency of the scheduled visits will be based upon demand and client volumes, with the current plan involving two visits a month to former Service Canada offices.
"I don't know how long that will last in light of the cuts being made in Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor right now," said MP Simms.
Anyone needing one-on-one assistance after March 31, and in-between any scheduled day visits, will have to travel to Service Canada locations in Gander or Grand Falls-Windsor.
"That's terrible and then they (Service Canada) will tell these people to go online and a lot of them don't have access to high speed internet or a computer, let alone have the ability to do out forms online and a lot of seniors don't have that ability," said MP Simms.
"I'm hoping to reserve the decision and hopefully that partnership will maintain itself.
It's a shame for a government who wants to pride itself on standing up for rural Canada, this is just an insult."
psnow@pilotnl.ca
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