With the contract between the Municipality and the province set to run out this month, residents in Dresden were left wondering for months whether ServiceOntario options would remain at the Dresden municipal building.
However, the community was able to breathe a collective sigh of relief last week when news broke about the services staying put.
Sue Carroll, strategic issues and media advisor for the Ministry of Government & Consumer Services, confirmed with the Sydenham Current that a new deal is in place.
“The existing contract between the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent for the operation of the ServiceOntario centre in Dresden is expiring on December 23, 2015,” Carroll said in an e-mail.
“ServiceOntario attempted to procure a new service provider to operate the centre through its Vendor of Record Arrangement, which is a list of vendors that are prequalified to operate private ServiceOntario centres. Since none of the vendors on the VOR list were interested in the Dresden opportunity, ServiceOntario undertook a local procurement process, inviting individuals and businesses from the community to submit proposals if they were interested in operating the centre in Dresden.”
Carroll said the Municipality of Chatham-Kent participated in this process and was successful.
“As a result, a new five year contract was awarded and we are pleased to share that the Municipality will continue to deliver services on behalf of ServiceOntario at the current location at 485 St. George Street,” she said. “The contract has an option for the Ministry to extend the contract for two additional terms of five years each.”
The provincial services offered at the Dresden Municipal building include the administration and issuance of driver and vehicle licensing, health cards, and provincial identification.
