People in the North Shore and Serpent River area can now access ServiceOntario services in person at a new centre that opened in Serpent River at the Trading Post on Monday.
As a collaboration between various Ontario government ministries and Indigenous leadership in the Robinson-Huron Treaty area, this Indigenous-operated centre is the first of its kind.
Niigaaniin Services hosted a grand opening at the centre on Monday, cutting the ribbon on a location that will offer Indigenous people in the area access to services offered by Ontario's Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transportation. Services offered by the Ministry of Natural Resources are scheduled to be added by year's end, says a release from Niigaaniin Services.
"I would like to thank the Province of Ontario for coming to the table ready to discuss how bringing services directly to the People could be executed in the Robinson-Huron Treaty Area,” said Elizabeth Richer, Director of Niigaaniin Services.
Niigaaniin Services is an 'active' social assistance service agency that emphasizes support to first nation communities and their citizens with the incorporation of culturally appropriate provisions in that service delivery.
It worked with area leadership and ServiceOntario ministries to bring access to necessary services closer to home for Indigenous people in the area, offering those services in a comfortable, familiar setting.
“Currently members from the eight communities we serve must commute to locations located in municipalities and townships, some with longer distances to
travel than others," Richer said. "This is an outside-the-box approach to transform how we serve Community Members.”
The brick-and-mortar location had a soft opening in the Trading Post in August and represents a collaboration of Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council and Serpent River First Nation with at least three Ontario government ministries.
The second phase is set to launch in the coming months, once all ServiceOntario services can be delivered at the mobile unit. This will integrate all needed services at one contact point for people of the Robinson Huron Treaty area to access in person.
People will be able to renew or get their driver's licences, health cards, get birth certificates and access other popular, necessary services in person in an Indigenous-operated ServiceOntario location closer to home going forward as the trailer in which the centre is located (currently at the Serpent River Trading Post) will be moved to different communities in the area on a schedule yet to be established.