The latest Access PEI site has opened on Riverside Drive in Charlottetown, bringing to nine the number of sites across the province.
The latest site is located at the Highway Safety Division building at 33 Riverside Drive. Access PEI offers Islanders one stop shopping for over 100 government services, including motor vehicle registrations and permits.
The first Access PEI site opened in 1998 in Summerside. It was a response to concerns expressed during the government's Red Tape Review.
"Islanders told us they were tired of having to go from one office to another when they needed government services," said Premier Pat Binns. "Access PEI addresses those concerns by housing many services under one roof. It also strengthens communities by providing services where people live, instead of expecting to go to larger centres."
There are currently Access PEI sites in Alberton, Tignish, O'Leary, Wellington, Summerside, Montague, Morell, Souris and Charlottetown. Each site offers the basic core services and a number of the sites offer other services, depending on the needs of the area. For example, Wellington, Tignish, Summerside and Souris offer bilingual service; O'Leary offers bilingual service six months a year. The sites in O'Leary and Wellington also house staff of Human Resources Development Canada.
Though most centres are open during regular business hours, the Morell site is open Tuesday through Saturday. This gives people the opportunity to access government services outside regular business hours. The Morell Access PEI site is located at the Morell library.
Most of the locations also include Community Access Program (CAP) sites or some form of public internet access; several provide desktop video services, allowing rural clients the same access to services that urban clients enjoy. Clients can use the desk top video service to speak directly with people in other locations and can even scan in documents or other information for them to see.
"We don't believe any Islander should be at a disadvantage because of where they live," said Development and Technology Minister Mike Currie." Access PEI allows people to get what they need in their home communities and that helps those communities to grow."
Future plans for Access PEI include co-location and co-delivery of services from all three levels of government. A study is currently underway to determine how best to carry this out.