ServiceOntario making it 'faster, easier' to get driver's licences, health cards
Service Ontario office in Kingston, Ont., on March 23, 2016. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press)
Premier Doug Ford announced new ServiceOntario changes to make it “faster” and “easier” to get driver’s licences and health cards.
The province announced on Wednesday, at 64 of the busiest ServiceOntario locations, customers can now book multiple services in a single appointment or book one appointment for an entire family.
ServiceOntario introduced their online appointment booking system in Nov. 2022 to reduce wait times and the risk of COVID-19.
On the updated system, users can book a variety of services from a drop down menu and accomplish them all in one appointment. This revamp is now live on the ServiceOntario website. A calendar icon is placed beside the locations offering the online service.
“We’re making it easier for people and businesses to connect with ServiceOntario, putting customers first and saving people time and money,” Ford announced in Brampton on Wednesday morning.
Ontarians will have an opportunity to identify accessibility needs ahead of an appointment.
ServiceOntario is also enhancing their virtual services, offering health card renewals through video calls.
Ford said a number of new ServiceOntario pilot programs will be rolling out in the coming months.
Soon-to-be married couples will be able to apply for marriage licences online, instead of visiting city hall. By the spring, Ford said digital dealership registrations will expand to trade-ins and used cars.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec police officer stabbed and killed during arrest, second wounded
A Quebec provincial police officer was fatally stabbed Monday night while carrying out an arrest in the town of Louiseville, west of Trois-Rivieres, Que. The Surete du Quebec has confirmed the identity of the officer, Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had been on the force for over 20 years.
Liberals to go after predatory lending in today's budget, invest in dental care plan
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table a federal budget in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, which a federal source says will include plans to go after predatory lending and more details on dental care as part of a pitch to make life more affordable.
Walmart Canada CEO says retailer not trying to profit from inflation
Walmart Canada is not trying to profit from food inflation, president and CEO Gonzalo Gebara told a parliamentary committee studying the issue Monday evening.
Nashville shooter was ex-student with detailed plan to kill
The former student who shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school in Nashville and killed three children and three adults had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance of the building before carrying out the massacre.
Indigenous concert in Vancouver cancelled over questions about performer's identity claims
The Vancouver Park Board and Britannia Community Services Centre cancelled an event Sunday that had been advertised as part of an Indigenous concert series in Grandview Park.
How many COVID-19 vaccine doses should you have by now?
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
From silicon to brain cells: How biology may hold the future of computers
As artificial intelligence software and advanced computers revolutionize modern technology, some researchers see a future where computer programmers leap from silicon to organic molecules.
5 things to know for Tuesday, March 28, 2023
A warning for consumers to expect to pay more next month for three key items, a reminder about COVID-19 booster shots, and police reveal what they know about a deadly shooting at a Nashville school. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
Hockey Canada says 2018 junior players ineligible for international competition
Hockey Canada says players from the 2018 world junior hockey team will not be considered for international competition until an investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving members of the team is complete.
Montreal
-
Quebec police officer stabbed and killed during arrest, second wounded
A Quebec provincial police officer was fatally stabbed Monday night while carrying out an arrest in the town of Louiseville, west of Trois-Rivieres, Que. The Surete du Quebec has confirmed the identity of the officer, Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had been on the force for over 20 years.
-
Police find 6th and 7th bodies inside site of Old Montreal fire
Police say they have found the sixth and seventh bodies inside a building in Old Montreal that burned down 11 days ago and do not expect find any more victims. With the death toll now expected to remain at seven, police said they can begin to focus their efforts on finding the cause of the deadly March 16 fire.
-
Quebec community mourns loss of nine-year-old girl killed in snow fort collapse
A small community west of Quebec City is mourning the loss of a nine-year-old girl who died after a snow fort collapsed. Provincial police (SQ) say it happened Sunday afternoon in the woods behind a rural home in Saint-Ubalde in the Portneuf RCM.
London
-
Two people, one dog rescued from residential fire
Damage is estimated at $50,000 after a basement fire at a home in east London. Crews were called to the scene 10:45 p.m. on Monday and had the fire out by 11:15 p.m.
-
Traffic stop leads to firearm-related charges: Middlesex County OPP
Police had to utilize a 'high risk takedown' of a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old after an officer discovered a long gun inside a vehicle during a traffic stop in Chippewas of the Thames First Nation.
-
Driver charged after travelling nearly triple the speed limit: Middlesex County OPP
A driver will be without a licence for one month after police stopped them allegedly travelling 137 km/h in a posted 50 km/h zone over the weekend, Middlesex County OPP said.
Kitchener
-
Tax return delays possible if CRA workers strike
Thousands of Canada Revenue Agency workers are threatening strike action and it could cause a delay for Canadians trying to file their 2022 taxes.
-
Guelph, Ont. researchers links nitrate to heart health
Preventing heart failure and managing diabetes are the potential benefits of a new discovery by University of Guelph researchers.
-
The new Highway 7 once again promised in 2023 provincial budget
The building of a new four-lane Highway 7 is still on the agenda, according to the recently released 2023 provincial budget.
Northern Ontario
-
Evidence against Sudbury murder suspect ‘overwhelming,’ Crown tells jury
The Crown prosecutor in Sudbury made his pitch to the jury Monday afternoon in the Robert Steven Wright murder trial, arguing evidence against him is “overwhelming.”
-
Here is why the defence says Wright should be found not guilty of 1998 Sudbury murder
Closing arguments are being heard at the Sudbury courthouse Monday in the trial for the man accused of killing Renee Sweeney in 1998 with the defence saying there is plenty of reasonable doubt to support an acquittal.
-
Victims identified as police reveal Nashville school shooter had drawn maps, done surveillance
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
Ottawa
-
‘Nobody is looking for a handout’ for new Senators arena: Bettman
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it will be up to the new owners of the Senators to decide whether to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats or at another location in Ottawa.
-
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
-
Bettman: NHL to evaluate Pride nights in offseason after some players refuse to wear jerseys
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league will evaluate its Pride nights in the offseason after several players have refused to wear Pride-themed jerseys this season.
Windsor
-
Sunshine and warming temperature in Windsor-Essex
The thermometer could move into double digits on Tuesday in Windsor-Essex. Things will cool of slightly mid week before going back well above 10 C on Friday with showers and a high of 15 C in the forecast.
-
LaSalle diver featured in National Geographic show after finding Model T in Detroit River
In his 30 years of diving, Matt Zuidema admits he’s found a lot of cool stuff on ocean and river floors.
-
Windsor shoppers welcome word of ‘grocery rebate’
Word Tuesday’s federal budget will include a one-time “grocery rebate” for low-income Canadians is welcome news for shoppers outside Windsor grocery stores.
Barrie
-
Deer struck by car in Barrie
Barrie police received a call about a collision involving a deer Sunday evening.
-
'Pre-approvals out the door': Proposed mortgage rules could make home-buying more challenging
Consultations for the first phase of the B-20 mortgage underwriting rules review will wrap up on April 14.
-
Defence lawyer suggests victim of deadly 2020 Hwy 12 crash had alcohol in his system
Sigfrid Stahn sat in the courtroom on Monday as his defence lawyer tried to sway the jury to the possibility the victim, Guenter Naumann, 77, had alcohol in his system at the time of the head-on collision on Highway 12 in Waubaushene nearly three years ago.
Atlantic
-
Senior Mounties involved in N.S. mass shooting response either retired or in new jobs
Almost three years after a man disguised as a Mountie started murdering people in Portapique, N.S., on the night of April 18, 2020, the senior RCMP officers and staff involved in the tragic case have all either retired or moved into new jobs.
-
'All I want to know is where he is': Moncton-area woman pleads for help in finding missing brother
After nine days with no answers, a Moncton-area woman is asking for the public’s help in finding her missing brother, Brian Lewis.
-
Freeland's budget to include grocery rebate for lower income Canadians, here's what else to expect Tuesday
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Calgary
-
House fire in Forest Heights displaces four
Four people escaped from a house on fire in southeast Calgary on Monday night, and quick action by firefighters prevented the blaze from getting worse.
-
Federal budget to include grocery rebate for lower-income Canadians
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time "grocery rebate" for lower-income Canadians, CTV News has confirmed.
-
Chestermere mayor calls inspection report 'distortion of facts'
The findings of a provincial probe into the City of Chestermere's governance are being described as "fictional" by Mayor Jeff Colvin.
Winnipeg
-
W5 investigation reveals asbestos cement pipes beneath Winnipeggers' feet
A recent W5 investigation has found there are 721 kilometres of asbestos cement pipes in Winnipeg, and 25 per cent of the water main networks is also made of the material.
-
Calls for Winnipeg police board chair to step down over use of 'thin blue line' image
A police abolitionist group is calling on a Winnipeg city councillor to apologize and step down as police board chair after using what some consider to be a divisive symbol in a tweet earlier this month.
-
Quebec police officer stabbed and killed during arrest, second wounded
A Quebec provincial police officer was fatally stabbed Monday night while carrying out an arrest in the town of Louiseville, west of Trois-Rivieres, Que. The Surete du Quebec has confirmed the identity of the officer, Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had been on the force for over 20 years.
Vancouver
-
Planning for future of B.C. psychiatric hospital site quietly halted
A years-long planning process to determine the future of the Riverview psychiatric hospital grounds in B.C. was quietly halted at the start of this year, CTV News has learned.
-
Indigenous concert in Vancouver cancelled over questions about performer's identity claims
The Vancouver Park Board and Britannia Community Services Centre cancelled an event Sunday that had been advertised as part of an Indigenous concert series in Grandview Park.
-
Giant spider sculpture in East Vancouver may be saved
There is new hope that a giant spider sculpture in East Vancouver may be saved, but it won’t remain in the same location.
Edmonton
-
Slain Edmonton officers Jordan and Ryan remembered at procession, regimental funeral
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
-
Quebec police officer stabbed and killed during arrest, second wounded
A Quebec provincial police officer was fatally stabbed Monday night while carrying out an arrest in the town of Louiseville, west of Trois-Rivieres, Que. The Surete du Quebec has confirmed the identity of the officer, Sgt. Maureen Breau, who had been on the force for over 20 years.
-
Liberals to go after predatory lending in today's budget, invest in dental care plan
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to table a federal budget in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, which a federal source says will include plans to go after predatory lending and more details on dental care as part of a pitch to make life more affordable.