News Release Archive
NEWS RELEASE (CNS862) -->> BUSINESS/CONSUMER--IMPROVING ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT SERVICES BUSINESS/CONSUMER--IMPROVING ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT SERVICES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Better and more convenient access to government services is coming to residents of the Dartmouth area when a new multi-service centre, including a Registry of Motor Vehicles, opens early next year in the city, Business and Consumer Services Minister Sandy Jolly announced today. "The Dartmouth area has grown considerably over the past number of years, but access to government services for its residents has not kept pace," Ms. Jolly said. "To rectify this, the Department of Business and Consumer Services is establishing a multi-service facility in Dartmouth, which is home to approximately 10 per cent of Nova Scotians. In addition to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the centre will consolidate services of Consumer and Commercial Relations, government information and navigation services and Registry of Joint Stock Companies services." The RMV will offer full licensing and registration services, for which many Dartmouthians currently cross the bridge to Halifax to receive. Consumer and Commercial Relations staff help Nova Scotians with consumer complaints and inquiries, residential tenancy issues (ie, disputes between landlords and tenants) and debt counselling and management. Access Nova Scotia staff offer information about government programs and services and help individuals navigate their way through government. Access Nova Scotia staff also provide access to many of the services of the Registry of Joint Stock Companies. "The Department of Business and Consumer Services intends to open 14 of these one-stop government service centres across Nova Scotia over the next three to five years," Ms. Jolly said. A similar centre will open in Kentville in early 1997. "In both Kentville and Dartmouth, existing staff in the area will be moving to a new facility," the minister said. "No jobs will be lost in either community and government will not get any bigger. We're simply using our existing financial and human resources to deliver better and more convenient service to Nova Scotians." Tenders will be called for office space in Dartmouth within the next few weeks, with the opening planned for the spring of 1997. The Registry of Motor Vehicles office on Young Street, Halifax, will be closing in 1997 as the landlord is not renewing the lease. With some RMV staff moving to Dartmouth, a smaller facility will be leased to serve Halifax area residents. The Department of Business and Consumer Services was created in April 1996 to provide Nova Scotians with improved access to the services and programs most commonly needed by the public. The department is home to the following divisions: Registry of Motor Vehicles, Consumer and Commercial Relations, Financial Institutions, Nova Scotia Government Bookstore, Public Enquiries, Provincial Tax Commission, Registry of Joint Stock Companies, Vital Statistics and Access Nova Scotia. -30- Contact: David MacNeil 902-424-2933 trp Nov. 27, 1996 - 12:05 p.m.