ServiceOntario
9 reviews 34 Simcoe St Unit 102, Barrie, ON (800) 267-8097 www.ontario.ca/locations/serviceontario/simcoe-and-mary-barrie suggest an edit
01 May 2023 0:11
Went in without appointment, took an hour but the staff was super helpful, especially Dylan was courteous and friendly.
28 April 2023 2:27
Chantelle and her team were incredibly helpful. We came in with a very complicated situation close to closing time and they promptly took care of everything. Even staying late on a Friday evening in a government office. Very positive experience. 5/5
21 April 2023 14:17
Helli everyone. I made an appointment for May 3rd, 2023, about a week in advance. I arrived 10 minutes early to find 2 kiosks open and about 20 people in the waiting room. Judging by the announcement board, I would be number 15 to be called in. I am wondering, what is the point of an appointment in the first place? Why they don't have a dedicated appointment kiosk at this location as it is the case at many others? Not to mention that there's no dedicated parking at all. Very unfair to anyone needing to do something and preparing in advance. I am pretty sure they will claim excellent service in all cases. Good luck with your appointments.
11 April 2023 1:44
Made an appointment to renew license and sticker and still waited over an hour to be served.what’s the point of having this option if people still have to wait for so long? If I didn’t say anything myself I don’t even know how much longer I would have had to wait. 8 windows and only 2 open. Service centres need to invest in better training and make sure their employees are fast and efficient in their service. How does it take 20 minutes to renew driver license and plate? Ridiculous.
10 March 2023 12:34
LITTERALY THE SCENE IN ZOOTOPIA. SLOWEST SERVICE ONTARIO I HAVE EVER BEEN AT. ITS LIKE THEY DO IT PURPOSELY FOR PPL TO LEAVE
09 March 2023 4:15
I recently had an unpleasant experience at the Service Ontario location on 34 Simcoe. As someone new to the Barrie area, moving from Burlington in late November, I was unable to renew my health card online. It had lapsed in the hustle of the move and getting organized and acquainted with my new surroundings. During my travels, I managed to get a bad cold, and with an expired healthcare card, I made the effort to book off work early and headed to the Service Ontario location to renew my health card, hoping to see a doctor. However, I was told by a property manager, who seemed to have appointed themselves as an authority figure, that I couldn't enter without an appointment and to come back on Monday. This was frustrating as it was well before closing time, I had driven 20 minutes there and back, paid for parking, and I felt like my right to access healthcare was being denied, while the taxpayer-funded security guard stood there in silence.
Not in the mood to argue, this experience left me feeling disappointed and angry, ruining my weekend, and still bothers me enough to write this review some 6 weeks after the fact, and after further reflection. After this experience, I was determined not to go back to this location, and I was rewarded. Instead, I visited the Service Ontario on Bayfield the following Monday, where I had a much better experience. The staff were friendly, and I was in and out within 10 minutes, without having to pay for parking or deal with self-appointed gatekeepers. The staff renewed my faith in our taxpayer-funded institutions and should be a model for all Service Ontario experiences. I can't say enough or highlight the vast contrast between the two locations.
Overall, I would strongly recommend avoiding the Simcoe location if you can. While I can't speak for the staff inside, my experience and the tone experienced outside the Simcoe location left me with the impression that it's likely poorly managed. If you have the means, I would recommend visiting the Bayfield location instead for a more pleasant and efficient experience. Thanks to the staff and the manager of the Bayfield location for putting taxpayers first and treating us like customers instead of the enemy. As for the cold, I was able to see a doctor shortly after getting my temporary healthcare and was good as new a couple of days later.
Not in the mood to argue, this experience left me feeling disappointed and angry, ruining my weekend, and still bothers me enough to write this review some 6 weeks after the fact, and after further reflection. After this experience, I was determined not to go back to this location, and I was rewarded. Instead, I visited the Service Ontario on Bayfield the following Monday, where I had a much better experience. The staff were friendly, and I was in and out within 10 minutes, without having to pay for parking or deal with self-appointed gatekeepers. The staff renewed my faith in our taxpayer-funded institutions and should be a model for all Service Ontario experiences. I can't say enough or highlight the vast contrast between the two locations.
Overall, I would strongly recommend avoiding the Simcoe location if you can. While I can't speak for the staff inside, my experience and the tone experienced outside the Simcoe location left me with the impression that it's likely poorly managed. If you have the means, I would recommend visiting the Bayfield location instead for a more pleasant and efficient experience. Thanks to the staff and the manager of the Bayfield location for putting taxpayers first and treating us like customers instead of the enemy. As for the cold, I was able to see a doctor shortly after getting my temporary healthcare and was good as new a couple of days later.
04 January 2023 11:10
Came to renew my drivers license and replace my health card a few weeks ago. I was served at counter 5 (I think) by a young man with curly hair. He and his colleague were friendly, professional and great.
22 November 2022 19:03
There is literally ZERO parking at this location. I'm hopeful, after my walk, that the service is outstanding as I see in other reviews.
17 October 2022 13:37
Service Ontario itself was absolutely perfect. Clean, quick service. No issues.
The Property manager though was appallingly intrusive. While having the building front security ask what business people accessing in that building is completely valid. What is NOT valid, is that once you tell them who you're there to see, especially in the case of accessing a PUBLIC service, they have ZERO right to ask what business anyone is specifically conducting in a Provincial Office.
And that's what they did. After I said I'm there for Service Ontario, security had the unmitigated and intimidating gall to ask WHAT business i had with Service Ontario. AND, the property manager was sitting there telling me to calm down when I told security they had no right to do that.
Security said it's his job. I said it is not his job to know what I'm doing in Service Ontario. And the property manager is confrontationally provoking me by telling me to calm down.
I was not yelling, swearing (tho not illegal), calling anyone names, directing durogatory comments at them, being in any fashion physically aggressive. This was in the very small foyer with no other people around and therefore not disruptive publicly.
I was using a FIRM, strong voice. And the property manager didn't like that or my contridicting them about the information they had NO right to.
People should NOT have to tell some building security guard and nobody propery manager what their persosnal business is with a Provincial Public Service.
My business was with Service Ontario, not the building owners.
This was an intrusive action against my right to privacy.
And I'm still not telling anyone publicly what I was there for.
I do hope that no one in service ontario told them what I was there for after I left. But I suspect not. They were professional when I was there.
I can see how people would just tell them out of fear for being turned away from accessing their public services. I had that very same fear. That I was going to be denied entrance if I didn't tell some building guy what specific service I was accessing IN the Service Ontario.
Their actions are completely unacceptable.
On a side note: For what should be a publically accessible building for Provincial PUBLIC services, just getting inside appears to be incredibly disruptive. No public washrooms in a public building?
What I suspect is that this area has issues with the public. But the question is why? What's going on there? Aside from the service while IN the actual SO office, I would NEVER return to that location. Accessibility is incredibly intrusive, disruptive, and there's a very oppressive them against you feeling when you get to the front door.
This is all antithetical to what should be a positive accessible Provincial Public Service. It really does seem like they should be working with the City of Barrie to address the socio-economical issues that are causing this building to react in such a negative fashion towards people.
The Property manager though was appallingly intrusive. While having the building front security ask what business people accessing in that building is completely valid. What is NOT valid, is that once you tell them who you're there to see, especially in the case of accessing a PUBLIC service, they have ZERO right to ask what business anyone is specifically conducting in a Provincial Office.
And that's what they did. After I said I'm there for Service Ontario, security had the unmitigated and intimidating gall to ask WHAT business i had with Service Ontario. AND, the property manager was sitting there telling me to calm down when I told security they had no right to do that.
Security said it's his job. I said it is not his job to know what I'm doing in Service Ontario. And the property manager is confrontationally provoking me by telling me to calm down.
I was not yelling, swearing (tho not illegal), calling anyone names, directing durogatory comments at them, being in any fashion physically aggressive. This was in the very small foyer with no other people around and therefore not disruptive publicly.
I was using a FIRM, strong voice. And the property manager didn't like that or my contridicting them about the information they had NO right to.
People should NOT have to tell some building security guard and nobody propery manager what their persosnal business is with a Provincial Public Service.
My business was with Service Ontario, not the building owners.
This was an intrusive action against my right to privacy.
And I'm still not telling anyone publicly what I was there for.
I do hope that no one in service ontario told them what I was there for after I left. But I suspect not. They were professional when I was there.
I can see how people would just tell them out of fear for being turned away from accessing their public services. I had that very same fear. That I was going to be denied entrance if I didn't tell some building guy what specific service I was accessing IN the Service Ontario.
Their actions are completely unacceptable.
On a side note: For what should be a publically accessible building for Provincial PUBLIC services, just getting inside appears to be incredibly disruptive. No public washrooms in a public building?
What I suspect is that this area has issues with the public. But the question is why? What's going on there? Aside from the service while IN the actual SO office, I would NEVER return to that location. Accessibility is incredibly intrusive, disruptive, and there's a very oppressive them against you feeling when you get to the front door.
This is all antithetical to what should be a positive accessible Provincial Public Service. It really does seem like they should be working with the City of Barrie to address the socio-economical issues that are causing this building to react in such a negative fashion towards people.