New immigrants in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park rely on a nearby ServiceOntario. They worry it will close

Some residents of the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods fear the possible closure of their local ServiceOntario location will disrupt vital access for immigrants and refugees starting life in Canada. 

Their concerns come as the province announced this month that it will close some ServiceOntario centres and move the locations to select Staples Canada stores — a move it says will increase accessibility and customer experience. CBC Toronto asked the province if this specific location was closing and the province did not confirm or deny it.  

However, on Monday, the province announced that the Staples in Leaside — the closest one to Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park neighbourhoods — will be the site of a re-located ServiceOntario. 

When brothers Muhammad and Omar Kinjo arrived in Thorncliffe Park from Turkey in November, one of their first stops was the nearby ServiceOntario to obtain health cards. Their sister Nadima says the location, in the Flemingdon Park Shopping Centre close to Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East, meant they could access the service without taking a crowded bus or asking for a ride. 

"It really saved us time," she told CBC Toronto in Arabic.

"This area is huge and so many people live here, mostly refugees, and new refugees continue to settle here. They need a [ServiceOntario] that is walking distance and not a place that they need to bus to."

The Staples location is about three kilometres east from the current ServiceOntario location — a marginal increase for drivers. But for those who get around on foot, the change in location adds about an extra 20 to 30 minutes to their journey from the centre of Thorncliffe Park or the centre of Flemingdon Park at Deauville Lane and St. Dennis Drive.

Thorncliffe Park is one of the most densely populated and diverse neighbourhoods in Canada, according to the 2016 census. It's a known landing ground for new immigrants and refugees — groups of people that often need support integrating into their new home. 

Nadima says she understands firsthand how challenging resettling in Canada can be and worries for newcomers who will have to navigate walking to a new location if the current ServiceOntario location does close. 

"We got lost a lot when we first moved here," she said, adding that while they used Google maps, if their data was used up, they were stuck.

"And we don't know English to communicate with people to ask for directions."

One community organizer, Omar Khan, has been helping the siblings adjust. He says he works with lots of new immigrants who are reliant on the existing ServiceOntario location, adding newcomers require so many documents and proper ID cards to be able to begin their life. 

Losing the existing ServiceOntario would be "just another slap to the communities of Thorncliffe and Flemingdon," Khan said. 

He notes people in the area already fear losing jobs and the current location of beloved businesses as Metrolinx is placing a permanent rail yard in the neighbourhood.