RED DEER, AB, Aug. 17, 2022 /CNW/ - Service Canada continues to introduce a variety of new measures to improve passport service delivery and decrease wait times for Canadians as it works through unprecedented demands. The triage system introduced this summer in 17 of our 35 passport offices has made a significant impact in reducing lineups and redirecting Canadians to the appropriate means to access service. The average wait time at call centres has also improved, going from a peak of 108 minutes in April to 27 minutes last week.

Today, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Randy Boissonnault, announced the designation of the Red Deer Service Canada Centre as an additional passport pick-up location. Effective immediately, Canadians can now apply for and pick up their passport at the Service Canada Centre in Red Deer. In addition, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, announced three other passport pick-up locations across the country, including:

• Trois-Rivières, Québec
• Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
• Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

In addition to the existing passport offices offering pick-up service, Canadians can now both apply and request in-person pick-up of their passport at these four Service Canada Centres. Unlike the regular Service Canada Centres, these four locations offer 10-day service, which means that Canadians can apply for a passport in one of those four locations and the passport will be available after 10 business days, either by mail or in person pick-up. If Canadians need their passport in less than 10 business days, they will need to visit a passport office that offers Express or Urgent pick-up service.

The expansion of pick-up sites will allow many Canadians who need to pick up passports to do so closer to their homes. Service Canada is fully committed to providing passport services within 50km of the home of Canadians. Also, more scheduled outreach sites that will provide certain passport services will be added in the coming weeks across the country.

"By opening a new passport pick-up location in Red Deer, Service Canada staff are adding capacity, streamlining processes, and putting other solutions in place daily for Albertans. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure Albertans and Canadians have access to timely, efficient, and transparent passport delivery services."

-  Minister Randy Boissonault

• Since April 1, 2022, Service Canada has issued 801,353 passports.
• For the week of August 8 to 14, Service Canada has issued 52,569 passports.
• Started in the week of June 20, triage measures were implemented in 17 passport offices across the country.
• On July 25, Service Canada expanded the passport pick-up service to 5 additional passport offices: Brampton, Whitby, Pointe-Claire, Calgary Sundance and Richmond.
• On July 29, Service Canada announced that Canadians who provided a duly completed application by mail more than 20 business days ago, and are travelling within the next 20 business days, can visit any of over 300 Service Canada Centers to make a transfer request to ensure their application is processed in time for their travel.

Canadian passports and travel documents 
Find a Service Canada Office
Welcome to the eServiceCanada Appointment Booking Tool
Passport program statistics 
Improving passport processing 
Canadian passport program on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter 

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada