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Canada announces four new passport service locations

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The federal government announced the designation of four additional passport pick-up locations across the country as backlogs continue.

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, says Canadians can now apply for an pick up their passport at Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island and Red Deer in Alberta.

The government says unlike the regular Service Canada Centres, the four locations offer 10-day service. If a passport is needed in less than 10 business days, the government says people will need to visit a passport office that offers Express or Urgent pick-up.

The feds say the triage system introduced this summer in 17 of 35 passport offices has made an impact in reducing lineups. It says the average wait time at call centres has also improved, going from a peak of 108 minutes in April to 27 minutes last week.

“Service Canada is working tirelessly to identify and implement solutions that not only improve the speedy delivery of passports, but also improve the service experience for Canadians. We will continue to make our services more accessible for all Canadians,” said Gould in a statement.

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