Long lines and long waits as Service NB reopens to the public

On Monday morning, Service New Brunswick offices saw the type of lines usually found at aconcert box office.

Dozens of people queued for hours, in lines thatsometimes stretched for blocks, as SNB locations across the province opened their doors to the public for the first time since the pandemic lockdown in March.

Until now, an appointment was needed to get inside, a precaution taken during an earlier phase of recovery after more stringent COVID-19 restrictions.

On reopening day, some people in Fredericton reportedwaiting more than three hours to complete theirprovincialpaperwork.

"We waited for about an hour and a half," said Abagail Doucette, who is getting married next week and needed to get a marriage licence. "As soon as we went in, it only took 10 or 15 minutes, and we were done."

SNB staff worked the lines to ensure physical distancing was being maintained. Workers also checked in with those waiting to see if they could be served online or over the phone instead.

The long lineups were not unexpected.

"It's actually as predicted," saidRob Horwood, the vice-president ofpublic services for SNB.

"These are our standard July lineups," he said. "The one difference is we don't have as much social-distancing capabilities inside thecentres, so those folks are now lined up outside."

Service New Brunswick offices across the province return to normal operating hours

4 years ago

Duration 1:12

Service New Brunswick offices across the province reopened Monday. Some people who joined the lineups waited more than three hours for service.

Horwood said all 32 SNB locations are nowreceivingwalk-ins. He pointed toShediacas having perhaps the most demand, with long lines and waits, while the location in Grand Fallssurprisinglyonly had about 10 people waiting for service on Monday morning.

He said the transfer of vehicle ownership isthe most common issue bringing customers to Service New Brunswik, as peopletry to catch up paperwork that had been delayed due to COVID-19.

The number of peoplephysicallygoing to Service New Brunswick has greatly relieved the demand on thegovernment'stele-services.

Last week, New Brunswickers reported waiting on hold for hours just to get anappointmentto go to an SNB location. Horwood said the time on hold was reduced to four minutes Monday morning.

And despite the long waits people have been understanding so far.

"When we checked in around the province, people are being very 'Canadian' and very agreeable," said Horwood. "But it's also going to get warmer, so we're sensitive to that as well."

He suggested wait times could shrink in a few days or a week.

"For Service New Brunswick, generally,Monday is always our busiest day, or the day after a holiday," said Horwood. "Soif you can avoid a Monday or the day after a holiday, that's always your best course of action."