Province shuts down ServiceOntario kiosks

Ontario is permanently shutting down its ServiceOntario kiosk system after a thorough investigation into safety and security issues, the province said in a news release.

All services previously provided at kiosks are available online — including licence plate sticker renewals and address change requests.

The government shut down all 72 kiosks in June after financial partners advised of potential debit and credit card skimming activities at kiosks in the Toronto area. Closing the kiosks permanently will help protect Ontarians' financial information and will immediately save taxpayers about $6.3 million in one-time upgrading costs and $2.2 million in annual maintenance costs.

“After months of careful analysis, consultation and testing of multiple options, it has been determined that even if we spend millions on security improvements, the kiosks would still be vulnerable to high-tech crime,” said Harinder Takhar, minister of Government Services. “We encourage our customers to go online – where it is faster, easier and more secure – to get the services they need.”