Service Canada will be opening a new office on a three-month trial basis in the Ralph Klein Centre in mid-January.
Service Canada will be sharing an office with Alberta Works and offering services one day per month. The plan is to begin offering service on Jan. 16 and the other days the office will be open are Feb. 20 and March 20.
The office will offer services in areas such as old age security benefits, employment insurance benefits, Canada Pension Plan and services regarding social insurance numbers.
Currently, people in Olds must access these services in either Red Deer or Calgary.
The office will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Mayor Judy Dahl said discussions between Service Canada and town officials had been ongoing for several months prior to the decision.
“That's pretty positive to know that all those soft needs that people are travelling out of our community for are now going to be available right here in their hometown for those people that don't drive, can't drive or can't afford to drive,” Dahl said.
Town officials have worked diligently with the provincial and federal governments to bring a variety of social services to town, Dahl said. She pointed to the Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre, which is scheduled to open an office in early 2014, as an example of the community slowly adding more social services.
“That is a mandate that we've worked very hard at,” she said.
