BONNYVILLE – A new registry office has opened its doors in the Town of Bonnyville.
Feb. 3 marked the official opening for the Bonnyville Registry, which was almost a year after the town’s previous registry office permanently closed due to COVID-19.
When Rick Hetherington saw the province’s request for proposal for a registry office in August 2020, he decided to put his name into the mix because "we knew there was a big need."
Part of the process for the proposal was to secure office space for the registry and Hetherington entered into a lease at the Bonnyville Business Centre.
“We signed and set the space out and then furniture and all the IT equipment had to be ordered and set up,” Hetherington recalled.
Hetherington isn’t a stranger to owning and operating a registry office. He and his wife, Corinne, have owned Tri-Town Registries in Cold Lake for 10 years.
“It’s a fresh start, a new business, and we’re looking to serve Bonnyville really well and give Bonnyville a good registry,” he expressed, adding it’s important for them to be involved in the community.
“We want to be a corporate citizen, support the community where we can, and give back where we can.”
The 4816 - 51 Ave. location offers a number of services, including vehicle registration, driver licensing, corporate searches, annual return filing, birth certificates, marriage documents, land titles, Alberta Health Care registration, road tests, and learners' exams.
The office's hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the office is closed on statutory holidays.
The new location came after the previous registry office saw a number of concerns raised by local councils and residents due to reduced hours and staffing shortages. Town of Bonnyville council penned a letter to the province in 2020 echoing these sentiments, which were heightened when the location closed due to the pandemic.
