Passport pickup complicated by Canada Place closure

A water issue in Canada Place in downtown Edmonton continues to plague passport services for northern Albertans.

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Since the federal government announced a leak in the building on Thursday, people needing passport help have been directed to the Service Canada office in Londonderry Mall in north Edmonton.

A spokesperson from the Canada's public services department confirmed to CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday that Canada Place reopened to the public Friday morning, but as of Tuesday, "some tenants located on the main and concourse levels remain closed and the space they occupy will require remediation."

They did not name the Service Canada centre specifically, but the office is located on the main floor and the Service Canada website continued on Tuesday to direct people to Londonderry Mall.

CTV News Edmonton requested more information from the employment and social development ministry.

The situation has turned getting and renewing a passport into an hours-long – and for some people, days-long – struggle.

"(On Monday,) I went to the Canada office downtown and they directed us here to Londonderry. And then when I got here, the line was half way through the mall," Ryland Desjarlais told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday.

He did not reach the appropriate service counter on Monday and was told to come back when the centre opened at 7 a.m. the next day.

But the resident of Cold Lake, Alta., – three hours northeast of Edmonton – heard other people were planning on lining up at 6 a.m., so he came at 5 a.m.

He, his family and some friends are planning to spend Christmas in Mexico.

"It's gotta get done," he said of renewing his passport.

Getting through the line at Londonderry Mall on Tuesday will not be the end of Desjarlais' quest for a new passport, however.

Because passports must be picked up in person during the Canada Post strike, those requesting a passport within nine days must pick it up at the Service Canada centre in Calgary, three hours south of Edmonton, the federal government says.

"I better not," said Slave Lake resident Dale Warriner at Londonderry Mall Tuesday morning upon hearing the information.

Slave Lake is also about a three-hour drive north of Edmonton.

Warriner had not planned to spend Monday night in the capital city but had no choice when he joined the mall queue behind several hundreds, if not one thousand, by his estimate, other people.

"But it's all in the fun – not fun. But you gotta take it as it is," Warriner commented.

The spokesperson from Public Services and Procurement Canada said both the timeline and scope of remediation needed at Canada Place is "still to be determined."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa, Evan Klippenstein and Ali Yusuf