THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay location of the Office of the Child Advocate will cease operations on Friday, April 5.
The closure of the local office will eliminate about a dozen jobs in the city.
In announcing the closure date, the Ontario Ombudsman's office said all open files will be transferred to the Child Advocate's Toronto office, which will continue to provide advocacy services until it is closed on May 1.
Under a plan first announced by the provincial government last November, the Ombudsman is creating a dedicated child and youth unit which will be staffed by some of the Advocate's existing team.
It's not clear whether any of the Thunder Bay staff are being offered transfers, however.
"Our office is working with affected employees and their union as details of the transition are finalized...We would not comment on whether or not specific people are moving from one position to another," Ombudsman spokesperson Linda Williamson said in an email Tuesday to Tbnewswatch.
The Advocate's Director of Investigations, Diana Cooke, is currently serving as Interim Advocate following the departure last week of Irwin Elman.
Critics such as Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell condemned the decision to eliminate the Office of the Child Advocate.
"Children and youth in care across the northwest, including Indigenous communities, will have nowhere to turn," Monteith-Farrell said in the legislature in February.
Ombudsman Paul Dube has said he plans to consult with northern and Indigenous communities "to ensure they are aware of and can access the Ombudsman's services."
