TORONTO -- Ontario's ombudsman says some positions will be eliminated from the provincial Child and Youth Advocate's staff when the watchdog assumes its duties this spring.
Paul Dube says advocacy-focused jobs with the advocate's office and some support functions will be cut when they take over the office's responsibilities.
Dube says the advocate's office in Thunder Bay will close but he will consult with northern and Indigenous communities to ensure continued access to his services.
The ombudsman says the exact number of positions affected will be determined in the coming weeks.
According to the office's 2017 annual report, which is the latest publicly available, the office employs 80 people.
The Progressive Conservative government announced in its fall fiscal update that it would roll the Child and Youth Advocate's Office into the office of the ombudsman.
The government did not immediately reply to a request for comment but Premier Doug Ford has previously promised that not a single job would be lost through cost-cutting measures.
