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North Bay losing six government jobs

Six Ontario government jobs will be lost in North Bay as part of a centralization of services by the Management Board Secretariat Shared Services Bureau.
Six Ontario government jobs will be lost in North Bay as part of a centralization of services by the Management Board Secretariat Shared Services Bureau.

Nipissing MPP Monique Smith said 35 MBSSSB jobs are being moved out of the city, but 29 other jobs will be moving in.

Frontline services
Management Board spokesman Jason Wesley said the employment shuffle is part of the Ontario government’s plans to save money by consolidating the jobs in six locations in the province, North Bay, Sudbury, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, Orillia and the Greater Toronto Area.

“The government will be redirecting money now spent on administration to frontline services such as smaller class sizes and shorter waiting lists for medical care,” Wesley said.

But Don Ford, communications officer for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents the employees, calls the move a “downsizing” exercise by the government.

“We’re not to pleased about this,” said Ford, adding most of the people affected by the decision are women, some of whom are second income earners.

“They always use the same line about smaller classes and health care, like they’re reading from the script."

Kept confidential
Derek Shogren, president of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber was contacted by the Management Board Secretariat in Toronto in July requesting relocation packages for 15 families that would be moving to North Bay in August.

At the time the MBS requested it be kept confidential since the employees were not aware of the move to North Bay until the announcement was officially made by the province, Shogren stated in a news release.

Three hundred and twenty jobs—mainly in the area of financial transactions and payroll—will be affected with an estimated saving of $12 million per year, Wesley said, “depending on the number of staff who chose to relocate with their positions.”

Severance package
Employees will have one month to make up their minds whether to relocate with their jobs. If they decide against moving they will be given six months notice, Wesley said.

“As well they’ll be given career transition support, training for new jobs, or certainly they would have direct assignment to existing vacant positions should their skills match those required for the job. Or they could just take a severance package.”

Job postings will put up if employees ultimately decide not to relocate. Wesley said it will still take some time to analyze the full impact of the consolidation.

More jobs
Smith said the province has declared North Bay has been declared “a centre of excellence” for financial transactions and payment processing.

“And if those areas of the government’s operations expand there could be more jobs moving here.”

Shogren remains hopeful that will happen.

"North Bay and area needs to retain these types of jobs to not only expand other existing businesses but to attract new business to our region," Shogren stated in the news release.

Seen very little
He's also concerned that "our voice" is not being heard "to grow our region."

"North Bay and area citizens gave this new government and the MPP our support in the last election," Shogren stated, "and to date we have seen very little positive economic news for our city and region."