Citizenship and Immigration office closing due to cuts

The union that represents federal government workers says the Citizenship and Immigration Canada office in Thunder Bay is closing as of May 31.

Judith Monteith-Farrell, regional representativeof thePublic Service Alliance of Canada said the six full-time employees received notification yesterday. The closure is part of the public service cuts outlined in last month's federal budget.

Monteith-Farrell said four of those employees were seconded from other positions in the public service, and will likely return to those jobs.She said the other two employees will lose their jobs. Monteith-Farrell said there is no word yet on whether they willbe offered employment elsewhere.

The union said offices are closing throughout northern Ontario, including Thunder Bay and Sudbury, which means people seeking immigration, refugee and visaservices will have to access services in Toronto or another city.

Monteith-Farrell said there are many landed immigrants in Thunder Bay.She saidmany people dealing with immigration and refugee issues need in-personservice, rather than dealing with their cases by phone or Internet.