More child porn charges laid against former provincial deputy education minister

TORONTO – A man who once held the post of deputy education minister in Ontario and Manitoba is facing more charges in a child pornography investigation.

Benjamin Levin, who was also on Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s transition team as she took office earlier this year, is facing two new charges in addition to five laid on Monday.

The latest charges of possessing child pornography and accessing child pornography were laid as the 61-year-old appeared in court today for a bail hearing.

Levin, a University of Toronto professor, was arrested on Monday.

Toronto police say the investigation, which began a few months ago, is still ongoing and has involved authorities in London, Ont., and New Zealand.

Levin’s lawyer says he plans to “vigorously” fight the charges.

The Ontario government has confirmed that Levin served on the premier’s transition advisory team but hasn’t commented on the charges except to say that it takes allegations like those against Levin “extremely seriously.”

Levin served under former Premier Dalton McGuinty as deputy minister of education from late 2004 to early 2007.

He also served as Manitoba’s deputy minister of advanced education and deputy minister of education, training and youth between 1999 and 2002.

He has most recently been working as a professor and research chair in education and leadership at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.