Member of Ontario premier's transition team faces child porn charges

TORONTO - A former Ontario deputy education minister, who was also on Premier Kathleen Wynne's transition team, has been charged with child pornography offences.

Benjamin Levin, 61, of Toronto, is facing five charges, including two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of making child pornography.

Levin, who is also a professor at the University of Toronto, was arrested Monday after police executed a search warrant at his home.

He's also charged with counselling to commit an indictable offence and arrangement of a sexual offence against a child under 16.

The premier's office has confirmed Levin served on Wynne's transition advisory team but won't comment on the charges.

Wynne's office says the transition team last met June 12 when she thanked Levin and the other members for their work on the campaign that saw her selected to replace outgoing premier Dalton McGuinty.

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  Benjamin Levin, who served on Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne's transition advisory team, is facing five charges, including two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of making child pornography.