MONTREAL -- Johanne Savard, who has been the ombudsman of Montreal for the past 16 years, has announced she is stepping down.
Savard said she will stay in the role until her successor is named in order to assure a smooth transition.
Savard became Montreal's first ombudsman - and the first municipal ombudsman in Canada - when the position was created in 2003.
The ombudsman is an independent authority who investigates complaints against the City of Montreal and recommends solutions to problems identified by those investigations.
In a statement Monday, the CIty of Montreal lauded Savard's "exceptional work" and her "rigour, professionalism, tenacity and efficiency."
