Peter Sloly has resigned as Ottawa’s police chief and will publicly announce his resignation after the Ottawa Police Services Board meeting today, sources tell CBC News.
The former chief has been criticized over his handling of a truck convoy protest that has caused major disruptions to Ottawa’s downtown core.
In his resignation letter, Sloly said that he was proud of his ability to overhaul the force’s culture to better reflect the “diversity of the community we serve.” He also said that he was leaving the force confident that it can handle the protests.
“Since the onset of this demonstration, I have done everything possible to keep this city safe and put an end to this unprecedented and unforeseeable crisis,” he said. “We have acquired new resources and enforcement tools, and stood up the new Integrated Command Centre.
“I am confident the Ottawa Police Service is now better positioned to end this occupation.”
Please see my statement below. <a href=”https://t.co/2tfUDPiKTI”>pic.twitter.com/2tfUDPiKTI</a>
Sloly’s resignation comes as sources tell CBC News he’s been accused of bullying and volatile behaviour that has damaged relations with senior leadership and compromised the force’s ability to cope with the truck protest.
Multiple sources have told CBC News that Sloly allegedly belittled and berated senior Ottawa Police Service officers in front of their colleagues, and has failed to put forward a solid operations plan to end the crisis.
Sources say he allegedly has come into conflict with members of the OPP and RCMP tasked with assisting the city’s law enforcement efforts during the crisis.
Sources both inside and outside the police service said Sloly has a short fuse and is quick to yell at members of his senior leadership team.
Since the protest and subsequent occupation of downtown Ottawa began, at least three incident response commanders have been reassigned after working with Sloly, the sources said.
Security expert says Sloly resignation should prompt investigation
7 hours ago
Duration 5:11
Former national security analyst Stephanie Carvin said she hopes Peter Sloly’s resignation as Ottawa police chief prompts an investigation into why protesters were able to establish such a foothold in the city, and why police didn’t enforce the law. 5:11
One incident commander who was reassigned described Sloly as having no rationale for his decisions.
“This will all come out in a review,” another reassigned incident commander told CBC News. “I can’t say any more.”
The sources spoke to CBC News on condition they not be named because of concerns about career repercussions.
Chief sidesteps allegations
CBC News emailed Sloly and the Ottawa Police Service on Sunday and multiple times on Monday to seek comment on the allegations. The response provided to CBC News did not directly address or refute the allegations levelled against him by multiple sources.
“Chief Sloly and the Ottawa Police Service have been working, with our policing partners, around the clock for three weeks to end this illegal occupation of our city,” the statement said.
WATCH | Ottawa councillor unsurprised by Sloly’s resignation:
City councillor not surprised by resignation of police chief amid protest ‘paralysis’
4 hours ago
Duration 1:29
Coun. Catherine McKenney says residents were upset about a lack of police enforcement that allowed protesters to occupy residential neighbourhoods, criticism that ultimately led to calls for change in police leadership. 1:29
“This unprecedented situation, well beyond the experience of any municipal policing body in Canada, has put tremendous strain on all our officers.”
The statement said the Ottawa Police Service is working with the OPP and RCMP to establish a joint incident command that it says will see more resources and expertise made available to help end what many are calling the occupation of the nation’s capital.
“In future there will be an opportunity for a full review of the operation, but right now it is time to work together with our partners and focus on ending this illegal occupation,” the statement said.
OPS media relations told CBC News no one was available for an interview.
A protester sings on a stage as another works on a giant TV screen in front of Parliament Hill on Friday, Feb. 11. What began as a truck convoy to protest COVID-19 public health measures has grown into a broader anti-government protest that Sloly suggested Ottawa police were not equipped to deal with. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
The Globe and Mail recently noted that while Sloly has faced criticism for his handling of some issues, he was not known in policing circles as someone quick to resort to heavy-handed measures.
During a special meeting of the Ottawa Police Services Board Friday, police board chair Coun. Diane Deans defended Sloly’s response to the crisis, saying that despite requests for help issued to the province and the federal government the OPS still did not have the resources it needed to end the occupation of the city.
The Ottawa Police Service is “working tirelessly with the resources they have and there has been some progress. There have been over 1,700 tickets issued, there have been at least 25 arrests, police have been working to seize fuel, they’ve made progress on clamping down on the encampment at Coventry Rd. and in Confederation Park, but it’s not enough,” Deans said at the meeting.
“We do not have the resource requirement that we have asked for at this point.”
Deans declined an interview request from CBC News Monday when asked about specific allegations related to Sloly’s behaviour as chief of police.
WATCH | Police board chair criticizes Ottawa police response to ‘carnival of chaos’:
Chair of Ottawa police board criticizes response to ‘carnival of chaos’ downtown
3 hours ago
Duration 1:04
Coun. Diane Deans, chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board, criticized the Ottawa Police Service for failing to quell the ongoing protests despite having weeks to put together an enforcement plan. 1:04
‘Ottawa Police Service is paralyzed’
Police and provincial sources have told CBC News that the Ottawa Police Service’s failure to provide the OPP and the RCMP with a firm operational plan for the 1,800 officers it has asked for has delayed the arrival of those extra officers.
Sources within and outside the OPS say they are concerned the force’s leadership is burned out and has reached a breaking point.
“Right now the Ottawa Police Service is paralyzed,” one source told CBC News. “They are paralyzed at the front line. They’ve been waiting for directions from the senior leadership team and are frustrated with how they’re being viewed by the public because of the spectacular failure of their leader.”
Just days into the protest, Sloly suggested that his force was not equipped to deal with it.
“The longer this goes on, the more I am convinced there may not be a police solution to this demonstration,” he said.
A protester yells ‘Freedom!’ at a person who attempted to stick a paper sign on a truck criticizing the convoy protest on its 18th day in Ottawa on Monday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Sloly became chief of the Ottawa Police Service in October, 2019 with a mandate to help the force address systemic racism, improve its response to mental health calls and rebuild trust with the city’s Black community.
About a month after he took the position, a report found that Ottawa police were stopping a disproportionate number of people of colour in traffic stops.
In response to that report, Sloly, a Jamaican-born person of colour who had served 27 years on the Toronto police force, said he wanted to eliminate racism from the Ottawa Police Service.
“We should all have that sense of fierce urgency. Not enough is being done, it’s not being done fast enough and it’s not being done well enough,” Sloly said.
WATCH | Emergency preparedness Minister Bill Blair ‘saddened’ by Sloly’s resignation:
Emergency preparedness minister reacts to news of Ottawa police chief’s resignation
7 hours ago
Duration 2:11
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair says the federal government will continue to work with local police to put an end to the convoy protests. 2:11
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
