Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly resigns amid ongoing protests

Peter Sloly has resigned as Ottawa police chief amid ongoing anti-mandate protests in the nation’s capital, now in their third-straight week.

The demonstrations that have taken over the downtown core of the city near Parliament Hill have led to significant criticism of the Ottawa police’s handling of the situation. Sloly has shouldered much of the blame for trucks being allowed to clog city streets, and officers not enforcing the law.

“It is with a heavy heart I am announcing I have stepped down as Chief of the Ottawa Police Service,” Sloly said in a statement on Tuesday. “Two years ago, I took on this role with a challenge to deliver change. Together, we brought forward a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing, overhauled the Ottawa Police Service culture, and built a service that better reflects the diversity of the community we serve.

“It has been a difficult journey, but I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished,” he added.

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Sloly says he’s done everything he possibly can to keep the city of Ottawa safe during the demonstrations, adding it’s his belief the Ottawa Police Service “is now better positioned to end this occupation.”

The resignation comes one day after the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act to give police more powers to try and end the demonstrations in Ottawa and at border crossings across the country.

“I want to first thank Peter Sloly for his 30-plus years serving the Toronto and Ottawa police services. His dedication to public service is well-known by the many colleagues, community groups and residents he has worked with throughout his career,” said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

“Unfortunately, it had become clear that many members of the Police Board, City Council and the general public were not satisfied with the response of the police in bringing the occupation to an end.”

Watson says Steve Bell will replace Sloly on an interim basis.

“While I do not sit on the Police Board, I support the decision made to accept Chief Sloly’s resignation and to appoint Steve Bell as Interim Chief of the Ottawa Police Service,” Watson said.

“I have full confidence in the men and women of the Ottawa Police Service, and I look forward to working with Interim Chief Bell, as well as our federal and provincial partners, to bring this occupation to an end in the near future.”

Here is the statement from Ottawa Mayor @JimWatsonOttawa on the resignation of Police Chief Sloly #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/WtUODdySYW

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) February 15, 2022

An Ontario judge also granted an injunction on Monday to enforce noise and idling bylaws in Ottawa. City solicitor David White requested the injunction last week, saying the protesters were flagrantly violating bylaws against relentless noise, idling of trucks, setting off fireworks, and open-air fires.

Watson was scheduled to hold a special meeting this afternoon to discuss the ongoing convoy demonstration and occupation in his city. That meeting has since been cancelled.

Council was set to talk about the impacts of the protests on residents and businesses. On Sunday night, Watson said the city struck a deal with protesters that would see them move out of residential areas in the next 24 hours.

Watson’s office says while some trucks have moved out of residential areas, others are still there.

He asked protest organizers to relocate the trucks to an area around Parliament Hill by noon Monday, but his office says he understands it could take up to 72 hours to speak to each trucker individually.

Sparks flew in the House of Commons today over the ongoing convoy protests and the government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh told Question Period that all levels of government have failed to take this crisis seriously. He also pointed out that Indigenous and racialized Canadians are seeing a double standard in the way they’ve been treated compared to the truck protesters.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said earlier that the blockades are “driven by an ideology to overthrow the government.”

With files from the Canadian Press