Ottawa police chief resigns after protest response criticism

Ottawa police Chief Peter Sloly has resigned amid criticism that the police response to the trucker-led “Freedom Convoy” protests against COVID-19 restrictions was insufficient, Canadian outlet CBC News reported on Tuesday.

Multiple sources told CBC of Sloly’s resignation and said he would publicly announce it following an Ottawa Police Services Board meeting on Tuesday. According to sources, Sloly has also been accused of bullying and volatile behavior that damaged his relationship with senior leadership, CBC News reported.

In one incident, he allegedly belittled and berated a senior Ottawa police officer, according to multiple sources, who also told the outlet that he has failed to put forward a comprehensive plan for ending the crisis caused by the Freedom Convoy protests.

The Hill has reached out to the Ottawa Police Service for comment.

Sloly’s reported resignation comes after more than two weeks of ongoing protests that began with truckers opposing COVID-19 restrictions in Canada and have spread to cities around the country.

Demonstrators have blocked multiple border crossings between the U.S. and Canada, though a key bridge connecting the two countries was able to reopen on Sunday after police arrested more than two dozen protesters and towed a number of vehicles.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers on Monday in an effort to put an end to the protests. Canadian officials have warned that they may tow vehicles and freeze the bank accounts of those involved in the demonstrations.

“Consider yourselves warned,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a news conference. “Send your rigs home.”