Could be 'couple of years' to build up parliamentary policing, Ottawa police chief says
Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs says it could take "a couple of years" to build up a team of officers specifically dedicated to local policing duties in the Parliamentary Precinct in downtown Ottawa.
Stubbs made the comments Tuesday at a technical briefing for Ottawa city councillors regarding the police service's new district policing model pilot project, which launches on Monday. The model breaks Ottawa into four districts — east, west, central and south — with the aim of being able to better manage smaller chunks of the city at any given time.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
During a question and answer period with councillors, Stubbs suggested the police service is working on a fifth district.
"A fifth district that we're going to build, the federal district ... it's going to take a couple of years to build up that team so that it is in place, they're educated and trained about what goes on down there," he said.
The idea would be that these officers would primarily respond to events and issues such as protests, which Stubbs said are becoming more frequent.
"Every year, we plan for Canada Day because that's all hands on deck and we all know that, and that'll continue — it comes every year — but there seems to be more and more of these major events that seem to be popping up every month," he said. "I just don't see it getting any better, in terms of that frequency."
The 2024 federal budget included $50 million in federal funding to the Ottawa Police Service over the next five years to "enhance security" in the area around Parliament Hill, on Wellington Street and Sparks Street, and around the Justice and Confederation buildings.
Discussions around policing areas that are not the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Protective Service have been ongoing since the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest, which shut down Wellington Street and many other parts of downtown for three weeks. The Ottawa Police Service was in charge of policing nearly all areas where the protesters were encamped.
A "federal district" might also keep officers from other parts of the city, particularly rural areas, from having to go downtown to assist in policing duties, Stubbs suggested.
"There's no doubt that sometimes in the rural communities, that they sometimes get tapped, but often it is in the downtown core," he said. "But it will take time. A couple of years. We'll have to build this up."
Stubbs also mentioned that the police service is working to hire more than 400 new officers between now and 2026, but he said funding, finding recruits, and ensuring there are enough spaces at the Ontario Police College for those recruits are all challenges in reaching that goal.
Last year, the police force hired 87 new recruits, falling short of its goal of 107. Thirty-two new recruits were hired in the first three months of 2024.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot multiple times in attempted assassination
Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'crypto king' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here's how to stay focused: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.