Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he does not agree with a finding of the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) that was critical of his government's actions during the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.
And he all but suggested former mayor Jim Watson and former police chief Peter Sloly failed in their respective duties.
Commissioner Paul Rouleau wrote that a lack of engagement by the premier had residents of Ottawa feeling abandoned by their provincial government.
"I find the province of Ontario’s reluctance to become fully engaged in such efforts directed at resolving the situation in Ottawa troubling," Rouleau wrote.
Neither Ford nor then-Solicitor General Sylvia Jones participated in the mandated inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act during the protest, despite being called to testify. Ford cited parliamentary privilege as a reason he and Jones could not testify, as the legislature was in session.
Ford was asked about the report, which was released Feb. 17, at a media conference in Vaughan on Tuesday. He said he disagreed with the commissioner's finding.
"Well, that's their opinion; it's the furthest from the truth," he said. "We were on this every single day."
The commission found Ford refused to participate in tripartite discussions with Ottawa and the federal government, based on the view that the convoy was "protesting a federal vaccine mandate on Parliament’s doorstep." However, many protesters were opposed to all vaccine-related mandates, the majority of which were provincial in nature. Ford had told Watson he didn't believe political meetings would be productive, and that the protest was an issue for law enforcement.
Ford thanked OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique and the police officers who were deployed to the city during the protests before offering a comment comparing Ottawa to Toronto, which also saw a brief convoy-related protest.
"I'm just going to phrase it this way: the mayor of Ottawa and the police chief, they had their jobs; the mayor of Toronto, Mayor (John) Tory, and (Interim) Chief (James) Ramer, they had their jobs. It was night and day," Ford said.
The convoy protest in Toronto on Feb. 5, a week into the ongoing situation in Ottawa, did not turn into the occupation that was seen in the nation's capital. Toronto police closed several roads and did not allow large vehicles to access the area around Queen's Park, in contrast to Ottawa police letting trucks onto Wellington Street in front of the Parliament buildings. Ford suggested the city of Toronto made better decisions.
"When the convoy came to Toronto, they came, they did their little protest and they were gone because Chief Ramer had operational experience, he was ready. Mayor Tory did a great job and that's about as far as I'm going to say about the folks in Ottawa. The people who were in charge are no longer there."
Sloly resigned while the convoy protesters were still entrenched in the core and Watson did not seek re-election last October.
Ford's actions during the protest, or perceived lack thereof, became a point of political tension in the legislature in the days after the report's release, with the opposition NDP accusing the premier of "ghosting" residents of Ottawa. Rouleau's report said greater collaboration between all levels of government could have helped iron out jurisdictional troubles that plagued the early response.
While the province did provide documents to the POEC and some senior officials testified, the lack of testimony from Ford and Jones put the commission at a "regrettable disadvantage in its understanding of Ontario’s perspective," Rouleau said. The premier's greater focus was on the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, which was disrupting trade between Canada and the United States.
Ford wouldn't comment further on the convoy response in Ottawa. While he did not name Watson or Sloly during his response, he said he would "leave it at that" before ending his media availability.
The report found a series of operational failures by the Ottawa Police Service led to the protest spinning out of control. A separate audit by the city’s auditor general said a lack of communication between the police and the city also contributed.
Approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged by the wildfire that began burning Sunday in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area, according to preliminary estimates.
Danielle Smith is still the premier of Alberta, surviving a vigorous campaign and a tight vote Monday against NDP challenger Rachel Notley.
Top artificial intelligence executives including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday joined experts and professors in raising the 'risk of extinction from AI,' which they urged policymakers to equate at par with risks posed by pandemics and nuclear war.
New investigative book 'Unbroken' shares the stories of families raising awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada.
If indeed a majority of the House of Commons says David Johnston has to step down, he'll have no choice but he shouldn’t wait to be shoved. He should leave graciously while he still can, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
Carla White is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to move forward, the developer must reach an agreement with White -- and she says she won't leave until she's provided with a home that offers the long-term stability she needs to ensure she won't end up back on the streets.
An all-white giant panda was recently spotted on surveillance video at the Wolong National Nature Reserve, in China's Sichuan province.
Opening a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) is a great way to fund your child’s future education. Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew outlines the contribution rules for RESPs and explains how to find out how much contribution room you have left so that you can avoid penalties.
A 14-legged giant isopod is the highlight of a new dish at a ramen restaurant in Taipei and it has people queuing up—both for pictures and for a bite from this bowl of noodles.
Approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged by the wildfire that began burning Sunday in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area, according to preliminary estimates.
As wildfires grew and traveled through the suburban area northwest of Halifax, some of the 16,000 evacuated residents say they received confusing advice about what to do.
An out-of-control wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Shelburne County has grown to more than 10,300 hectares.
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass has garnered social media attention once again after sharing an anti-LGBTQ2S+ video on his Instagram.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie hopes the city will support calling on the federal government to change the lyrics of “O Canada.”
A busy Hamilton street has once again taken the top spot in the Canadian Automotive Association’s (CAA) annual Worst Roads in Ontario campaign.
The City of Montreal announced Tuesday that it would develop over four dozen projects aimed at expanding and improving the metropolis's bike path network. The 53 projects estimated to cost $30 million will develop and upgrade 59.1 kilometres in the cycling network, spanning 14 boroughs and four other municipalities, the city said in a news release.
Carla White is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to move forward, the developer must reach an agreement with White -- and she says she won't leave until she's provided with a home that offers the long-term stability she needs to ensure she won't end up back on the streets.
Montreal recorded its first 30-degree temperature of the year on Sunday, and the city could see three more days in the 30s later this week.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is reporting nine active wildfires in northeastern Ontario on Monday.
An Ontario Provincial Police officer and a school bus driver are dead after a violent crash north of Woodstsock Monday morning.
Carla White is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to move forward, the developer must reach an agreement with White -- and she says she won't leave until she's provided with a home that offers the long-term stability she needs to ensure she won't end up back on the streets.
Messages of support continue to come in following the death of an OPP officer and a school bus driver. Both were killed in a crash when their vehicles collided at Oxford Road 33 and Highway 59 northwest of Woodstock.
Those at risk of being impacted by poor air quality are kids and the elderly with underlying medical conditions such as lung or heart disease.
A man and a woman are facing multiple charges after they allegedly brandished a handgun and made threats against a victim in an east London, Ont. home over the weekend, police said.
The number of crimes in Winnipeg increased by more than 25 per cent in 2022, which includes a record number of homicides, a spike in the use of bear spray as a weapon, and an uptick in property crimes.
Winnipeg police say the driver of a motorcycle is in stable condition after a serious crash that shut down a section of Lagimodiere Boulevard.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
Messages of support continue to come in following the death of an OPP officer and a school bus driver. Both were killed in a crash when their vehicles collided at Oxford Road 33 and Highway 59 northwest of Woodstock.
Roads in the cities of Guelph, Waterloo and Stratford have ranked as the worst roads in Western Ontario.
Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party won the election last night but the Alberta NDP made some inroads in Calgary, the city where most of the month-long campaign was fought.
Danielle Smith is still the premier of Alberta, surviving a vigorous campaign and a tight vote Monday against NDP challenger Rachel Notley.
The NDP has been elected or leads in all Edmonton ridings early Tuesday morning after the UCP won a majority government in Alberta late Monday night.
The Blades drafted Benjamin Bowtell in the sixth round of the 2023 Bantam Draft back in April.
A memorial, featuring bouquets and a "ghost bike" now stands at the intersection where a Saskatoon teacher was killed last week.
In a province where there are vast distances between cities and towns, one local group is hoping to get public support for an idea to bridge those gaps with a rail line.
Danielle Smith is still the premier of Alberta, surviving a vigorous campaign and a tight vote Monday against NDP challenger Rachel Notley.
The NDP has been elected or leads in all Edmonton ridings early Tuesday morning after the UCP won a majority government in Alberta late Monday night.
Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party won the election last night but the Alberta NDP made some inroads in Calgary, the city where most of the month-long campaign was fought.
The widow of a man who died trying to save a dog from drowning in West Vancouver is remembering her husband as a brave man with endless compassion.
Danielle Smith is still the premier of Alberta, surviving a vigorous campaign and a tight vote Monday against NDP challenger Rachel Notley.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The first twister of 2023 in the country touched down near Regina over the weekend, according to an analysis from the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP).
Weyburn and Fillmore RCMP are at the scene of a serious collision involving multiple vehicles on Highway 13 about 16 kilometres east of Weyburn.
One person from Estevan, Sask. is dead and another is seriously injured following a collision between a pickup truck and a motorcycle on May 28 near Fortuna, North Dakota.
