Former Ottawa police chief Sloly to break silence on 'Freedom Convoy'
The public will hear from Ottawa's former police chief next week for the first time since he resigned at the height of the 'Freedom Convoy' occupation of downtown Ottawa.
Peter Sloly is scheduled to appear as a witness at a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
The committee is looking into expanding federal jurisdiction of security in the parliamentary precinct to include sections of Wellington Street and Sparks Street. Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill has been closed since the protest.
Along with Sloly, Sen. Vern White, another former Ottawa police chief, is listed as a witness.
Sloly resigned on Feb. 15 amid heavy criticism of his handling of the protests that took over downtown Ottawa. At the time of his resignation, the protest was entering its third week and the federal government had invoked the Emergencies Act the previous day.
The following weekend, police moved in to break up the protest.
Sloly was Ottawa’s first Black police chief and faced pushback in some of his efforts to make the service more progressive, such as when he acknowledged the existence of systemic racism in policing in an op-ed in September 2020.
Sloly said in a statement at the time he was stepping down "with a heavy heart."
"Since the onset of this demonstration, I have done everything possible to keep this city safe and put an end to this unprecedented and unforseeable crisis," he said.
His departure prompted upheaval on the city's police services board.
Chair Diane Deans was ousted when she tried to bring in a new police chief after Sloly’s departure, and other members resigned amid that turmoil. The province’s three appointees all resigned after it came to light that one of them attended the convoy protest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.