Former Ottawa police chief Vern White resigns from Senate
Former Ottawa police chief Vern White is leaving the Senate about a decade after being appointed to the job.
White’s office said he is resigning effective Sunday.
The 63-year-old was eligible to serve in the Senate until 2034, when he turns 75. But White said Thursday it was never his plan to serve until the mandatory retirement age.
“When I came to the Senate I said that I would not serve until 75. At the time I’d anticipated six to nine years,” he told CTV News. “COVID kind of pushed me an extra year, so it’s 10 years.
“I think I’ll find something else that gives me some passion, and the Senate right now is not doing it.”
Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed White to the Red Chamber in 2012. Before then, White was the Ottawa police chief for five years, and served as Durham police chief and for many years in the RCMP before that.
White said he’s not leaving the Senate unhappy, saying the role gave him “a great level of enjoyment.”
“I think the Senate is operating as well or even better than it has in the past,” he said. “I’m not leaving dissatisfied. It’s just time to find something I’m passionate about.”
White said he is moving to northern Finland, where his family has had a home for over a decade and his wife and daughter remain. The family spent the summer there and his daughter is enrolled in a local school.
White said he plans to do some guest lecturing and consulting.
“For now, it’s a place for us to rest our heads and enjoy life.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.