Former Waterloo police chief hired as Ottawa chief withdraws
A former Waterloo police chief who was hired for Ottawa’s top job, only to have the person who hired him turfed from her position, has withdrawn from the job.
Coun. Diane Deans was turfed as police services board chair Wednesday night after she hired Matt Torigian to replace Chief Peter Sloly, who resigned earlier this week amid the trucker convoy protests.
Torigian signed a contract and was due to start the job in the next few days. But he has withdrawn and won’t be asking for any compensation, Mayor Jim Watson said in a memo to the police board on Thursday.
Torigian wrote to council and the board saying he had offered his services to the city after Deans, the now-former board chair, asked him to.
“We thank Mr. Torigian for his gracious offer and decision to withdraw his offer of services and to seek no compensation for doing so,” said the memo from Watson and new board chair Eli El-Chantiry. “On behalf of Ottawa City Council, the OPS Board and all residents, we thank Mr. Torigian for his extremely gracious handling of this difficult situation.”
Council voted 15-9 to remove Deans from the board after she decided to hire Tourigian in a sole-sourced deal without consulting councillors or the mayor.
Deans said given Chief Peter Sloly’s departure as chief earlier in the week, police leadership needed to be quickly bolstered by bringing in outside help.
The board unanimously supported her decision. Three of those board members resigned in protest Wednesday.
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