Residents hurled accusations of incompetence and public silencing at the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) on Monday night as it met for the time in-person since the pandemic began.
The meeting was also the first public meeting following the “Freedom Convoy” protest that shut down downtown Ottawa for three weeks.
Members heard sharp criticism from more than a dozen people about what they felt was a lacklustre police response to the convoy.
“I myself literally walked up to these officers and said, ‘That person is carrying a jerrycan, is that not allowed?’ And I have never in my life been in a conversation with a police officer so unwilling to do their job,” said Peter Knowlton, an Ottawa resident who spoke at the meeting.
Other speakers, like Jonathan Carlson, a graduate student at Carleton University, criticized the board for cancelling a meeting on Feb. 28 that would have seen more than 80 public speakers.
“This body owes the people of Ottawa an apology for silencing the public which puts food on your families’ tables in a time of crisis and collective trauma,” Carlson said.
Following the speakers and a brief discussion, the board passed an amended motion inviting the city’s auditor general to lead a review of the Ottawa Police Service’s response to the convoy, with the intention to incorporate any recommendations into Canada Day 2022 planning.
Interim police chief Steve Bell said “my mind isn’t on Canada Day yet,” as there are prior demonstrations that require attention, including a National March for Life in May and ongoing convoy demonstrations.
The board also passed a motion that cancelled the recruitment process for a third deputy chief of police. The motion directed the recruitment process for a new chief and deputy chief of police to begin after the board and the city complete their reviews of the convoy response.
Kitchissippi councillor Jeff Leiper, a newly appointed member of the board, voted against the motion, saying that a new chief should be hired after the upcoming municipal election in late October.
“I think it’s very important that the voters of Ottawa have an opportunity to weigh in on the role that they consider police should be playing in the city before we hire a chief,” Leiper said.
The board’s membership has undergone a complete and dramatic overhaul since the convoy left. Former chair and Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans was ousted during a city council meeting on Feb. 16 and replaced by West Carleton-March Coun. Eli El-Chantiry.
Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King, Gloucester-South Nepean Coun. Carol Anne Meehan and citizen member Sandy Smallwood resigned the same day in protest.
The upheaval continued in March as all three provincially appointed members of the board resigned following media reports that one of the members, Robert Swaita, attended the convoy in support.
The new board includes Leiper, El-Chantiry, Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry and civilian Suzanne Valiquet.
They are joined by three new provincial appointees: Peter Henschel, a former RCMP deputy commissioner; Salim Fakirani, a federal Department of Justice lawyer; and Michael Doucet, former executive director of the Security Intelligence Review Committee, now known as National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.
Public speakers also criticized El-Chantiry for deciding to make the meeting in-person rather than a hybrid, arguing that the decision limited accessibility.
“I’m diabetic, I’m hungry and my blood sugar is going down. People have jobs. Who do these people think having a meeting at four o’clock is an accessible time for the residents of Ottawa?” Carlson said in an interview after the meeting. “Not having it over Zoom is a great way to set people up to not be able to come.”
Sam Hersh, a board member with local advocacy group Horizon Ottawa, said he considered not coming to the meeting as he has long COVID. He was driven by a friend but said he found El-Chantiry’s decision “hypocritical” as he represents a rural ward.
“I think his residents would probably benefit greatly from having hybrid meetings where people are able to come virtually because they’re all the way out there,” Hersh said.
El-Chantiry said running a hybrid meeting is “labour-intensive,” but added he hopes by next weekend there will be “more clarity” on how to achieve a hybrid model.
The next OPSB meeting is scheduled to take place on March 28 at 4 p.m.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
