Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly has stepped down amid criticism of his handling of the ongoing trucker protests in downtown Ottawa.
Sloly and the Ottawa police services board reached a “mutually agreeable separation,” board chair Diane Deans told a special meeting on Tuesday. “As such, Chief Sloly is no longer employed with the Ottawa Police Service.”
The downtown protests have reached day 19, with demonstrators encamped on Wellington Street and the surrounding area and showing no signs of leaving.
Sloly said in a statement he is 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.
Deans said she would not comment further on Sloly’s departure because it’s a labour relations matter, but said the board’s priority is to ensure there’s a plan in place to peacefully end the occupation “as expeditiously as possible.”
“The board is already at work to put in place to put in place a new command structure and will be appointing a new chief very soon,” she said.
Deputy Chief Steve Bell has been named interim chief. Bell said Tuesday that with new resources flowing in from other police forces and new emergency tools from upper levels of government, he believes police have reached a turning point.