LIVE PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMISSION INQUIRY Day 13 - October 31, 2022
Former Ottawa police chief attributes attacks on him to 'rumour'
Protest leader appearances follow testimony from city officials, police
"Everything asserted about me has come through a rumour or something that went around the station," Sloly told the Emergencies Act inquiry Monday during his second day of his testimony.
Sloly took questions from Ottawa Police Service lawyer David Migicovsky on Monday as part of the inquiry investigating the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in February to bring an end to the weeks-long demonstration.
The Public Order Emergency Commission has heard conflicting testimony from members of the Ottawa police and the Ontario Provincial Police about Sloly's approach to policing the protest and the planning in place before the first weekend.
WATCH | Former Ottawa police chief says he did not manage his own email
Sloly took questions from Ottawa Police Service lawyer David Migicovsky on Monday as part of the inquiry investigating the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act in February to bring an end to the weeks-long demonstration.
The Public Order Emergency Commission has heard conflicting testimony from members of the Ottawa police and the Ontario Provincial Police about Sloly's approach to policing the protest and the planning in place before the first weekend.
Migicovsky suggested multiple times that Sloly was preoccupied with concerns he'd lose his job and didn't want to be the scapegoated.
"You were pretty concerned that you would lose your job," said Migicovsky. "What you were looking for was to blame somebody else."
"Absolutely not, sir," Sloly responded.
'I don't manage my email inbox:' Sloly
On Friday the former chief told the commission he first learned a crowd of protesters were travelling to Ottawa on Jan. 13, when he received a report on the "freedom convoy" from Project Hendon, an intelligence sharing network led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Sloly said he recalls forwarding that report to deputies. An email chain confirming that claim has not been entered into evidence.
The OPP continued to send the Ottawa police Hendon reports warning of "fringe ideologies" active within the protest movement and noting that organizers did not have an exit strategy to end the protest.
Sloly told the commission that he wasn't able to read everything in his inbox and sometimes skimmed the reports.
"I don't manage my email inbox, I have an [executive assistant] that supports that," said Sloly.
Migicovsky accused Sloly of trying to put the blame on deputy chief Steve Bell.
"You at some point decided you can blame deputy chief Bell at this time for not planning for this event."
"That is absolutely incorrect," Sloly said. "I take offence to that notioning."
Crisis paid thousands last winter
Bell, who is temporarily filling in as chief since Sloly's resignation, has previously told the commission he had serious misgivings about his predecessor's use of a private communications firm to stickhandle communications.
According to a summary of Bell's pre-inquiry interview with commission counsel, which was entered into evidence last week, he felt the discussions with Navigator were inappropriate and veered into police operations.
"As the freedom convoy event continued, Navigator's role expanded and Chief Sloly used Navigator as a conduit to engage with City of Ottawa, provincial, and federal politicians, to develop communications information, and to participate in discussions about operational matters," said the summary of Bell's interview.
Sloly said Navigator was enlisted to provide general communication advice to the Ottawa Police.
Migicovsky entered an invoice into evidence on Monday showing the Ottawa police paid a private crisis communications team $186,000 between Jan. 30 and Feb. 15; the day Sloly resigned.
He also showed the commission a Feb. 6 "reputation audit" from Navigator, which included a scan of media articles and social media posts relating to Sloly's reputation.
Sloly said he did not recall a specific report on his reputation "but I'm sure it did come up in reports."
Questions about mood behind the scenes
Bell is not the only deputy who voiced concerns at the commission about Sloly's decisions.
Acting deputy chief Trish Ferguson painted a scene of confusion within the force after the first weekend of protests, describing the the service as "floundering."
She said a plan was not put on paper until Feb. 9, more than a week after the protesters arrived.
According to Ferguson's handwritten notes, Sloly said during a meeting that if anyone undermined the plan, he would "crush them."
Sloly said Monday the use of "crush" was an inappropriate.
One of the issues within the force was a belief that Sloly was not inclined to use PLTs — a police acronym meaning either police or provincial liaison teams — and favoured hard enforcement. Those units are responsible for the front-facing work during demonstrations and are meant to coordinate with organizers, build relationships and make sure protests run smoothly.
At one point Migicovsky showed Sloly handwritten notes from Ferguson, who was concerned about Sloly's approach to enforcement. She wrote that members of OPP, including Insp. Dave Springer, were vocalising their displeasure with how the operation was running
Migicovsky asked Sloly if he recalled "saying that you'd cut off Dave Springer's nuts and use them as bookends."
"No sir, I don't recall saying that," said a stunned Sloly. "I don't think I've ever said anything like that."
Sloly said Ferguson's handwritten notes speak more about her than him.
He said his trust in Bell and Ferguson took a hit during the response but maintains he never lost confidence in them.
OPP describes 'disrespectful' meetings
Last week Ottawa Supt. Robert Bernier, who oversaw the plan to finally clear the protests, told the commission he accepted the job on the condition that Sloly not intervene in his work.
A former senior officer with the OPP described a tense and sometimes distrustful relationship between his team and the Ottawa city police during the freedom convoy protests last winter.
Carson Pardy, a now-retired OPP chief superintendent, said meetings with Sloly were often tense and not collaborative.
"The overall tone of this meeting was somewhat unprofessional and disrespectful," he told the commission.
"Chief Sloly was very clearly under tremendous pressure to act and was very suspicious of levels of commitments from police agencies."
WATCH | Former Ottawa police chief on his response to protests:
During the cross examination Sloly's own lawyer, Tom Curry, sometimes objected to the line of questioning with Commissioner Paul Rouleau having to play referee at times.
Convoy organizers testifying later this week
Later this week the Public Order Emergency Commission will hear from some key protest organizers themselves.
Two of the first organizers to get involved with planning the protest, Chris Barber and Brigitte Belton, are expected to tell their version of events as early as Tuesday.
Other organizers like Tamara Lich and Pat King, who face criminal charges related to their involvement in the protest, are also on the witness list.
Keith Wilson, a lawyer representing a number of key convoy organizers, said before the inquiry that his clients are eager to talk about what was happening, and why they were in Ottawa in the first place.
"They're hoping it will become apparent, which many already know, that there was no need to invoke the Emergencies Act," he said.
Wilson has since been added to the list of witnesses himself.
After
weeks of demonstrations, police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near
Parliament hill of protesters on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Key leaders of
the protest movement will appear at the public inquiry into the
government's use of the Emergencies Act this week. (The Canadian Press)
So far the inquiry has heard about chaos in the upper tiers of the police service and local government when a convoy of big rigs and protesters arrived in Ottawa to demand an end to pandemic restrictions last winter.
The inquiry also heard from residents who described suffering and fear during the demonstration and from businesses groups whose members took a hit when they closed last winter.
The protesters began to arrive in Ottawa on Jan. 28 to express their anger and opposition to the federal government and to COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine mandates.
The demonstrators inspired similar protests elsewhere in the country, including a six-day blockade of the Canada-U.S. border crossing on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont.
On Feb. 14, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act to grant new powers to police, blocking off sections of the city and compelling towing companies to remove vehicles. Powers were also granted to banks and other financial services companies to freeze protest organizers' funds.
By Feb. 18, a massive police operation was underway to clear the protesters out of Ottawa streets.
With files from Alistair Steele and the Canadian Press
Deja Vu Anyone??? |
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