Ottawa needs new deal with feds for policing the parliamentary precinct, mayor says | 24CA News

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says town wants a brand new cope with the federal authorities for policing the parliamentary district and the nationwide capital.

The report from the Public Order Emergency Commission, launched Friday, stated confusion between numerous police forces round Parliament Hill made policing the “Freedom Convoy” demonstrations final 12 months “unnecessarily complicated.”

Sutcliffe instructed reporters at a press convention Friday afternoon that Ottawa taxpayers are “burdened” with the price of policing the nationwide capital, one thing different municipalities don’t have to think about.

The mayor stated he has but to learn the 2000-page report however is wanting ahead to the suggestions.

“Going forward, we want to see something that recognizes the growing number of threats and demonstrations and other events that are happening in the capital so that we can work proactively and gather intelligence and have the right resources in place,” stated Sutcliffe.

The RCMP, Ottawa police and the Parliamentary Protective Service have various roles for dealing with policing and safety on and round Parliament Hill.

The fee’s report makes 27 totally different suggestions associated to policing, together with one to particularly repair the “jurisdictional divisions” in downtown Ottawa.

The metropolis additionally has to resolve how one can enhance communications between its police drive and metropolis council after an inside audit stated police didn’t share sufficient intelligence with town about what was occurring as 1000’s of demonstrators occupied the downtown.

Coun. Catherine Kitts stated communication was so poor that she and different colleagues discovered by way of social media that ex-police chief Peter Sloly resigned in the midst of February.

“I really felt like my ability to do my job and communicate with residents was compromised as some of my colleagues shared feeling (left) in the dark,” Kitts stated.

The metropolis’s auditor basic, Nathalie Gougeon, stated town has been “stretched thin” after final winter’s protests, the pandemic and the May derecho storm that’s nonetheless affecting residents within the Ottawa space.

Gougeon stated the three audits that had been tabled on Feb. 8 in regards to the responses by town, Ottawa police and the police companies board to the “Freedom Convoy” might not be the one stories on the topic.

In the approaching weeks, Gougeon can be wanting into the Public Order Emergency Commission’s report back to see if there are unanswered questions for town, together with round planning for protests, applicable use of intelligence and gathering of knowledge.

“We had a very narrow scope,” stated Gougeon.

“If the report does not cover those particular areas we could be open to doing additional work.”

Gougeon stated metropolis workers are starting to implement the suggestions in her stories, together with police and the police companies board.

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