The City of Ottawa’s Auditor General presented two reports to the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) at a special meeting:
- Audit of the Ottawa Police Service’s Response to the Convoy Protest – The Role of the OPSB
- Audit of the Ottawa Police Service’s Response to the Convoy Protest – Collaboration with the City
The Board requested the assistance of the Auditor General (AG) in undertaking a review of the Ottawa Police Service’s (OPS) response to the convoy protest in March of 2022. The Board is grateful that the AG accepted to undertake this review.
Through this review process, and specifically the audit pertaining to the OPSB, the Board was hoping to learn from the previous crisis and better understand what could have been done better and how.
The Board agrees with the AG’s assessment that this was an unprecedented and rapidly evolving event that presented unique challenges for the previous Board.
The AG has provided the Board with 11 recommendations and the Board is in agreement with all of them. The Board has outlined concrete actions it will take, including specific timelines, to address each of the recommendations.
Receiving the final report and audit from the AG is an important first step however the Board has much work ahead in order to address the recommendations, and more importantly, ensure the Board is able to satisfy its mandate and oversight responsibilities. The Board recognizes that the recommendations are only as valuable as the steps we take to address them.
The Board is also looking forward to reviewing and considering the results of other important commissions and inquiries pertaining to the convoy, including the results of the Ottawa People’s Commission as well as the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC).
The illegal protest that occupied the streets of downtown Ottawa in early 2022 resulted in much harm to the residents and businesses of Ottawa and a loss of trust in a number of public institutions, including the Ottawa Police Services Board. The Board is committed to taking actions to help restore that trust and ensure that what took place before does not occur again.
As a member of the Audit Committee, I appreciate the work that the City of Ottawa Auditor General has put into these important reports. We need to learn from past to be prepared in the future. We cannot be left unprepared again for protests that use vehicles and cause major disruption to our residents.