The February 15 recording, which was only passed on to the committee on Wednesday morning, was entered into evidence at the Public Order Emergency Committee on Wednesday afternoon. The tense call was recorded by Deans’ assistant without Watson’s knowledge, she later testified. The call, which came hours after former Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly announced his resignation, begins with Watson asking Deans for an update on the plan to replace Sloly and restore “stability to the agency” after from nearly three weeks of unrest in the city center. . I hope you don’t rush into it, because I think it would be a mistake at this point.- Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson “So basically, I’m going to sign a contract with a new captain today and I think he’ll start on Monday,” Deans told him. “Who is he and how did you find him?” asks a surprised Watson. Dean explains that the new hire was Matt Torrigian, a former chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, whose name was among a short list of potential candidates suggested by the attorney general’s office. “He’s going to bring a team with him, basically some ex-captains with a lot of depth of knowledge, who will come in to help him finish this thing off,” Deans said, describing it as “unfinished.” -permanent’ contract of three to 10 months. “This is obviously a surprise,” Watson told her. Outgoing Ottawa councilor Diane Deans appears as a witness before the Public Order Emergency Committee in Ottawa, Oct. 19, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
“So it’s a done deal”
The two discuss what this will mean for deputy captain Steve Bell, who had just been appointed interim captain. “The way I see it is it’s probably going to save Steve’s chance to be the next captain, because you know [poisonous] environment we have right now. Whoever we put in there won’t last long and Steve will be blamed for that,” Deans said, referring to possession. “I understand that we were going to go over this with Steve. So basically it’s a done deal,” Watson replied. The deans told him that the Ottawa Police Services Board had approved Torigian’s hiring the day before, but the contract had not been signed. “I mean if you want to tell me you don’t think you want me to sign this contract, I mean I can go back to the board and tell them you wouldn’t prefer it, but I actually think this is the right thing to do. what to do, Jim.’ Watson expressed concern that the new hire, which he described during testimony earlier this week as “three chiefs in three days,” would be “very destabilizing,” especially since it would come sooner than expected. to be a move by the police to disperse the protesters. “I don’t support it. I think it’s the wrong approach at the wrong time,” Watson said, describing the idea as a “sideshow” that could potentially jeopardize any plan to end the occupation. Watson told Deans he was also concerned about the lack of transparency or consultation, particularly with the city’s BIPOC community. Former Ottawa police chief Peter Slowey resigned amid the convoy crisis last February, sparking a tense few days at city hall as they tried to figure out a plan. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
“Internal anxiety” in Ottawa police
The Deans argued that bringing in an experienced and respected lawmaker could bring stability to the Ottawa Police Service. “There is internal angst in the top ranks at the moment,” he said. As mayor, Watson cannot legally direct the police board in its decision-making, but Deans again offered to defer to his authority. “If you tell me not to, then I won’t,” he said. “I hope you don’t rush into it because I think it would be wrong at this point and I think it would undermine Steve Bell,” Watson replied. As Watson testified earlier this week, the contract was nevertheless signed later that day, but Torrigian soon withdrew his name and Bell continued as interim captain. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson surveys the room as he awaits the resumption of the Public Order Emergency Committee on October 18, 2022 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Plot to remove Deans from the presidency
Deans also asked Watson if there was a behind-the-scenes conspiracy among her board colleagues to oust her as board chair. “I’ve been working really hard for the last 20 days, I think it would be kind to at least let me know what’s going on,” she told him. “I haven’t seen any movement,” Watson said, saying she had not decided whether to support a no-confidence vote. Deans was removed as chairman of the police board in a city council vote the next day. Asked on cross-examination if she had any ethical qualms about having her assistant record the call without Watson’s knowledge, Dean testified that she did not. “I just wanted to make sure we had an accurate picture of this meeting,” she said, noting that Watson had not disclosed to her that City Manager Steve Kanellakos was also on the call. “I don’t think it was calculated,” Deans said of the recording. “That was a very tense moment.” Asked after she testified if she felt the rift between her and the mayor contributed to any delay in police action ending the occupation, Deans said she wasn’t sure. “What was the consequence? I mean, the mayor and council destabilized the board in the middle of a crisis. I don’t think that was helpful,” Deans told reporters. “I think when things got tough, the police board and to some extent the police chief were convenient scapegoats.”
