Ottawa's police chief has resigned after criticism that he did not do enough to stop COVID-19 protests that have paralyzed Canada's capital city and forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke emergency powers, a city official said on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Reuters.
A trucker-led movement calling on the government to lift vaccine mandates has occupied parts of downtown Ottawa since late January and blocked U.S. border crossings, including a key trade route that was cleared by police over the weekend.
With hundreds of trucks still parked outside Canada's parliament and prime minister's office, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly has stepped down, Riley Brockington, an Ottawa city councillor, said on Twitter.
Sloly was expected to announce the decision later on Tuesday. Ottawa police did not respond to a request for comment, and Trudeau's public safety minister said the government had no role in his decision to resign.
Critics alleged that Sloly and other police officers were too permissive in their approach to the protests, which have inspired copycat movements across the world and posed a major challenge to Trudeau's government.
Sloly says his police force lacks resources to peacefully disperse the protesters and his defenders have voiced fears the use of force could stoke violence.
Seeking to beef up policing, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday, empowering his government to cut off protesters' funding and reinforce provincial and local law enforcement with federal officers.