Council takes further action in response to the ongoing demonstration

[guest]

At yesterday’s special Council meeting, several motions were passed in continued reaction to the ongoing demonstration in Ottawa. They included Council approving:

• That, effective immediately, Councillor Eli El-Chantiry be appointed to the Ottawa Police Services Board, replacing Councillor Diane Deans, resident Suzanne Valiquet be added to the Board, replacing member Sandy Smallwood, who resigned. Councillor Jeff Leiper will replace Councillor King, who also resigned. Councillor Carol Anne Meehan also resigned from the board. The board is requested to meet before 1 pm on Thursday, February 17 to choose a new Chair and Vice-chair.
• That the City Clerk is to canvas Members of Council wishing to serve on the Ottawa Police Services Board for the remainder of the term, including on consultation work to hire a new Chief of Police and on a review of the actions of both the Ottawa Police Service and the board related to the truck convoy demonstration. The Clerk is to bring forward the results of this circulation as soon as practicable following the end of the current State of Emergency.
• That Mayor Watson issue a formal apology on behalf of City Council to all Ottawa residents, and in particular those in the downtown core, for failing to provide safety and security.
• That the City condemns the presence of truck convoy demonstrators in or near school zones.
• OC Transpo to provide no-charge transit service to residents and workers in the affected areas beginning on Sunday, February 20 and lasting 30 days after the City lifts its State of Emergency. OC Transpo will collect no fares as customers board buses at any stops on routes 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 55, 56, 85 and 114 – except that fares will be required at pedestrian entrances to Greenboro, Hurdman and Tunney’s Pasture stations. Payment will be required for transfers beyond these routes. No fares will be collected for Para Transpo trips booked to or from addresses in Somerset and Rideau-Vanier wards. The cost of no-charge transit would be funded by the transit operating reserve while the City seeks additional compensation from other levels of government.
• Mayor Watson to write to the Province asking that individuals not qualify for the Ontario Staycation Tax credit if qualifying expenses were spent to participate in the illegal occupation.
• Support for deployment of the full array of tools recently made available to bring unlawful behaviour to an end, including towing illegally parked vehicles, setting deadlines for compliance, dismantling illegal structures and fires, enforcing the terms of the injunction granted to the City and coordinating greater crowd control and dispersal measures.
• That staff work with affected Councillors to close any roads as needed to diminish the number of vehicles able to access the downtown core on Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20. Staff would review such requests with the Ottawa Police Service to ensure they can be accommodated.
• The City's Anti-Racism Secretariat to work with the community-led Anti-Racism Advisory Table to consider developing a campaign to raise awareness about the negative impacts of racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia.

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