Ottawa councillors Catherine McKenney and Mathieu Fleury told Justice Paul Rouleau that residents felt “terrified” by the actions of self-styled “Freedom Convoy” protesters who took over the city’s downtown streets for three weeks last winter. At one of the lowest points in the crisis, just after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act, Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly resigned. But on Friday, the first day of witness testimony, the focus was on the experience of people in Ottawa who were impacted by the convoy occupation — as well as the frustrations of some city councillors. Fleury painted a picture — as did residents who testified earlier in the day — of a city held hostage by the protests, and abandoned by police. Feb. 2 — several days after the convoy arrived in Ottawa — McKenney and Fleury sent an email to Sloly and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, the inquiry heard.

Source: thestar October 14, 2022 23:02 UTC