UPDATE: All three provincial appointees to Ottawa police board resign

All three of the provincial appointees to Ottawa's police board have resigned after a Liberal MPP called for one of them to be immediately removed after it was alleged they participated in the trucker convoy protest.

Daljit S. Nirman, Bev Johnson and Robert Swaita all resigned from the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB), according to a statement from the office of solicitor general Sylvia Jones.

“We have been working with the city of Ottawa to support a governance transition of the Ottawa Police Services Board,” the statement reads. “It is important that the people of Ottawa have confidence in their police governance, and this will bring fresh perspectives as the Board addresses recent events.”

Three new provincial members will be appointed; the solicitor general's office said it'll have more information to share in the coming days.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 2, Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Collard said she was calling on the solicitor general to immediately rescind Robert Swaita’s appointment to the local police board.

“This is yet another example of the direct ties between Ford Nation and the illegal occupation, this time involving someone he appointed to the very board responsible for police services in Ottawa,” Collard wrote. “Real leadership would be speaking out early and setting an example that illegal occupations won’t be tolerated, but instead Ford coddled them while members of his inner circle directly supported [protesters].”

Speaking to CityNews Ottawa on Wednesday, Collard added, “I find it very disturbing to think that the delayed action may have some political motivation. I think that the fact that this person on the police services board participated in the occupation is highly questionable.”

It’s important, she said, that the government shows it will be transparent and remove Swaita from his position on the board. 

Because in the end, it’s hurting the public’s perception of police and trust in government.

“The police have been targeted by the public for not acting enough and we cannot allow for people to think that there may have been political reasons behind that.”

CityNews Ottawa reached out to the Ottawa Police Services Board Wednesday afternoon.

“The Board was made aware of an article alleging Board Member Swaita's participating in recent protests near Parliament Hill rallying against COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” board chair Eli El-Chantiry responded in a statement. “The Board will be meeting later this week to review the article and the allegations.”

CityNews Ottawa also reached out to Swaita for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.