Just before the protests began in Ottawa last winter, city police had no intelligence suggesting that the Freedom Convoy would use residents as “leverage”, said acting police chief Steve Bell.
Mr. Bell testified Monday before the State of Emergency Commission, which is investigating the federal Liberal government’s use of the Emergencies Act to dislodge protesters.
Mr. Bell was deputy chief of the Ottawa police, and responsible for intelligence, when the convoy arrived in the federal capital. He was promoted to acting head of the service in mid-February, following the resignation of Peter Sloly.
Commission prosecutor Frank Au spent the morning questioning Mr. Bell about intelligence material available to city police ahead of the protest, including a threat assessment that police had prepared before the convoy was expected to arrive in Ottawa on January 29.
The commission learned last week that an association of hoteliers in the capital region had warned the municipal administration and the Ottawa police, before the arrival of the demonstrators, that participants were booking rooms for 30 days.
The Jan. 29 threat assessment report said protesters were coming in large numbers and had funds to pay for food and accommodation. The report also indicated that the conditions were in place for emotions to run high in the capital.
But Bell testified Monday that intelligence available before protesters arrived showed the event would last essentially three days, except for a small number of people who might stay longer than a weekend.
Chief Bell also told the commission that according to intelligence there were many people involved in the convoy, but that they had been “extremely law abiding” as they converged on Ottawa.
“There were people moving across the country determined to be heard, but they were peaceful,” Bell said Monday. They indicated that their intention was to be peaceful when they arrived here. Mr. Bell admitted that was not what ultimately happened.
During his testimony, he repeatedly said the three-week protest had inflicted “violence”, “injuries” and “trauma” on Ottawa residents. He said there was nothing in the intelligence to indicate that protesters would end up using Ottawa residents “as leverage to make their voices heard.”
Mr. Bell also said that based on information gathered before the protesters arrived, the police did not believe they had the right to deny them access to the city center.
Mr. Bell also pointed out that the police had learned lessons from their management in February. He reminded the commission that the “Rolling Thunder” demonstration, which protesters staged several months later, did not result in prolonged blockages in Ottawa.