Ottawa police chief resigns amid criticism over handling of Covid protests

A protester holds a hockey stick wrapped in a Canadian flag above his head, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022 in Ottawa. The protesters are decrying federal vaccine mandates and provincial COVID-19 restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus, some of which are being rolled back by provinces. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa’s police chief has resigned amid criticism of his department’s inaction against the trucker protests that have paralysed Canada’s capital for more than two weeks, a federal government official said.

The bumper-to-bumper demonstration by hundreds of truck drivers against the country’s Covid-19 restrictions — and the failure of Police Chief Peter Sloly to break the siege early on — have infuriated many Ottawa residents.