Eric Stubbs from RCMP will become Ottawa's next police chief

Eric Stubbs, an assistant commissioner with the RCMP in British Columbia, was named the new chief of the Ottawa Police Service on Friday afternoon, as a federal inquiry drags on into the protest that resulted in the former chief's resignation and the complete overhaul of the police oversight board.

For the past five years Stubbs has served asCriminal Operations Officer in charge of core policing for the B.C. Mounties.

His leadership of the national capital's police service will take effect Nov. 17, 2022.

"We are confident he will earn the trust, confidence and the heart of members of the Ottawa Police Service, as well as the ... community," said Eli El-Chantiry, the current chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board, in a virtual news conference Friday announcing the hire.

The hiring team was impressed by Stubbs's ability to connect with people, El-Chantiry added.

Peter Sloly resigned as chief more than eight months ago at the height of the convoy occupation inthe city's downtown core.

Deputy chief SteveBell hadbeen serving asinterim chiefsince then.

El-Chantiry thanked Bell for his service Friday, saying "he has done a great job" leading the force through the end of the protest, the subsequent Rolling Thunderprotest, big events like St. Patrick's Day and Canada Day, and May's fatal derecho windstorm.

Stubbs who recently caught COVID and was unable to travel to Ottawa for Friday'sannouncement said the appointment is"truly an honour" and that he's "humbled" to serve in the capital. He also thanked Bell for his work as interim chief, calling him a "true leader" andadding that he's "respected [Bell]from afar" for a number of months.

"I don't take this role lightly, and the road ahead will be challenging. And ... we will strive to meet those expectations every day," Stubbs said.

Timing remains under scrutiny

Earlier this week, mayoral candidates Bob Chiarelli and Catherine McKenney wrote to theOntario Civilian Police Commissionasking thatit look into the board's decision to hire a new chief before the new city council is sworn in on Nov. 15.

In a letter tothe civilian police oversight body,they asked that the commissioninvestigate a "potential conflict:" thatthe board chair is an honourary co-chair of Mark Sutcliffe's campaign, and that Sutcliffe is the only leading mayoral candidate in favour ofhiring a new chief before Monday's municipal election.

The Ottawa Police Services Board disputes that characterization of the move.

"The board takes this opportunity to remind the candidates, and clarify for the public, that the Police Services Board is a distinct and separate body from City Council, created by the Police Services Act," a news release from the board said onThursday.

El-Chantiryhas pointed out that it is the board's statutory obligation to hire a new chiefandthe new board likely wouldn't convene until late 2022 or early 2023, which would make hiring a new chief before the spring unlikely.

He added Fridaythat other municipalities are looking for new police chiefs, and Ottawa "wanted to get ahead of that." He also said the board had been working hard "non-stop" since late July to find a replacement, and that it would be "unacceptable" to expect residents to wait longer.

Faces a 'massive challenge'

Michael Kempa, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, said Stubbs is walking into a "massive challenge"given what has been revealed at the ongoing public inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act, which includesinner police "dysfunction"during the convoy protest.

"We hope that he turns out to be perhaps the greatest chief that we've seen in Ottawa's history. We're going to need one," Kempa said.

Coming from outside Ottawa may make it more difficult for Stubbs to effect change, he added.

Kempaalluded tothe uneasy relationship between the Ottawa Police Association and Sloly, the police's first Black chief who entered the job with a mandate to change the internal culture of the force. Sloly himself, in recent testimony before a parliamentary committee, spoke to those tensions.

"He's going to have to get used to, as an RCMP officer, working with a very well-developed union here in Ottawa that will chew up an outsider whose agenda they don't agree with," Kempa said of Stubbs.

Biography

Stubbs first became an RCMP officerin 1993, serving in six B.C. communities, including Prince George.

In 2014he moved toRCMP headquarters in Ottawa asdirectorgeneral of national criminal operations, where he remaineduntil 2017 with aportfolio includingnational use of force policy, operational policy, traffic services and the operational researchunit.

In 2017 hereturned to B.C.to head the overall strategic direction, leadership, and operationsof Core Policing functions in the province.

It's aportfolio that includes overseeing 125 RCMP detachments and specialized units such asEmergency Response Teams, Indigenous policing, highway patrol and more.

Move to hire interim chief in February ended badly

Briefly in February,the Ottawa Police Services Board was poised to bring ina new interim chief, but that processendedin a dramatic overhaul of the board and the candidate withdrawing.

That event has been dissected this week at the ongoingpublic inquiry.

Following Sloly's resignation, Coun. Diane Deans was removed from her role as chair of the boardafter offeringthe job to an outside candidatewithout consulting council.

After the oversight board's upheaval,Bell stayed on as interim chief.