Following today’s announcement from the Government of Ontario issuing several new restrictions on outdoor activities and gatherings beginning Saturday, April 17 at 12:01 a.m., Ottawa Police Services (OPS) released a statement to say they are developing an implementation strategy for the new measures and authorities announced to enforce public health orders designed to stop the spread of Covid-19.
In addition the OPS said, although under the updated orders, police have been given the authority to stop and make inquiries of individuals who are out in public spaces and not at their home address (pedestrians, motorists, occupants of vehicles, etc.) to assess if the person is in compliance with the Stay-at-Home order, “The OPS will not be conducting random stops. We will be taking a deliberate and careful approach that emphasizes equity, legality, and efficacy in the application of these authorities with the specific and exclusive purpose to support public health measures.”
“We are carefully reviewing these new authorities. We are very mindful of the perceptions of the broader public as well as within our more marginalized, racialized and/or Indigenous/Aboriginal/Inuit peoples,” said Chief Sloly. “The OPS will continue to use a combination of education, engagement and enforcement. We do not want these powers to impact public trust. The public’s compliance with the Stay-at-Home order along with their collective effort to be healthy is our biggest strength and our best chance to manage this public health emergency,” added Chief Sloly.
Complicating matters for the Ottawa region is that Effective Monday, April 19, 2021 at 12:01 a.m, the Ford government is also restricting travel into Ontario from the province of Quebec (along with Manitoba) with the exception of purposes such as work, health care services, transportation and delivery of goods and services or exercising Aboriginal or treaty rights. As a result the OPS says they are “working with its policing partners on operational plans at interprovincial bridges in the Ottawa area and more information will be available by Sunday evening.”
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) continues to work in support of and in coordination with Ottawa Public Health, City of Ottawa By-law and our municipal partners to address the rising risks associated to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The cooperation of the residents of Ottawa has been the most important factor in the community response to Covid-19. We continue to rely on it and we thank the residents of this city. We ask members of the public to follow the advice and guidelines of public health officials,” said Chief Peter Sloly. “All of these directives are new and we will take the time needed to analyze the requirements, to assess the full impacts on our community and to work on risk mitigation before implementation. In order to maintain public trust and support our members in their work, it is important we get this right,” said Chief Sloly.
Whether in the face of public safety or health safety, the police have made great contributions to the communities. Policing plays a vital role in maintaining social order. For the sake of ensuring residents’ safety, they risk their own safety. Police officers always take proactive measures to deal with risks under public supervision. We should actively cooperate with these police officers who serve the community. At the same time, we can also express our gratitude and appreciation to them in our own way. Custom police challenge coins or custom lapel pins are great options. Design unique custom lapel pins with their names, numbers, or other symbolic elements to design the custom lapel pins or Challenge Coins. They are a symbol of honor and a special gift of appreciation. You can see more custom pins at custompins.ca.
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