Dana Earley
Dana Earley spoke 673 times across 1 day of testimony.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Dana Earley. Dana is D-a-n- a; Earley is E-a-r-l-e-y.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Good morning.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you. You as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I did.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, it’s actually just the third paragraph, in regards to decision-making. I just wanted to make it clear that ultimate decisions in regards to the Operation Plan were mine.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There is a sentence there that indicates the direction came from the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Harkins. That is incorrect; the decision to move forward was mine.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Twenty-eight (28) years now.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, that’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
West Region is basically Collingwood all the way down to Windsor, all the municipalities in that area that do not have their own police service, is the responsibility of West Region OPP.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There’s three Superintendents.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
At the time it was Supt. Frankie Campisi, and Supt. Lisa Darling.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, that’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It is C/Supt. Dwight Thib.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
As part of my responsibilities, I support four of the 13 detachments that we have in West Region; and, also, I support the Operational Support Inspector, and take on the role of Strategic Commander.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct. I received a call from D/Comm. Harkins on the night of February 9th.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I have been a crisis negotiator for 13 years of my career, and crisis negotiators are used quite often in incidents, so I had experience that way. I am an Incident Commander as well as of 2012, and then in 2017, I was trained to become a Critical Incident Commander.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The Critical Incident Commander is a four-week course where you receive training in regards to larger incidents; how to manage them, communication, the execution, the options. You hear several different presentations from your subject matter experts, which include our Emergency Response Team.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
To slow down?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Sure. My apologies. Subject matter experts, that would include crisis negotiators, our Emergency Response Team, our Tactical Rescue Unit, our canine units, all options that would be used in a critical incident.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It’s through the OPP.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Two thousand and seventeen (2017).
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The Critical Incident Commander with the OPP is somewhat the highest at this point, ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- as far as the training.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, that’s correct. I took the Critical Incident Command course with now Interim Chief Jason Bellaire of Windsor Police.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I was fortunate enough to complete the Canadian Police College Executive Leadership in Policing course, which is a year course. And I also finished the Rotman Leadership Course just in the fall of 2021.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Inspector Karel DeGraaf and I completed the Rotman course together.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I have debriefed different calls on the Incident Command course as well as the Critical Incident Command course.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It stresses the importance of communication and a tiered response, almost like a stepladder that you explore different options amongst -- during the incident to see what option would be best to safely resolve it. An important part of that policy is the fact, as I said, communication and also the introduction of our provincial liaison team. That’s part -- a key part of the framework as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct. It certainly highlights communication and the different tiered responses depending on the situation.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We had -- at the time, we had numerous slow rolls and protests happening throughout our different municipalities. I had oversight on the events, worked with the Operational Support Inspector and each Detachment Commander to ensure that we had the proper resources to effectively look after the protests or slow rolls that were going through our municipalities.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I was involved in that incident.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
On February 6th, which was a Sunday, we became aware that the protestors had blocked the bridge, the Blue Water Bridge, in Lampton County. As a result, our Provincial Liaison Team as well as our frontline members were deployed to the area. Our Provincial Liaison Team were able to develop a rapport and a relationship with the protestors and, ultimately, there was a number of different trucks that weren’t able to cross the border at that time, and one of them ultimately was a friend of one of the protestors. And one of the truck drivers -- I believe it was livestock. He had some -- he was travelling with something that needed to be in a certain area by a certain time. PLT liaised with the ruck driver that was stuck and with the protestors and were able to work out the opening of the bridge, so that was a success. The bridge did reopen. We also learned around that time that that group or similar to that group of protestors were planning on doing a slow roll on Highway 402 that week. So we liaised with the organizers of the slow roll and -- to try to find out as much information as possible so that we could have the proper resources in place.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I’d have to make reference to my notes, but I know it was maybe two hours, at most two to three hours.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Highway 402 is, correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
If memory serves me, we almost had a slow roll in each municipality, but ones that I can recall specifically would be Essex County, Norfolk County, Brant County, South Bruce County, Huron County, so there was quite a few.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Each event was specifically assigned to the Detachment Commander. He or she would then assign an Incident Commander to have oversight of the specific event happening in their area. They would also work with our Provincial Liaison Team to find out as much information from the protestors. And we would ensure, from a regional level, that they had the supports that they needed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, but I focused on the areas that were involving our municipalities.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don’t recall.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I can speak to February 7th. That’s when I became aware through Superintendent Crowley, now Interim Deputy Chief, that the bridge had been blocked. I received an email from him. I then had a conversation with him asking him what he needed, and at that time, he was looking for information in regards to what was available. I said basically whenever you needed ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Seventh. That’s ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Sure.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M'hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So as part of the Strategic Commander, that's one of the teams that I support. So it's an oversight in regards to do they have the proper resources, training up to date. I work with their team lead in regards to making sure that they have what they need.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We were waiting to see what Windsor actually required. So in this email, Deputy Chief Crowley was obviously given my name because of my role as Strategic Commander.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Not that I'm aware of.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There was one prior, and we had a conversation as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was basically confirming that the bridge had been blocked and that he was looking for an awareness of resources available. We then had a conversation. I wanted to confirm if he was asking for resources or if he was just trying to figure out options at that time. So I learned that he was trying to figure out options of what was available, and it was at that time that we had decided to send together -- jointly, we decided to send Provincial Liaison Team members to Windsor to see if they could assist.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It is.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Absolutely. He's looking for options.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That was immediately after. I believe they went down the -- like, that day, because the email's at two o'clock in the morning, so I wouldn't have got it until I woke up in the morning, but ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Again, he confirmed that he was just looking for options, so we discussed options.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I wasn't appointed until the night of the 9th.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So it would ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Before.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M'hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I'm not sure if I know what you're asking, but it reflected what they thought at the time they required.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So when I arrived and we were able to assess the entire situation together, that's when we started to figure out plans and options and then therefore the resources to support those.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well, this specific request that you have posted here is for the frontline. So POU was in addition to that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So I don't know if we could compare the two. But when the unified command was created, we had a mission, and that was to open the bridge, to get the flow of traffic back with officer and public safety being paramount, and then that's when we started to develop the plans which included a POU option.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well, before you request resources or you have officers attend, you need to be able to articulate to them the expectations of their role, why they're coming, and the tasks that they are -- will be given. And without a plan and a mission as to what you want to achieve, that would be very hard to do.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Deputy Commissioner Harkins called me. He asked if I could attend Windsor to assist, that my role would be the CIC of the event, and that it was an urgent situation, so that I would receive the resources that I needed. He also alerted me that I had a teleconference that I needed to join within minutes. So the phone call was very quick.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It’s at an operational level, and specifically assigned to an incident.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm. The mission was to restore the flow of traffic to and from the bridge and into Canada and the U.S. with respecting the Charter of Rights and keeping public and officer safety paramount.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was approximately 7:30/quarter to 8:00, and then I was on teleconferences until well into the early morning.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There was a call to my Chief of West Region to provide him updates, and he was well aware, because the Deputy Commissioner had contacted him. I also had teleconferences with the POU hub and the different team leaders of the POU teams.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They were hubs created that consisted of different POU teams from different services that were being deployed throughout the province to assist with protests.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
OPP and municipal.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I can’t, sorry. I can tell you who was on the calls or who I dealt with, but it included, obviously, our team, it included Hamilton at the time, and Waterloo, and ultimately London assisted as well, and RCMP.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. So the Deputy Commissioner had advised me that the teleconference was already set, it was already scheduled, and that I would be joining them, and they would learn that I was going to be the CIC and unified command in heading to Windsor.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We discussed numbers and what was available. We discussed relative, like, to the incident, you know, in regards to when could they attend, who was available to assist with planning. So those were the basis of the conversations.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I asked for the planners. So each team identified basically a team lead or a planner. So I asked for the planners to join me in Windsor the next day.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I needed them to become very familiar with the incident and all the details of the incident, and then create a plan.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well I needed to know what would be available. But again, it wasn’t until they had a plan that they would say, “That this plan requires this many officers.”
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I believe it was two -- well, it was with the Chief and two other teleconferences with -- again, with POU hubs.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did. I spoke with Deputy Chief Crowley.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
He provided an oversight and situational awareness for me in regards to what they were dealing with at the moment. We talked about logistics, obviously when I would be arriving. I gave him an overview of the teleconferences I had been on in regards to POU.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That is Deputy Commissioner DiMarco.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There are three, and there’s a Provincial Commander as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I learned, obviously, about the numbers, what they were dealing with in regards to attendance, as well as vehicles, the types of vehicles. I also learned the area that they had kind of blocked the length of it, where it is located in the city. I also learned about an arrest that was made. So there was a person who had jumped the curb and into the crowd. That person, obviously, was charged and arrested with dangerous drive.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And that the crowd became very agitated when the arrest occurred. And they actually took the opportunity to expand the area that they had been in. I learned too, from Deputy Chief Crowley, that the crowd itself was somewhat disorganized and disjointed, hard to kind of figure out exactly what they wanted, or to communicate or negotiate with them. And at that time as well, he explained that there had been a number of transport trucks and vehicles on the bridge, but they had all been removed at that point. So I made the decision that I asked S/Sgt. Jamie Smith of Essex OPP, so he would be the closest Incident Commander, to attend the Command Post for the evening. I also asked that our situational reports be implemented. So it’s basically a template. We introduced those to the Command Post. And I asked for those to be provided to me every two hours until my arrival. And then they continued while we were there.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I still believed and was hopeful that negotiations could occur and that we could develop a rapport and a relationship with the protestors through our Provincial Liaison Teams.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah, I don’t remember specifically watching it, but I do know that a request was submitted.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
In regards to specific numbers requested at incidents?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay. It’s been my experience that when any municipal service requires our assistance, no matter what the incident, the request needs to go from their Chief to our Commissioner. The Commissioner’s command team then reviews the request and deploys the requested resources. So to hear it come from a politician was different from my experience.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I respect the fact that any Council or Mayor, they can have their own press conferences and release information, but I urged Windsor Police Service to work with the Mayor’s office to make sure that our messages are consistent.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Not that I’m aware of.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
In my opinion, I do not believe that they should be made publicly.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It jeopardizes perhaps the public and police officer safety. By letting the public know the amount of officers that are attending may lead to people then bolstering their protests or whatever that looks like if they know the tactics or perhaps the amount of officers that are attending an incident.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And Deputy DiMarco.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They wanted to make sure that I had started implementing a team, putting a team in place, and obviously, I had told them that I was on the road. I was heading to Windsor. And they indicated that whatever resources I needed, they would be provided.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. They stressed to me that Windsor was my priority and I needed to focus solely on Windsor, and that it was a priority for the province.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was part of the conversation, but in regards to the increase in size, the economic impacts, the risks to public and officer safety, that was from my awareness from the teleconferences I had been on and discussions with Deputy Chief Crowley.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It is the -- well, it’s the goal of any team member no matter what uniform you’re wearing, your rank, your role in regards to the team. That is our goal during the incident.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. Yeah.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Based on the situation, right. That’s where your mission comes from and what your goal is, what you’re trying to resolve. That’s how your mission statements come through and, obviously, as a CIC in the training that we receive, we -- mission statements and the importance of them are discussed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Absolutely. Well, by, obviously, giving them the right to peaceful assembly and to honour their freedom of speech. We tried to do that through communications with our Provincial Liaisons Team.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I think it was approximately 10:00. I had to stop and pick up my scribe as well, so I think it was around 10:00, 10:30. I can’t -- I’d have to refer to my notes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So the scribe is a very important role. She took all of my notes for me, so she captured the majority of conversations and timings, people’s phone numbers, whatnot.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Very welcoming. Because of the relationships, I knew, as I said, Deputy Chief -- at the time Deputy Chief Bellaire as well as Inspector DeGraaf. They then introduced me to other members of their command post. It was referred to as the EOC here as well, so I met everybody. They were very welcoming. They appreciated the support and the assistance and the resources that the OPP was providing. And they also welcomed the experience that our organization has in regards to major prolonged events.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Certainly it was -- right off the start, it was a unified command. They ultimately respected that I would have final say on a lot of the plans because of the amount of resources that we were bringing and it included. But everything before it was decided was always referred to by both myself and the CIC from WPS.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I watched it, yeah.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was seamless, and we supported each other. It was a remarkable team effort.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
As I mentioned, Windsor Police respected the experience and the skillset that the OPP was bringing to the table due to the numerous events we’ve experienced as an organization in regards to critical incidents, and protracted critical incidents in particular. So with that, that’s where the trust and the respect came through. But at the same time, we weren’t able to do what we did if it wasn’t for the local knowledge and the networks and the partnerships that Windsor Police already had in existence.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Pretty much, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Really, I think to explain ours, unified would articulate it best.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. So when I arrived in Windsor, I requested a subject matter expert in regards to POU planning, Insp. Jason Younan. I contacted him and I requested he attend to offer his expertise in regards to a plan.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Insp. Jason Younan.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Those areas consisted of traffic, crime, Provincial Liaisons Teams, media, and logistics and resources. In addition to that, we also were able to set up a staging area, so there was a team that was in charge of the staging area as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Absolutely, yes, Intelligence as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They deployed a team leader to sit in the Emergency Operations Centre with us, and a team member as well. So they were constantly feeding us any intel that they were getting. And I’d like to mention, too, all those subject matter expects that I just listed off there, it wasn’t just OPP, but Windsor had the same representation. So, for example, in intel, we had OPP intel as well as Windsor intel in the Command Post.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Insp. Wendy Burrow, as from OPP, as well as Insp. Jenn Crosby from Windsor Police Service.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. So CBSA was included in the Command Post. They had a representative there, a team leader, as well as the Windsor Fire had representation and Windsor Emergency Services, the paramedics.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
All of those -- everybody who had a part of our Command Post provided us with different options, right? And options are very much needed in an incident like this. So it’s important to create an environment that’s inclusive, and communication is key so that everybody could provide ideas to resolve the situation effectively. Because the situation itself was very dynamic and fluid, we wanted to make sure that everything was covered. If you think about Fire or EMS, that they were in the loop just in case we needed their assistance, which at times we did.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Supt. Derek Needham.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So Insp. Karel DeGraaf worked days with me, and then at night it was D/Chief Crowley.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
To go and rest your head for a little bit, and obviously just to provide some relief.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I believe you would have to confirm with them, but I saw that Deputy Chief Bellaire.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
For West Region, Supt. Campisi looked after that role but also -- it would have also included our Chief, Chief Thib, and then the OPP command as well, Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. The autonomy that is required is very important because decisions need to be made in a very timely manner when dealing with critical incidents. So that’s -- really highlights the importance. They also know and can trust in the -- not only the experience the team has but the training, and the subject matter experts, the skillset that they bring. So they know that those decisions being made are the best options for the situation and what’s happening.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
You need to make sure that a decision is made. The failure to make a decision can almost be just as bad as making an improper decision. So that’s why the timeliness is very important, right? And these situations, things are happening minute by minute. You need to be able to make decisions based on your awareness. And the CIC has the best situational awareness to make those decisions.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
You are in the midst of it. You have all the intel coming in; you are there. You have all the feedback from your subject matter experts, so that’s why you have the utmost situational awareness.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did, and I appreciated it.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The same; they respected it from their command in the Command Post, as well as mine.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Very little. Windsor Police dealt with them and liaised with the City.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The remarkable team that I had. So with the mission that was set out that everybody was very much aware of, the expectations were clearly explained to the officers and the subject matter experts in regards to what was needed, and that’s how plans came together.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I learned through PLT that the protesters themselves were described as disjointed. They had different goals. It was explained to me that the PLT was really dealing with three different groups within the protesters, and that was causing a concern, as well as it was a challenge for our PLT to develop rapport or to really get anywhere, because the groups themselves were not agreeing.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I also learned from PLT of counterprotests as well and the concern for that. So they had had discussions with an -- or a member from the auto union and he expressed his displeasure with the protest and, in fact, was sharing with them that he was going to take matter into his own hands if it was not resolved. I was very grateful for the rapport and the relationship that PLT was able to develop with him, and through that, we asked for time or his patience.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
This is extremely concerning as the CIC and it was just other options now that I had to consider that not only the protesters perhaps would not like the plan of action, but we may have counter protesters attending as well that would create significant issues for public and officer safety.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So this is after he had arrived in Windsor. He obviously had time to deal -- to meet with all the other team leaders from the POU teams and as well take a look at the situation itself. He understood because it was such a long area, the three to four kilometres that they had occupied, that it would not be safe, as he stated in my summary, to clear the entire area all at once. So with that, he provided options to clearing out different sections of the protest area.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I mean, intelligence does need to be considered in regards to what we're finding on open source or wherever the intelligence is coming from. And it was important to hear also from both teams, so from the OPP Intelligence as well as Windsor Intelligence. Because of the different networks that both teams had, they were providing us with a better situational awareness.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That was mainly through Windsor Police Service because of the relationship they had with intel through the States.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Again, just to provide current and up-to-date operational -- or, sorry, situational awareness, so that we could have an idea of exactly what was going on in this very dynamic situation.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I would say that was a concern of mine that if we had to use the plan of action that I wanted the lowest amount of children to be there. Intelligence was able to provide me with areas that they had detected where the children were hanging out or were present in the protest. They were also able to tell me that, because of their intelligence, because of their overwatch, that the majority of the children went home at night, and very little of them stayed overnight. And so that led me to, obviously, looking at the option of going first thing in the morning with any plan of operation if needed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Knowing from intel that they had not observed any children overnight and that when children were present, it was usually not until later in the day.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Absolutely. So the -- and certain times of night, so the crowd, as in my summary and I know Deputy Chief Crowley spoke to it, it would get more unruly at certain times of night, and so we had to consider that and numbers were higher at certain times of night. But as it got colder and the later it got in the evening, a lot of people did return home. So by considering an early morning operation, that again would decrease, hopefully decrease the number of protesters that we were dealing with.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M'hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The less invasive, the less - - so lowest competent level would be -- the prime example would be our Provincial Liaison Team, you know, being able to discuss the removal or -- of protesters. For them to leave on their own would be ideal.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Absolutely.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I think jointly along with PLT, we are also using a media strategy to make sure that we were educating everybody in regards to that it was unlawful to be there, that there was other options that they could express freedom of speech. So there was the media attached at the same time as Provincial Liaison Teams were trying to develop rapport with the protestors.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So next steps, we looked for different options in regards to enforcement. I do know that I had conversations with Windsor about their bylaws. There was a number of different parking bylaws in that area. So we learned that the protestors would park on side streets and then attend the protests. Their parking on side streets were illegal. So their bylaw enforcement was then deployed to the area. So a number of different tickets were given out to the vehicles, as well as some were towed. So that’s just another level to let protestors know that they aren’t to be there.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So again, all of these steps are not independent. All of these things are continuing. So even as cars are being towed by bylaw, we’re still trying to have negotiations and develop rapport with the protestors through PLT, we’re still using media to get that message out. The next step would be enforcement.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So the set area, or the operational area, was certainly explained through our social -- our media strategy, through the PLT, that people needed to remove -- be removed from there, or remove themselves. And then other options throughout the city are really available. Any public area. We have to keep in mind though that there are private businesses as well, and they wouldn’t welcome protestors. So we had to make sure that we educated them in regards to that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
One of the protestors had approached our Provincial Liaison Team and stated that if they had received a letter from the Government indicating that the Government was willing to meet with them, that they would leave. So PLT brought this to my attention immediately. I then asked for assistance through my command team to see if this letter -- see if the Government would agree to this, and to see if this letter could be produced.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, it was very hopeful.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Quite a bit of back and forth in regards to just clarity as to what Mr. Neufeld was asking. And then, of course, it was the Commissioner’s command team who assisted in getting the letter so quickly, but it certainly demonstrated that we were trying our best to, you know, to get the protestors what they were asking for.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. Yes, I was.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. After the call at approximately 5:30 that included Supt. Alakas, I made the decision that perhaps we need to delay what was happening in Windsor, because of the influence it could have in Ottawa. I then had conversations with the strategic commanders, Deputy Commissioner Harkins and Commissioner Carrique, and learned -- well, they reminded me that I did not need to act in my strategic commander role, that I needed to focus on Windsor. And it was during that conversation that they said, “Are you ready to go? Is your plan ready? Do you have the resources? Will, you know, the plan itself emphasized public and officer safety?” I said yes to that, and then I changed my mind and decided to continue with my plan, realizing that I didn’t know the intimate knowledge of what was going on in Ottawa, because my focus had to be Windsor.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That it might agitate things there. And at the same time, I had to -- again, my focus had to be on Windsor. So if we didn’t go forward with the plan and prolonged allowing the protestors to continue, what would that mean for Windsor? And that was my priority.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm. It was a reminder that I did not have all -- good situational awareness of what was happening in Ottawa. They did. And that my focus needed to be on Windsor. And I could them, without a doubt, that the plan was ready, the officers were ready, we had enough resources, we had tried the stepped approach and we were not getting anywhere. Of course, I was hopeful about the letter because at this time it had not been delivered yet, but any CIC will tell you that you have your planning and your resources ready, one of the best options would be not to deploy it because protesters left on their own. So I was still hopeful because the letter hadn't been delivered yet.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That we would be -- if needed, if the letter was not successful, that we would be launching the next morning our Operational Plan.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Because all of those decisions moving forward in regards to Windsor and the plan, they were all my decisions.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M'hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Very little. Very little. It was disappointing.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Very little.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well, because of the time of day, we had seen this throughout the week, that was kind of the heavier times for numbers of people. Some sort -- somewhat I would describe as a party atmosphere was happening, from usually eight o'clock on during the evenings, and this was no different. So the party atmosphere had certainly began, and again, it was just very disappointing that the letter had little effect ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- although I appreciated all the efforts getting the letter.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you. Thank you, sir.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Morning.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay, thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The injunction was another tool that could be considered by myself and my team. We also made sure that the injunction was included in the media strategy so that everyone was aware that it existed. And -- so that's how it was used. I saw it as a tool.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That was coming from some of the officers from the frontline, as well as perhaps the -- and I can't recall exactly, but it was being discussed amongst the crowd.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Very little, if any at all. I can't recall.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Again, we used it as part of our media strategy. We made sure that people were aware that -- what it meant to them if you were protesting. We actually did up information pamphlets for the crowd that explained some of the consequences of the Act and had Provincial Liaison Teams distribute those. But again, some did leave as a result. Others did not.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I would say they worked in conjunction and, as I’ve mentioned several times, the situation being so dynamic that a lot of options are useful, and so I saw both of them as tools, as options for us.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So towing was included in our traffic plan and knowing that we may have to have an operation - - an action of operation and remove vehicles, that obviously had to be considered. Windsor Police Service has a contract with a local towing company who made their tow trucks available, and also, because we weren’t sure the exact numbers of what would need to be towed, we had the option of tow trucks come in from Detroit.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, there was not.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Not that specific detail, but I do know that the Inspector in charge of the traffic and towing plan had made connections with perhaps the contractors that they mentioned to arrange for tow trucks to be on standby.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They came -- I believe they came the morning of the 12th.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That day.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The area that we were able to clear on the 12th was significant, was more than we anticipated, and so the area that we needed to continue to clear on the 13th did not have a large amount of vehicles, so we were confident that the tow company from Windsor would be able to support what we needed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Windsor Police were able to use their -- obviously the connections with the city to use large trucks and as well they had a certain amount of cement barriers that were available to them and then we worked through our partnership with MTO to work with one of their contractors to bring in more cement barriers.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I’d have to refer to my notes, but I believe it was a POU team consisting of approximately 40 and then an additional -- they send their Emergency Response Teams with their POU, so I think there was an additional 10 there. And then we also had assistance from the RCMP officers that assisted on the front line as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No. I did meet some of them and they were from all over, really.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I’m not sure. I couldn’t comment on that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The efforts and the achievements of our Provincial Liaison Team not only in Windsor, but any incident that they attend, is remarkable, the community as well as our organization. We have a responsibility to try to develop that rapport in incidents where we don’t see eye to eye just so that everybody can be heard. And the Provincial Liaison Team allows that to happen within our different groups within our societies and our communities, and so that’s why I would urge that any police service have some sort of team that allows for that rapport and that communication piece.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I think depending on where the municipal service is and any key infrastructures that may be targeted, that has to be a consideration. And if, in fact, they can’t have a team, perhaps they need to have some sort of Memorandum of Understanding with another service that could facilitate a POU unit for them if needed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, we did. So we had a vehicle set aside that would transport children from the scene. We also worked with the local Children’s Aid Society for assistance and, as well, Windsor had kind of spearheaded this but they had their victim response unit in attendance to support any children that may be present.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So as I’ve discussed before, you need to have as many options as possible, especially in an incident like this, and so once you learn of -- or once you have developed that situational awareness and some of the challenges that you may be faced with, but during the incident, you need to make sure that options are covered for each one. So for example, you mention traffic. Well that includes towing as well. And so did the POU plan. Knowing that children were present at different times during the day during this protest, that was an obvious thing for me to make sure that it was addressed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We had a very early morning briefing, which included every team member that was going to be involved. So that would be all of our POU contingent, as well as the front-line officers, as well as the admin support. The plan was explained to everyone. I addressed everyone and thanked them for their support and efforts. It was shortly after that that we then staged at the areas that were set out in the plan. Before the plan was to move forward, PLT was to, again, address the crowd and let them know that with POU standing behind them, let them know that POU would be attempting to clear the area and giving them another opportunity to leave the area on their own. Another important part of the plan is that we always left an area open so that if somebody wanted to leave the operational area while POU was present, they could do so on their own.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm. It’s a bit difficult to see the side roads. Okay. So right in behind the McDonald’s is obviously where the bridge is. So we wanted to go from the bridge to the intersection, to the train tracks. So there’s train tracks right in front of the entrance to the bridge. That was a certain area. We then wanted to move from the tracks itself to the intersection at the McDonald’s there since that’s a clear point. That would be another section. And then ultimately make our way down to Tecumseh Road. So it was basically put into three different sections. Those were determined by the POU plan and the POU team leaders in regards to what would be most effective. And obviously I respected and trusted their subject matter expertise.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct. So we would use a mixture of the larger trucks, the cement barriers, and officers as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. So the traffic plan was to -- as I said to my team that day, it’s one thing to open the bridge, it’s another thing to keep it open. So the traffic plan, the traffic and towing plan addressed maintaining the safe flow of traffic to and from the United States. So the traffic plan incorporated the cement barriers that we discussed, and blocking all the intersections, And I won’t say all, but most of the intersections down Huron Church, to ensure that we did not have protestors coming from the side streets onto the road again and taking it back. The infrastructure of Windsor is a huge challenge when it comes to the entrance of the bridge, and that’s why the need for all the resources that were required in regards to the cement barriers. This traffic plan also had marked areas that intersections were attended by officers, rather than cement barriers, for safety reasons for EMS and fire, to make sure that they could get through, and then also too, we incorporated two different areas for pedestrian traffic as well.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes -- no, they weren’t at certain times, but towards the end, towards E.C. Row and that area, they were able to cross into the other side of the city. Again, another big part of the traffic plan was the media strategy. So we made sure that we communicated this to the community at every step of the way. What it looked like, what the alternate routes were to the different businesses, to the different areas of the city. We made sure that all of those were set up as well. And Windsor Police had, obviously, a big hand in that, working with the Roads Department.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We relied on the Criminal Code for keeping people out of the area. We had specific tasks for the officers that were assigned to the traffic plan to investigate anybody who maybe appeared suspicious, or who may stop in the exclusion zone. So it was clearly communicated to the community through MTO signs, through social media that if you were going to be on Huron Church, you’re going to the bridge.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, if it ever happened at all. I don’t think it did happen.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They would be able to address anything under the Criminal Code, but anything under provincial or municipal legislation, they would not be able to address. And since they were being deployed to assist the frontline, we needed them to make -- we needed them to have those options. So what we did instead, because of the delay, is that we made sure that they were partnered with another police service, so OPP or Windsor, that did have those abilities.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don’t think there was really clear direction as to who had to do it, when did it have to be done, could it be done remotely, did it have to be done with them in person? So there was a lot of phone calls back and forth with myself, along with Windsor Police Service, at a time where really we should have just been left alone to focus on the incident itself. So that’s what I mean by more streamlined before RCMP officers arrived to assist.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, we just looked for a different option, because obviously we needed them on the frontline. So that’s what we did instead.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well, things were much different then because the traffic was flowing and it’s hard to say if it had any difference. But I do know that, again, it was communicated through our media strategy that people were aware of the additional Act being legislated and what it meant to them, and the definition of certain things, obviously a bridge that fell under the Act.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
To return.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I agree. M’hm. Again, it was another tool that we were able to use.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, we continued to observe and receive intelligence that indicated, I think it was on the date of -- I know it’s in my notes, on the date of the 15th or 16th, there was a Facebook posting that was called Take Back the Bridge, and it was associated to all the things that had -- were then transpiring in Ottawa, and basically the posts were saying, you know, "everybody's -- all the police are gone to Ottawa, so let's take back the bridge." That's something that we watched very closely. Also, Windsor Police had had a group of protesters on a regular basis, and I think Deputy Chief Crowley spoke to that, that would meeting during the convoys on a regular basis. So we maintained kind of Intelligence on, you know, what will that group bring. But certainly there was the fear that they would think that numbers were being deployed to Ottawa and then try to take advantage of that and take back the bridge.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. There was Intelligence that indicated that, that that's what they were considering.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well, to those who, yeah, were going to try to take it back after it expired, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was a plan to obviously demobilise our resources, not only for officers but just kind of give the incident entirely to Windsor Police Service as soon as they could kind of sustain it themselves. Also, keeping in mind and respecting the fact of that they had calls for service, they had a city to police as well, so we did it in a staged approach. It also included demobilising certain areas of the Traffic Plan. So on a daily basis, sometimes on a, you know, an hourly basis, we would monitor the traffic flow, along with the Intelligence, along with the reports from our Provincial Liaison Team, and what the frontline was seeing, to see if there was areas where we could perhaps remove some of the barriers. So we evaluated that constantly and opened intersections a point at a time. You can see in the Demobilisation Plan that we actually had some dates set out for each intersection to be considered. Some of those dates were met, other dates were actually opened intersections earlier than we anticipated.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We -- that was sort of kind of a review of -- based on the information we had when the plan was created. Those two -- the last two intersections were the heavier intersections in regards to protests, and those are the two that are obviously closest to the bridge entrance, so that's why they were kind of put until the end to see how the community as well as the intel and all of that what we were receiving to see how the other intersections were being cleared. Was it being received well? Did we have any other threat of a protest? So that's why it was kind of spanned along that amount of time.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don't. Sorry.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Again, it was seamless. And we worked every day, every night side by side, so really, it was seamless when we left. We just wanted to make sure that Windsor had the proper amount of resources to be able to deal with anything if it should occur. And of course some of our officers remained there until the end of the month, end of February.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M'hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I think that every Critical Incident Commander attempts to go on ground, it's just because of, again, the dynamic situation, it's not always to do. So once I had an opportunity I did make a point of visiting the different checkpoints to check on the wellness of our members, and when I say "our members" I mean any police officer that was out there. I also asked them for their input, if there was anything else that we needed to get done or that we could do better. It was from one of those visits that the interactive posts in regards to the Traffic Plan and updating on a regular basis it came from a frontline officer, saying, you know, "I'm dealing with a local resident who wasn't sure where the crosswalks were. So could we post it and keep it up-to-date?" So I took that right back to the Command Post and made sure that that was done right away so that a member of the public at any time just could click on a link and know where the cross the road. So it's those things as well. And most importantly, it's a way to thank them for their efforts, considering that a lot of them had been away from home for quite sometime, and know that their efforts were having an impact.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The team. Absolutely the team. It was a remarkable collaboration and cooperation. It didn't matter what uniform you were wearing, what rank you were, what role you had, it was a tremendous effort by a remarkable team.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don't think so at this point. Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Good morning.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes; correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct, and especially in this instance because we -- nobody was really being identified as a leader.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, as well as the tunnel.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That I did not.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That is correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I was aware.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, we were witnessing it.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was always very apparent the children on site were at certain times in the day and that they were not staying overnight. So the information at 0400, the children were not present did not surprise me because information before revealed that the children were going home at night and not returning until sometimes 9, 10 a.m.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, right.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I believe, and I think it was recorded in my notes ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- something indicating that they were going to knock heads or use a vehicle to push people into the river.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did not see a significant change in the incident.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The one in Ottawa?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I do not. I do not know.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Was Windsor.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M'hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, sorry.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I believe that covers it.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Right. Yes, I was aware.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Certainly, all of them had to be considered. I think I'll go back to the example of the Facebook page that I mentioned and Take Back the Bridge. It was obvious that people were monitoring what police activity was, and then making plans according to that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, Windsor Police Service was dealing with that because it was their jurisdiction, but I was aware that the towing company had received threats, both internally, so on their phone, and also too that a number of people had called continuously to this -- the business, and so basically, their phone service wasn't available because people kept tying up the lines. And in regards to tow trucks, when the others were staged from the States, we also received information that people were going to -- protesters were going to go and block the area where we had them staged, so that we potentially were not able to use them, so I had to assign additional officers to that area.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They could attempt -- again, they had obviously proven to the world at this time that they were able to block it, so that they knew it was achievable.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I made it clear that I needed a contingent of POU officers still available.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I received a lot of emails, but yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, and providing them the education of what could happen.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Absolutely.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah, I wasn't there, but I did hear it in his testimony.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Again, it was another tool that we could refer to if we had issues.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Exactly.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Good morning.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I did not.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Not that I’m aware of.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I knew it was stressed on me that it was a priority.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
All I can speak to is I knew it was my priority.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Perhaps, but there was a lot of other issues that we had to consider.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I can’t speak to that. I wasn’t involved in that conversation.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I can’t speak to what he was thinking.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Possibly.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And Windsor Police.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
In regards to having them sworn in?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I believe it’s more than that. I think it’s about three.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That I can’t speak to.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I mean, it was Windsor’s responsibility to be reviewing the Hendon Reports in regards to activity in their area.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Will the document be ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Oh, okay. No, I don’t ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I’m not familiar with that name.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
M’hm.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah, I do believe that that was -- again, the arrests were the responsibility of Windsor Police Service.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I believe so.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Pardon?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Right.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They can be. Everybody has - - there’s a potential of violence in any offence, really.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It all depends on the reasonable and probable grounds ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- exist.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Right.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct. Not exactly right to the 401, but yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay. That could be.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I’m sorry, I’m not sure about the distances. We used other ways as well. The cement barriers, along with officers deployed to the certain traffic stops too.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Good afternoon.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes; correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I know it was in between those two days. As you can see, I lost track of time sometimes or when the date changed because I was up until all hours ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- but I know that PLT was deployed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
So I don't know if he received it from myself or from the Chief or perhaps Acting Superintendent Marcel Beaudin.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I know that the discussion was had that they would go and attend and assist.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah, I don't remember watching it, but I was certainly aware of it.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I had heard about it?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I do recall.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I did not hear him say that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
With the Mayor?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
From -- that came from the City? Or, sorry, I'm not ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And they worked alongside of our media officers, our OPP media officers, and everything was brought to the Command table for review.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did not raise concerns, no.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was to ensure that a protest did not occur again, yes. But yes, to keep the flow safe.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Exactly.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Hello.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I was not aware ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- that that was publicised.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, it was one of.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, over the times that I was there.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I would think so, I'm not sure.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I did not know numbers.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Shared with?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There were convoys that I discussed earlier, sir; is that what you’re referring to?
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Those convoys actually stayed local in their respective municipalities.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, that’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don’t recall reading that ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- specific report.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, we did not have the information to indicate where they were coming from, ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- or what kind of vehicles or who would be involved.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Right.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I understood it to be my priority, so it was my priority that I needed to focus on.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I understood that it was a priority, and I would get whatever resources I needed.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I can’t speak to that. You’d had to ask them.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Right, those were, yeah, from the teleconference.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah, it’s in the context of the conversation.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Angela Ferguson.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I understood.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. And I had also had conversations with D/Chief Crowley at this time and had more of a situational awareness.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The scribe.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I have not.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
The elements are similar, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
But each situation would dictate the final mission ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- the statement.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I haven't seen that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It's been a while.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I wasn't on the frontline, but as a Strategic Commander I was involved somewhat.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don't.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They would have similar elements.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was a challenge, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I'd have to look at my notes, or I don't ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- recall. I wasn't involved ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- on the ground.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
For some of it.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Larger, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Each incident had its complexities ===
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- and challenges.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I would say that it had different challenges than the incident in Windsor.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And much larger, yes, I will agree to that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I wasn't in Ottawa, so it's hard for me to ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- speak to that, sir.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, I do.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, I raised it when I reviewed my statement.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Within the last couple days.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. Yes, they did, and I didn't ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yeah, and I didn't catch ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- it that -- no.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I watched his testimony.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, absolutely not. I caught it prior to that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I see it as overstepping. The operational control of the incident was mine. It had to -- that decision had to be made by me.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It's shared with everybody, but it's -- it did not produce the reaction we were hoping for.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don't.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I left it to PLT.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I'm sure the information ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- would be available in my notes but ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I did not say it in that way, but I made sure that since a letter from the government was being issued to the protest in Windsor, that people were aware across the province that that was happening.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
There was discussion in regards to that, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was suggested that I re- evaluate because I was not aware of the details of what was happening in Ottawa as he was and as the Commissioner was.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That's true.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I shared with him that I had decided to pause it based on that, and then he shared with me insight in regards to what was going on in Ottawa, and that if that was the main reason, not to pause enforcement based on that.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don't recall if he called me or I was updating him.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I don't recall if I called him or he called me, to be honest.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I'd have to ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was to bring an update.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It was, yeah. It was a ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
--- discussion of my decision.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
We discussed my reasons for wanting to pause and he said if it was solely based on Ottawa, that you should not -- that it should -- not to worry about it, to remain focussed on Windsor.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And that's when I ---
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, the aggression and the violence by protestors was in regards to the response to the operational plan that I had -- was going to move forward with in Windsor.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
It would be protestors wherever across the province, and so that’s why we were discussing it.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
And Deputy, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They supported me moving forward with the plan.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They provided me with information that made me change my mind that the pause was not necessary, that we were ready to go, and reminded me that Windsor was my priority.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Well, it was a discussion. I did not find that it was directive. It was a discussion that we had about my reasons for pausing.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
No, the letter was going to be given regardless.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That was what my first option was, and that’s what I was considering.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, that was part of the discussion.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
I wouldn’t call any work of the Provincial Liaison Team a failure. Their effort was there. But it did not produce the results that we were hoping.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Use an operational plan from POU, yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes. Fair.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Good afternoon.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Okay.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, it’s their jurisdiction.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
They worked with me like every other plan to create the arrest plan.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, they -- we worked alongside of each other to create those plans.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes, that’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Hello.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Yes.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
That’s correct.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.
-
Dana Earley, Supt (ON-OPP)
Thank you.