March 3, 2022

Protest in Ottawa – Statement from Robert Swaita

With all the recent events and the resignation of Chief Sloly, the dismissal of the Board Chair, the
resignation of the two municipal councillors from the board & municipal appointee, I submitted my
resignation to the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) effective March 2, 2022.

I was honoured and humbled to be appointed two years ago by the Province of Ontario in this very
important role on the OPSB. I discharged my duties faithfully and to the best of my ability. I volunteered
to be on the OPSB to bring attention to better policing and enhanced community safety, while
addressing important issues for front line officers. As a member of the OPSB, I was never privy to
operational information of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). Further, I never once shared confidential
information of the OPSB with members of the public as I have seen alluded to in media releases by
certain public officials.

I want to be crystal clear - I did nothing wrong, nor has it been alleged in the article that I did anything
inappropriate. I attended the protest on two occasions when the convoy first arrived in Ottawa. I shared
this, and my frustrations, in conversations with the Chair and Vice Chair of the OPSB at the time - well
before the protest was declared illegal. As a private citizen of Ottawa and a member of the OPSB, I
wanted to better understand the growing frustration that was being felt by many Canadians to better
undertake my duties as an OPSB member and a concerned citizen. I heard many tragic stories of suicide,
loneliness, and job loss. I also went on a police ride-along to better gauge the challenges faced by our
brave police officers with regards to the protest. I unequivocally condemn any racist or destructive
behaviour. I never attended the protest after it was declared illegal, and I never made donations.

Finally, I want to personally thank the individual members of the OPS and the many police services
across Canada for their hard work on bringing this to a safe conclusion and restoring order to our city.
This often goes unrecognized and underappreciated, but our officers need our help more than ever to
continue to keep our community safe.