Former WRPS chief withdraws from interim chief offer in Ottawa

Former WRPS chief withdraws from Ottawa role From CTV Kitchener’s Spencer Turcotte: A former WRPS has withdrawn from an offer to be police chief in Ottawa.

A former chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service has withdrawn from an offer to serve as interim police chief in Ottawa.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson confirmed to CTV News that Matthew Torigian was offered the contract. However, he withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday afternoon.

Torigian signed a contract and was due to start the job in the next few days. But he withdrew and won’t be asking for any compensation, Watson said in a memo to the police board on Thursday.

Ottawa’s police chief Peter Sloly stepped down on Tuesday amid criticism of his handing of the ongoing trucker protests in downtown Ottawa.

Torigian served as WRPS chief between 2007 and 2014. He then became deputy minister for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

With files from CTV Ottawa