Local News
CTV News: Peter Sloly, Ottawa’s police chief, has resigned after an Ottawa Police Services Board meeting this Tuesday, Feb. 15. Named chief in August 2019, his contract was due to end in 2024. Sloly has faced a lot of criticism from citizens for his handling of the truck convoy protest that has been taking place in downtown Ottawa since Jan. 29, disrupting the lives of residents and businesses alike.
“The board is already at work to put in place a new command structure and will be appointing a new chief very soon,” said board chair Diane Deans.
National News
CTV News: International travellers will no longer require a pre-arrival PCR test when they enter Canada if they are fully vaccinated from Feb. 28, announced Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Travellers can instead opt for a cheaper rapid antigen test approved by their country of departure, taken 24 hours before their scheduled flight. Travellers may still be selected for random testing will not have to quarantine while awaiting test results.
International News
CBC: The Russian Defence Ministry announced a partial pullback of troops from the Ukraine border from military exercises – a move that could de-escalate friction between Moscow and the West on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is ready for talks with the U.S. and NATO – who have agreed to discuss a range of security measures that Russia had previously proposed – reiterating that Russia does not want a war and wants to solve this by “peaceful means through a diplomatic process.”