Sudbury police sending 25 officers to Ottawa for Parliament Hill protest

Greater Sudbury Police Services says 25 off-duty police officers will be sent to the nation's capital to help relieve Ottawa police from a volatile, week-long protest on Parliament Hill.

In an email to CBC News, Kaitynn Dunn, a spokesperson with GSPS, said the officers were asked to assist Ottawa Police Service with Public Order Maintenance.

Ottawa police have been grappling with a protest against COVID-19 public health mandates that has crippled the city's downtown and at times snarled traffic on area highways.

The majority of the Sudbury contingent will be off-duty officers, GSPS said, and the city still has sufficient resources over the weekend.

"Members attending Ottawa are part of our Public Order Unit and are specifically trained in Public Order Maintenance and crowd management," Dunn said. "Once in Ottawa, these Members will be taking direction from the Ottawa Police Service Incident Command Team."

On Friday, Ottawa police said they'll increase their presence and further restrict access to thedowntown area to control what's expected to be another weekend of noisy protests, but they warn the situation remains volatile and dangerous.

In a Friday morning news release, police said the new "surge and contain strategy" means there will immediately be about 150 more officers dedicated to patrolling central Ottawa neighbourhoods and enforcing laws as they're being broken or by getting evidence to act at a later, safer time.

It also means more heavy barricades to manage traffic and more intelligence work with provincial and national help to lay charges, including against those planning and funding illegal activity.