Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Ottawa Police Chief Vern White to the Senate Friday, along with six others, according to a press release.
White will fill a seat for Ontario in the upper chamber starting Feb. 20.
Known nationally for his opposition to safe injection clinics in the city, White has been chief of police since May 2007.
“I want to congratulate Chief White on his appointment and thank him for his service to our city," said Mayor Jim Watson in a news release. “Vern has worked tirelessly to improve safety for all of our citizens and this has been reflected in declining crime rates. He is a community builder and I look forward having an Ottawa voice in the Senate of Canada.”
Councillor Eli El-Chantiri, chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board, says he wishes White “all the best” in his new role.
“Ottawa is losing a leader who worked hard to build a better police force," he said. "His efforts reached beyond traditional policing, as demonstrated by his leadership in working to expand youth drug treatment programs in our city.”
Before coming to Ottawa, White led the Durham Regional Police Service east of Toronto, and spent 24 years with the RCMP.
His contract with the city was not set to expire until May 2015.
The other Senate appointees are JoAnne Buth, Norman Doyle, Ghislain Maltais, Dr. Asha Seth, Betty Unger, and Jean-Guy Dagenais.