In a video posted to TikTok and Twitter on February 12, an individual dressed in what appears to be a police uniform calls for the resignation of Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly. Accounts tweeting the video have claimed the individual is an Ottawa Police officer. Our analysis of this video indicates that the individual is not an active Ottawa Police officer and is instead associated with an asset recovery company West of Toronto.
The individual in the video appears to have a name tag on their uniform. When the video, which is taken as a mirror image, is corrected, and zoomed, the letters on the tag spell out the word “Uhelak”. DisinfoWatch contacted Ottawa Police to ask if there was anyone named “Uhelak” in its police force.
Ottawa Police stated that “there is no Ottawa Police officer with that name; and nothing indicates this is an Ottawa Police member.”
The TikTok video is identified as belonging to an account named “truenorthrecoveryservices.” On its account page, “truenorthrecoveryservices” identifies itself as being an “Asset Recovery Service” in Ontario. There are videos on the account that mention Niagara and one video features a tow truck from a company located in Niagara Falls.
A search of both the name Uhelak and True North Recovery brings up a LinkedIn profile that matches both names.
False claims about police officers engaging in insubordination may provoke and encourage protestors to take more aggressive action and could lead to destabilization of the situation. Canadian social media users should take care to check the content of posts and their sources before sharing it or risk becoming a participant in the spreading of misinformation.
