Canadian Anti-Hate Network
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During a recent city meeting, the pastor of the Ottawa Bikers’ Church claimed to have been repeatedly invited by an Ottawa police officer to attend protests.
Pastor Rob McKee runs the Capital City Bikers’ Church in Ottawa’s Vanier neighbourhood. The church has courted controversy after opposing pandemic-related health measures, supporting the so-called “Freedom Convoy”, and welcoming the “Rolling Thunder” protests that occurred shortly afterwards.
During a Thursday meeting of Ottawa’s Joint Emergency Preparedness and Protective Services and Public Works Committee to discuss legislation placing protest-free “bubble zones” around certain areas like schools and religious buildings, McKee delegated in support of the bill.
This included the claim that a police officer in Ottawa had invited McKee to “numerous” protests.
“I’ve had the opportunity to be at some of the protests, usually not by choice, we’ve been invited by police liaisons to try to make cooler heads prevail at times. I truly believe a school, not the best place to protest. Being at that and experiencing that, I thought, man, what's it like for the students and teachers being a part of this.”
When a city councillor pressed him for more details about which protest the officer had allegedly invited him to, McKee responded, "Numerous ones.”
“So there was ones at the National Arts Centre, the one down at Broadview Public School,” he said over a video call. “We work very closely with the liaison officers and our liaison officer at the time was Derek. He's now back on regular foot patrol, but we would be in constant contact regularly. And so he was the one that invited us down."
The Ottawa Police Service told PressProgress that the allegation is "inaccurate."
“No member of the Police Liaison Team has ever invited individuals or groups to attend protests or demonstrations.”
However, according to PressProgress, McKee believes that what he perceived as invitations were due to the church's influence within the movement. “He actually liked it when we were there, because from the people that we had influence with, he knew that they would be in control, that they’re not going to step out of line," he told PressProgress, adding that they trusted each other and were beginning to form a friendship.
Broadview Public School in Ottawa has been the site of numerous anti-2SLGBTQ+ protests since 2021. Organized by Christopher “Billboard Chris” Elston, the most recent iteration was held in April 2025.
Similarly, the National Arts Centre has drawn protests against their family-friendly drag queen story time events.
“Learning that McKee was invited by the Police Liaison Team to hate-filled protests is appalling but unsurprising,” Emily Quaile with Community Solidarity Ottawa, a community activist group, told the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. “The (Ottawa Police Service) sided with the Convoy.”
They add that certain protesters receive unfair treatment from the OPS, as they have “continued to criminalize Palestinian protests, and our defences of trans rights.”
