Councillor asks Carra integrity investigation be referred to province and police

Calgary sanctions 2 councillors City council sanctioned 2 councillors over 3 different ethics complaints. Bill Macfarlane reports

Ward 2 councillor Jennifer Wyness asked council to consider referring veteran colleague Gian-Carlo Carra's disclosure investigation findings to both the minister and police for further review.

On Tuesday council voted to accept the City's Integrity Commissioner finding that Carra had failed to properly disclose a financial holding in his ward over a six year period despite numerous requests and opportunities.

Carra paid $300,000 towards a property on New Street S.E. in 2015, later adding another $36,000 towards the property. He revealed the holding in council at the time but never added it to his public disclosures, effectively hiding it from public view.

The commissioner did not find that Carra had benefited financially from decisions made while on council or in various sub-committees.

"The precedent was set on past council," Wyness says. "When it comes to money, we really need to be referring it up the food chain."

The precedent Wyness referred to was that of former councillor Joe Magliocca, who was found to have improperly claimed thousands of dollars in expenses. The matter was later handed over to police.

SECOND INVESTIGATION

Magliocca, a vocal fiscal conservative on council, eventually repaid over $10,000 of those disputed expenses.

Wyness was also at the centre of a second investigation into councillor Carra's conduct. Last February Carra retweeted a message lumping her and three other council colleagues together with controversial councillor Sean Chu.

The tweet suggested the four councillors were "unfit to serve" after supporting Chu's motion on a piece of council business. Months earlier it was revealed Chu had been investigated years ago for a relationship with a 16-year-old girl while he was an on-duty police officer.

The tweet and resulting social media pile-on led Wyness to resign her position on a city committee.

"It was intimidation. It was that power imbalance of a rookie councillor versus a veteran," Wyness says.

Carra has been removed from his leadership roles on all council committees, ordered to issue apologies and attend ethics training.

In a statement Wednesday Carra wrote: "I accept the decisions of the Integrity Commissioner and am working on my apologies."

He has 30 days to complete them.

Councillor Wyness' motion to refer the file will be discussed by council later this month.