Security costs climb as threats, intimidation toward mayor, council persist

Cost of security for public officials rises Calgary is spending millions of dollars more to protect its officials, as threats and harassment become more common.

Calgary's corporate security costs have increased by millions of dollars since 2020 as safety concerns have climbed, with dozens of intimidating remarks directed at the mayor and councillors, including death threats that have prompted police involvement and arrests.

Freedom of Information requests by CTV News show the severity and frequency of threats against the city's elected officials.

The intimidating activity started the day the current council was sworn in and has continued in the nearly three years since, with some messages to Mayor Jyoti Gondek threatening to "drown you and your entire lineage" and warning to "grow eyes on the back of your head."

"Attempts to intimidate have been around forever -- for as long as people have served in elected office -- but the nature of the messaging and the severity that it's creating is something unlike (anything) I've ever seen, and it is disturbing," Gondek said.

"It is not something that we will run from. We will continue to do our jobs. We will not be intimidated into leaving public service until we've done the work we need to do on behalf of Calgarians."

The city's corporate security costs for 2023 are budgeted for $23 million, up about $7 million from 2020, the last full year of the previous council.

The department's spending is expected to reach $33 million by 2026.

"Corporate security protects information, infrastructure, assets and people -- including City of Calgary employees, members of council, and Calgarians," the department said in a statement.

"We do this by proactively identifying and responding to events, like increasing social disorder, protests and demonstrations, where they pose risk or harm to our information, infrastructure, assets and people."

The department includes security guards at city hall, personnel to protect councillors and the mayor, investigators, cyber security experts and more.

Corporate security officials declined to be interviewed and would not provide a specific cost breakdown for its budget, citing "security matters."

THREATS AND WARNINGS

The first wave of serious threats directed at the mayor and her office started right after the city declared a climate emergency.

"You are a joke. I am going to drown you and your entire lineage in the same drums of oil you're planning on banning," reads one Instagram message sent to the mayor in November 2021.

The message ended with a clear threat: "Keep an eye open because I'm coming for you."

Another email sent to the mayor's office days later, also critical of the declaration of a climate emergency, said, "Somebody starts f---ing with my livelihood, I'll f--k with theirs."

Months later, Calgary police were called after around 50 people showed up outside the mayor's home as part of a protest.

A week after that, the mayor's office received an email demanding local health measures be dropped.

The tone was critical of council's handling of the pandemic and concluded that the writer "can't wait to see (the mayor) swing from a tree."

Messages, voicemails and emails sent to the mayor were often racist and misogynistic.

An email in late 2021 told the mayor to "watch your back you stupid f---ing whore... you will get yours."

Another, a month later, called the mayor a "f---ing immigrant sh--stain."

A series of messages related to protests surrounding drag story times at city libraries called the mayor an "evil b--ch," "wicked" and "demon-possessed."

A long, rambling voicemail to the mayor included the caller saying, "Oh, by the way, nice neck."

A man was charged in 2022 for leaving a latex horse head on the front step of the mayor's home, but the charges were later withdrawn.

MESSAGES INVESTIGATED

Though the mayor received the majority of threats investigated by corporate security and released through FOI requests, she wasn't the only one.

Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra received an email telling him to "drop dead" in response to a community newsletter about upcoming events.

In response to his comments about an anti-vaccine protest in the Beltline, Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott received a message from someone calling him an "enemy of the people of Calgary."

The sender also told the councillor to step down.

"Whether you resign or not, treason is a hanging offence and the people of Calgary aren't planning on forgiving you for stabbing us in the back like this," the message said.

A threat assessment regarding the mayor was prepared by the Calgary Police Service's behavioural sciences unit in early 2022 and recommendations for how to handle situations were provided, but the report is redacted.

COST OF KEEPING COUNCIL SAFE

The city started an executive protection unit in 2010 when Naheed Nenshi was elected as the new mayor.

The unit provides close protection (CP) to the mayor and councillors at events when needed.

Estimated costs for CP equipment, overtime and travel ranged between $75,000 and $100,000 annually for the first decade of the unit, but the presence of CP personnel has become more noticeable with the new mayor and council.

"Our public officials are owed safety, right?" said Doug King, a justice studies professor at Mount Royal University.

"That's part of what we extend to them when they run."

Gondek can frequently be seen with a pair of plainclothes security guards when out in public during normal working hours.

FOI records show the CP team has claimed tens of thousands of dollars of expenses related to travel for events the mayor attended in Victoria, Toronto, Houston and New York.

Councillors have also claimed thousands for home security systems and protection.

Former councillors Druh Farrell and Diane Colley-Urquhart each have line items of $20,000 related to "home CCTV and close protection at events."

Ex-councillor Joe Magliocca and current councillors Peter Demong and Sean Chu each claimed $5,000 for home CCTV. Chu voted against a 2022 motion to allow councillors to expense home security costs.

Current councillors Kourtney Penner and Carra each filed expenses of less than a thousand dollars for home security.

The corporate security department responds to about around 2,000 incidents every year, including hundreds of threat risk assessments and security responses.

It is also responsible for monitoring for cyber threats against the city and its employees.