Calgary Coun. Sean Chu photographed mayor’s license plate, steps down from deputy mayor role

Calgary Coun. Sean Chu photographed Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s car license plate, according to revelations made at a city council special meeting Tuesday.

Gondek said the photos were leaked online and made aware to her by a member of the public. She said her car was in a secured area earlier in the year.

This led Chu to step down in his upcoming role as deputy mayor. The decision was voted for unanimously by city council in the meeting meant to discuss the deputy mayor roster.

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot will take on the position of deputy mayor in December, while Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott will take it on next year in May.

Gondek said Chu was to be deputy mayor when council marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Dec. 6.

“I can’t trust that individual to represent our city, and I really can’t have him bringing initial remarks for the day we are marking violence against women,” Gondek said to reporters.

The mayor says her safety has been compromised.

“I am well aware that my own experience pales in comparison to what others have had to go through in the past when it comes to safety and sexual violence,” Gondek said.

“It should, however, demonstrate that working with this individual has jeopardized my safety and created fear of reprisal for speaking out.”

There wasn’t an explanation for why he was taking photos.

Chu apologized and says he has to use the public parkade at City Hall and not the executive area.

Gondek didn’t accept the apology.

“I want this man to not be able to do this job. I want him to resign,” Gondek said.

Chu left following the meeting, choosing not to speak with the media.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek speaks with the media in Calgary on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews photo)

The meeting also looked at the Calgary Police Commission’s review of the 1997 police misconduct investigation involving Chu.

A second motion saw a unanimous vote in favour of sending the review of the misconduct allegations to the Premier’s office.

The motion is intended to create more action on the matter as there have been continued calls for Chu’s resignation.

Gondek expressed her fatigue after a year of dealing with the actions of her colleague.

“The work that has been done by his previous victim, by this council. It is one man bringing us all to deal with all of this,” Gondek said. “Please ask him, why he does the things he does.”

In a statement to CityNews Wednesday, the office of the Premier says Danielle Smith has instructed her two Deputy Ministers of Justice and Public Safety to review the police commissions file review “to determine whether any further action should be taken in light of the findings outlined in the document.”

“These allegations are serious and we do not take them lightly. Elected representatives at all levels need to conduct themselves in all matters with the highest standards of integrity and ethical behaviour,” the statement read.

The commission uncovered errors and found some procedures were not properly followed during the investigation of sexual assault while Chu was a police officer.

Related Stories:

• Calgary councillor Sean Chu’s censure ends

• Jyoti Gondek reflects on her first year as Calgary Mayor

• Calgary police finish review on Sean Chu case, shows errors were made

Chu has also been removed from the Friends of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Calgary committee.

Adriano Lozer, the Commanding officer of HMCS Calgary, says the navy learned about Chu’s involvement with the HMCS and says they consulted council as they “questioned the councilor’s suitability.”

Lozer said in a statement to CityNews that HMCS wants to “keep potential victims or survivors at the forefront of decision making” by understanding the allegations made towards Chu.

“With full respect for the work of elected officials and the political process, I conveyed to the Mayor that until such time that we better understand Councilor Chu’s involvement, accountability, and the related final disposition of historical misconduct allegations, as well as the final disposition of the survivor involved, the ship and the navy will not have any relationship with the Councilor,” Lozer said.

This comes after Chu was approved for the Community Development Committee on Oct. 25 in a 14-1 vote at Calgary city council.

Gondek also told reporters at the time that Chu was better suited to serving the council, rather than sitting on his hands.

“We have been told by the powers that be that we have no ability to remove a member of council, so the options are don’t give them anything to do and they earn an income or give them something to do,” Gondek said.

Chu continues to defend allegations

In a statement posted to Twitter Monday, Chu said allegations made against him were investigated multiple times.

“It has been brought to my attention that selective parts from a 1997 statement of claim have been shared on social media. A statement of claim is not a finding of fact, and as the name suggests it is a claim that has not been proven in court,” he wrote.

#yyccc #yyc pic.twitter.com/4pyeZEYWw5

— Sean Chu (@seanchucalgary) November 14, 2022

He adds the internal review completed by CPS this past summer found that “while errors were made in the process, ‘it does not appear that errors impacted the outcome of the case.'”

Chu noted that he would not be commenting further on the matter.

–With files from Mark Strashok and Todd Kaufamn