After consultation with the city’s ethics adviser, Calgary’s Ward 9 councillor offered an apology on Tuesday to other members of council.
The apology stems from a Feb. 6 quote tweet regarding fellow Coun. Sean Chu and four other members of council.
The quote tweet chastised Couns. Sonya Sharp, Jennifer Wyness, Andre Chabot and Dan McLean for working with Chu on council notice of motions.
Chu has been the subject of ongoing controversy after stories surfaced just prior and just after the October 2021 municipal election regarding the Ward 4 councillor’s involvement with an underaged girl while he was a member of the Calgary Police Service.
There’s been lingering pressure for Chu to resign since the stories broke. Chu has said repeatedly that he won’t resign. The province has also said there’s nothing they can do on the matter.
Meanwhile, Chu was stricken from work on city boards, committees and commissions.
Calgarians on both sides of the issue have staged rallies in the city.
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For his part, Carra is no stranger to being active and vocal on social media. He has been criticized in the past for his sometimes-combative online demeanour.
The apology
Carra offered a three-part apology.
The first part actually apologized for not addressing the matter with colleagues earlier. Carra said he regretted not having a conversation with fellow councillors at the appropriate time.
“I think it’s really critical that we are clear with each other,” Carra said.
Carra admitted that he quote tweeted someone that “delves too much into trollish myths and is not advancing thought or helpful dialogue on this important subject.”
“It is questionable at any time on social media to play with and feed the trolls and I should obviously never do that,” Carra said.
He said he should not have implicated his colleagues by boosting this message.
“It amplified the idea that these councillors are not fit to serve and that they are sympathetic to child molestation,” Carra said.
“I just want to be extremely clear that that was never my intention.
“I was not thoughtful or helpful in weighing in that way. And I deeply apologize to all four members of council for attaching them to those ideas. I, in no way believe that you are unfit to serve, I in no way believe that you stand for any of those terrible things.”
Mayor Jyoti Gondek offered a brief response in council.
“I think the apology will be appreciated in these chambers as well as virtually amongst our colleagues,” she said.
