Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said he’s “gratified” the courts saw fit to uphold Calgary’s ability to enact citywide rezoning, but he doesn’t think the case was intended to win.

In a decision delivered earlier this week by Court of King’s Bench Justice Michael J. Lema, the City of Calgary’s citywide upzoning bylaw was ruled legislatively appropriate and procedurally fair.

Carra was also singled out in the court case, accused of not being amenable to persuasion during the public hearing, and it therefore rendered the bylaw void. Justice Lema cited the applicants’ reliance on George Clark’s submissions as evidence.

Clark had attended a “pro-blanket-rezoning meeting” on April 13, 2024, and had posted social media accounts of the meeting, focused on Carra, Justice Lema wrote. An Integrity Commissioner complaint was filed and an affidavit was sworn on the same subject.

“I find that Mr. Clark was not a reliable or entirely credible witness, for these reasons,” Justice Lema wrote in his decision.

“Mr. Clark’s account expanded as time went by, especially about Councillor Carra’s alleged activities and statements at the meeting. With unconvincing explanations about why. To the point I find his piling-on comments not credible.”

Lema said despite Clark’s details included in social media posts, there was no audio or video recording of the meeting proceedings, nor any notes taking.

“In other words, he provided no corroboration for any element of his account of the Meeting,” Lema wrote.

Clark has appeared at multiple public hearings on land use and other community issues. He spoke at the city’s public hearing on citywide rezoning and referenced Carra in his submission.

“I feel I feel excluded in my own councillor’s ward because he refused to hold the town hall,” Clark said back in April.

“Yet he put on a public training session for the yes side with the More Neighbours group that has presented over three or four times already, even though they’re originally funded by an Al Gore organization out of Ottawa.”

More Neighbours told LWC that they have not taken funding from sources outside Calgary and only recently had a bank account. Carra said he did make a presentation on upzoning to the More Neighbours group when invited. He also provided workshops at several community meetings, he told LWC.

‘Preying upon low-information voters’

Carra spoke about the court case, saying he wasn’t surprised the judge came to the conclusion he did.

“I think the entire court case was a bit performative. I think it was a lawyer preying upon low-information clients to a certain extent, but much more importantly, it was political strategists preying upon low-information voters,” he told LWC.

“I don’t think that the court case was intended to win. I think it was intended to create a news cycle that they could take into the next election.”

Carra said he’s never biased going into a public hearing. However, he acknowledged that his position is largely known due to the prior votes they’d had to get to the point of citywide rezoning.

“It’s not like it’s the first time we’re ever hearing it. I have very strong thinking evolved on it, and here’s why my thinking is at and here’s what I’m going to need to hear to change my thinking about it,” Carra said.

“I’m clear with things like that.”

Carra said the case did exactly what was intended. He noted the emergence of the Communities First municipal party, the anger of the issue, and how it’s all meant to drive a wedge between voters.

“This isn’t happening by accident. It’s all part of a political strategy,” Carra said.

Two members of the Communities First party have already stepped forward to say citywide rezoning will become an election issue in this fall’s municipal election. Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot said that while citywide rezoning may be legislatively appropriate, it will become an election issue and if he’s re-elected, he’ll look to repeal the bylaw.

As will Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong, who told LWC at an event Thursday that he too would look to repeal it.

“I will certainly be pushing for that because doing the right things and doing it the right way is extremely important,” he told LWC.

“Again, whether we did it during the public hearing process or an opportunity at the ballot box, it’s got to be done.”

• With files from Aryn Toombs