Calgary City Council to debate a motion referencing the Cara integrity check to the province and police – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Findings of investigation in Ward 9 Town. Gian-Carlo Cara’s Failure to disclose interest in an Inglewood property may soon be referred to the Government of Alberta and Calgary Police for further review.

On Wednesday, the city executive committee voted unanimously in favor of sending the proposal for discussion in the next meeting of the city council.

Councilors Jennifer Winess and Sonya Sharp’s motion called for the findings of the investigation to be sent to Municipal Affairs Minister Rick McIver. Calgary Police Service (CPS) to review.

The resolution also asked the CPS to refer the matter to another police body to avoid conflict of interest.

“I think as an elected official, you are held at a high level,” Sharp told reporters after the meeting. “I would expect this to be done for anyone who passed away … any kind of approval that would have happened to them who came out with certain findings.”

Earlier this month, Cara was cleared by the city’s integrity commissioner after an investigation found that Cara failed to include an Inglewood property on its public disclosure form, which all councilors are required to do.

Ellen-Anne O’Donnell found that Cara and his wife made a $300,000 down payment on the home in 2015, but “there was no written agreement or documentation of any kind” setting out the terms of the transaction.

Carrra’s failure to include his interest in the property on his disclosure form and his lack of a “signed and documented financial agreement” are both cited in Sharp & Wynne’s proposal.

As part of the sanctions imposed, Carra must write a letter of apology to Calgarians for failing to comply with the disclosure policy and attend training with an ethics advisor within 30 days – a ban she accepted. was.

Cara said he plans to offer his apology at the next meeting of the city council on July 26 – the same meeting in which the council will debate a proposal to refer the findings to the province and the police.

“I am delighted that we live in a world where our politicians are held to high ethical standards. I am very pleased with the findings of the integrity commissioner regarding a whole host of allegations regarding this fact,” Cara said on Tuesday. I wanted to work with my neighbors to build a house for my family.

He was not present after the committee voted on Wednesday afternoon, having virtually attended the meeting during the morning session.

When asked about Sharp & Wiens’ proposal on Tuesday, Cara said she had no comment on the matter.

Before the committee’s debate, Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters that she had read the integrity commissioner’s findings, but did not say whether she thought the matter should be referred to the provincial government or the police.

“The report he gave us is thorough, it is incredibly clear. He investigated the complaint that was before him, whether a disclosure was made properly or not,” Gondek said. I am not here to question the integrity commissioner. The integrity commissioner is here to ensure that we are all behaving according to our code of conduct.”

Lori Williams, an associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, questioned what the police investigation would achieve, and said the situation was a “lose-lose” for Carra.

“Even if he found that he did not commit any legal violations, I don’t know if that’s getting him noticed,” Williams told Global News. “The responsibility rests entirely with the count. Cara. He could have avoided it by just following the rules and should have known better; but investigating it further doesn’t necessarily clear things up.”