In light of the current situation with our re-elected councillor for ward 4, Sean Chu, our board has written a letter to the City of Calgary and our provincial representatives.
October 24, 2021
Mayor Dr. Jyoti Gondek
City of Calgary Ward Offices 1 through 14
Premier Jason Kenney
MLA Rick McIver & Jeremy Nixon
It is with deep concern that I write this letter today. Our community of Highland Park is located within Ward 4, for which Sean Chu has recently been re-elected as Councilor. Highland Park’s vision “is to be a diverse and welcoming community where residents feel safe and respected by their neighbours.” Safety, in this instance, includes the psychological safety of our volunteers, community members, the families and children who rely on our services, and those who work with our organization. In light of the evidence concerning past conduct of Mr. Chu that has been published over the last two weeks, the Highland Park Board of Directors believes we are now unable to have a working relationship with Mr. Chu. Our Board condemns behaviour that perpetuates misogyny and violence against women and girls. We consider such behaviour to be disgraceful and that hiding or failing to disclose such behaviour is inexcusable and inappropriate, especially among persons seeking elected office.
According to the City of Calgary Council Accountability and the Code of Conduct, we do not believe Mr. Chu is “acting in the best interest of the City or taking into account the interests of the City as a whole” by refusing to step down (Section 10). The large majority of Council members, including the Mayor-elect, have spoken out against Mr. Chu and have called on him to resign. Provincial representatives and federal MP’s have also called for Mr. Chu to resign. Premier Jason Kenney has said that Mr. Chu should step down if the allegations are true. We support and stand in solidarity with these leaders and expressly request that Sean Chu resign as Ward 4 Councillor-Elect. The reputation of the City of Calgary has been tarnished by Mr. Chu’s past behaviour and his troubling decision to not step down, which we consider to be disrespectful to the office he intends to maintain and the people he intends to represent.
Section 11 of the Code of Conduct states that “A Member must respect and comply with the law and avoid conduct that, in the eyes of a reasonable Calgarian, undermines, or has the potential to undermine, public confidence in City governance.” Mr. Chu’s decision to withhold information from the public realm related to his consequential behaviour undermines Highland Park’s confidence in his ability to govern as our representative on Council. We call upon the Provincial government to take all measures available to effectively address this concerning situation, including but not limited to proclaiming Bill 52, the Recall Act, into law.
In the absence of Mr. Chu’s immediate resignation, we seek remedy to the situation that has left our community with no effective representation at Council. If we cannot feel safe working with our current representative, can the City provide us with alternative means to effectively engage with the City ofCalgary on matters important to our community?
Going forward, we request that the scrutiny of potential candidates, and those who serve in their offices, be increased to ensure that candidates meet a higher threshold of public confidence and trust.
Thank you,
Elise Bieche
President, Highland Park Community Association