Calgary council to hold special meeting ahead of Chu's time as deputy mayor

Calgary Ward 4 Coun, Sean Chu. (Courtesy City of Calgary)

The City of Calgary has scheduled a special meeting of council for Tuesday afternoon, weeks ahead of what would be the start of Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu's time as deputy mayor.

The special meeting is said to involve the "reconsideration of the deputy mayor roster for December 2022 and January-December 2023" with the notice citing the Calgary Police Commission's review of an investigation into police misconduct in 1997.

The regular rotation was to see Chu serve as deputy mayor for the month of December.

Chu was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1997 when he was 34 years old and a serving member of the Calgary Police Service.  Chu admitted to having sexual encounters with the underage girl.

No criminal charges were laid as a result of the investigation into the allegations, but he was convicted on one of two counts of discreditable conduct. The Law Enforcement Review Board issued a letter of reprimand to Chu.

The Calgary Police Commission has since stated that the internal investigation into the matter was improperly performed and errors were made.

Chu was re-elected as the representative for Ward 4 in 2021, and there were immediate calls for his resignation.

His fellow council members voted 9-6 in the weeks that followed in favour of removing a minimum requirement on how many councillors were on each committee. The move paved the way for the blocking of Chu from serving on boards, committees and commissions.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek did not participate in the swearing-in ceremony for Chu.