Calgary councillor seeking re-election under fire for past allegations, police respond
A Calgary city councillor, seeking re-election, is facing some harsh criticism over his behaviour when he was a police officer, many years before taking the oath of office.
Sean Chu, running in Ward 4, was found guilty of "discreditable conduct" for an incident involving a teenage girl in 1997, according to documents from the Law Enforcement Review Board.
The girl accused him of sexual assault after an alleged incident that occurred at his home.
Chu was not criminally charged following a police investigation.
However, following an internal investigation, requested by the girl, Chu was found guilty of misconduct by his own organization.
CTV News reached out to Chu for comment, but he did not respond.
His campaign did post an online message saying the "allegations misrepresent the truth."
"The timing of the release – literally decades after both matters were resolved – is motivated by politics and not by justice," the statement said.
Calgary police said when the matter came to light in 1997 it was taken seriously and managed in accordance with the Police Act.
"This has been a complex legal matter with multiple complaints and investigations related to different aspects of this matter which were appealed to the Alberta Law Enforcement Review Board," police said in a Monday statement.
"One of those decisions was overturned by the Alberta Court of Appeal. Ultimately, one allegation of misconduct was sustained through our internal disciplinary process."
Despite his explanation of the events that took place, many people, including Calgary's outgoing mayor, are disappointed with Chu's past conduct.
"I can't even imagine the pain this is bringing up for the victim all these years later or what it is doing to so many others in our community," Naheed Nenshi wrote on Twitter.
"I'm so sorry. But Sean Chu should have come clean many years ago. And to blame politics for timing now rather than expressing remorse?"
Chu's campaign team says he will be continuing his fight for Ward 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.