Publication date: July 06, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 3 minutes read • 14 comments Councilor Gian-Carlo Carra during a council meeting on Monday, November 15, 2021. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

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A police investigation is requested in Department 9 of the Prefecture. Gian-Carlo Carra’s failure to disclose a $300,000 stake in an Inglewood property for six years while serving on the city council.

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Carra was sanctioned by the council on Tuesday over the matter brought to light by the city’s integrity commissioner. Coun. Jennifer Wyness tried to make the matter urgent as the council resumed its meeting Wednesday afternoon. She told the mayor that she and other councilors wanted to refer the matter to the CPS, as well as Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver. Mayor Jyoti Gondek suggested that based on the process, it might be best to move the proposal forward at the upcoming city executive committee meeting, and Wyness agreed. It means that the proposal will likely be submitted on July 20. The Council suspends all meetings for Stampede week. Wyness said she read the integrity commissioner’s reports after Tuesday’s meeting and felt Carra’s financial matter needed more attention.

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“Having slept on it all night, I thought, why didn’t we (follow) the precedent set by the last council? And I would like to maintain that standard, and I think that’s why I brought the urgent motion,” Wyness said. He was referring to an incident involving former Ward 2 Councilman Joe Magliocca. A Postmedia investigation found she submitted false expense claims after an out-of-province meeting. The case was referred to the Police and is now in the courts. Magliocca lost his re-election bid in 2021. The City received a report Tuesday from integrity commissioner Ellen-Anne O’Donnell that included an investigation into Carra’s interest in a property at 66 New Street SE, a 14,100-square-foot lot with a house that backs up to the Bow River in Inglewood.

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O’Donnell found that in 2015, after Carra had been on the city council for more than four years, he and his wife put a $300,000 down payment on the property, but without a written agreement setting out the terms of the transaction. The commissioner found that Carra worked in 2016 to have certain building restrictions lifted in Inglewood by filing a notice of motion. He said at the time that he had no pecuniary interest, but indicated that he was “planning to build a house.” Carra failed to disclose his interest in the property for another five years, according to the integrity commissioner. At one point, the Carras paid an additional $36,000 for the property. He disclosed “an interest in 66 New Street SE in Inglewood” on November 10, 2021, shortly after his re-election in last year’s municipal election.

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O’Donnell found that Carra breached the council’s disclosure policy and code of conduct and that his breach was of “moderate seriousness”. Wyness said she felt an extra step of due diligence was needed in this case because money was involved. “This is a $300,000 asset that he was allowed — because of the role of the city council — to make decisions about,” Wyness said. “This is a job where the decisions we make affect property values, development and beautification of neighborhoods. And that’s why I think we should always take that extra step of due diligence.” Gondek was careful not to judge the issue, but said Wyness “raised a very good point.” “We received the integrity commissioner’s report yesterday, after a long day,” the mayor said. “We got home after 10:30 p.m. And we started again with meetings this morning and we’re in the city council right now. So we all need a little more time to digest what’s in there and I appreciate her patience.” [email protected]: @brodie_thomas

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