Daily BrewAccusations fly of Calgary councillors 'getting blotto' at public events
Calgary the Drunk? Well, that escalated quickly.
A debate over instituting drinking guidelines at Calgary City Hall turned into a session of finger-pointing on Tuesday as council members leveled wild accusations of public intoxication and potential illicit drug use.
Councillors were discussing potential guidelines governing when and where councillors could drink or possess booze when, according to the Calgary Herald, the allegations began to fly.
During the meeting, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he had received complaints about other council members “getting blotto” and “totally drunk” at public events, and Coun. Druh Farrell claimed there have been “wild parties” in council offices at some point during her 14-year tenure.
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The Calgary Sun also reported that Nenshi suggested he had received reports of “illicit substances in the workplace,”` but later clarified he wouldn’t know how to identify whether a person was on drugs.
Apparently, city hall currently has no rule about impairment or possessing alcohol, hence the Tuesday debate. Council voted to establish a policy, barring booze from the office and limiting its consumption during business hours.
While cooler heads appear to have prevailed, it was a sloppy moment of municipal politics not seen since Toronto City Hall last year.
Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who admitted to drug and alcohol abuse while in office, was routinely thrown into disrepair during the previous term over allegations of intoxication during public events.
Ford’s public downfall began after it was reported he was asked to leave a 2013 military gala for being too intoxicated.
After he confessed to smoking crack cocaine, his brother, former Coun. Doug Ford, accused other councillors of their own indiscretions and demanded everyone take a drug test.
During those years of municipal chaos, many Torontonians looked to Calgary politics as a beacon of sober-minded hope.
Perhaps they were just better at hiding their habits?
