WARNING: This story contains graphic language. Discretion is advised.
City council passed a notice of motion Monday to refer comments made by Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi to the city’s newly appointed integrity commissioner.
Calgary’s mayor was caught on camera calling Uber’s CEO a “dick” in a video that surfaced Friday.
READ MORE: Calgary Mayor Nenshi apologizes for calling rideshare company Uber ‘dicks’
Nenshi had the conversation with a Lyft rideshare driver in Boston on April 20. He was there to give a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in nearby Cambridge.
The driver had been broadcasting the trip using the livestreaming app Periscope. Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he was unaware his conversation was being broadcast online. “Who knew I’d have my very own episode of Taxicab Confessions?” he said in a statement Saturday.
Watch below: Caught on camera – Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi calls rideshare company Uber ‘dicks’
The integrity commissioner is set to listen to the recording and consider the statements he made to decide if it’s appropriate to investigate further.
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Council also discussed concerns Monday about allegations that criminals were used to test Uber’s background checks. On the recording, Nenshi is also heard suggesting the city found people who have been convicted of crimes to test Uber’s driver background checks.
“We’re no fools, so we sent people to sign up to be Uber drivers to see if they could get through the background check,” he said. “How we found registered sex offenders I don’t want to know, and people with convictions for violent crimes – I don’t want to know why we know those people. I just don’t want to know, nobody will even tell me and I don’t want to know, but they all made it through Uber’s theoretical background screening.”
READ MORE: ‘Uber can’t operate in Calgary’ under approved bylaw, says spokesperson
Diane Colley Urqhart is the lone councillor that chose not to go in camera Monday. She said all the discussions should be public and said she had no knowledge of such tactics possibly being used.
City administration released a statement regarding the issue Monday afternoon. It reads in part:
“In October 2015, council directed administration to examine options to regulate the Transportation Network Company industry. Administration’s primary focus was vehicle safety, driver qualifications and insurance coverage. Administration used customary and appropriate investigative techniques.”
The mayor provided a written apology over the weekend and apologized again Monday morning, emphasizing he’s sorry for wasting Calgarians’ time.
Uber responded to Nenshi’s comments with a statement Saturday.
“We hope this can give way to a more constructive conversation that benefits the riders and drivers of Calgary,” Uber spokesperson Jean-Christophe de Le Rue said.
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