Kamloops Municipal Dysfunction Draws Provincial Government’s Ire
(Image courtesy of CBC)
In recent weeks, the City of Kamloops has had its municipal politics rocked by the release of two reports, which unearthed a massive feud between Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson and the city council. This has prompted the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Ravi Kahlon, to make comments suggesting that more oversight is needed in BC municipal politics.
Minister Kahlon’s call for greater oversight on municipalities comes after Bill 15 was passed in the legislature a few weeks ago. The Bill allows the NDP government to bypass and overrule local governments for “provincially significant” projects, which has prompted bipartisan criticism from across the province over concerns of government overreach.
In a statement relayed to Coastal Front, Minister Kahlon expressed the need for a necessary “intervention” to occur from the provincial government. “While we haven’t finalized what changes may be needed,” he said, “it’s clear that this kind of dysfunction cannot continue as it undermines public trust and the democratic process.”
“We aim to have new measures in place before the next municipal elections, so incoming councils have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and expectations for respectful conduct,” stated Kahlon.
These comments come after one of the aforementioned reports revealed that privacy and code of conduct breaches, investigations, and lawsuits had cost the City almost $2 million in legal fees in 2024.
Similar situations also contribute to Kahlon’s frustrations in other municipalities, such as Lions Bay and Sechelt, where the mayor has been opposed by all or the majority of their respective city councils, which have mostly occurred since the 2022 local elections.
“It's unfortunate that such steps are necessary, but the situation in Kamloops and other communities shows that a more comprehensive approach is needed,” he said.
Revealing Reports
(Image courtesy of CBC and City of Kamloops)
The reports that have been made public expose extensive behind-the-scenes drama amongst the municipal government of Kamloops. One that was made in February, but was only recently released, details the various breaches of responsibility committed by the mayor and city council.
The report, addressed to Kahlon, outlines transgressions like: mistreatment of staff, privacy and confidentiality breaches by Mayor Hamer-Jackson, the mayor’s lawsuits against a council member, the mayor missing half of all council meetings, and the city’s overall legal risks that have been incurred by Hamer-Jackson, which fall to the taxpayer.
The other report, created and released recently, is an investigation into how Councillor Bill Sarai secretly recorded a conversation between him and Mayor Hamer-Jackson, and then later lied about doing the act. Sarai sent a portion of the recording to the mayor and claimed that someone else gave it to him. Sarai later admitted his actions broke the Code of Conduct he was obliged by oath to serve.
The actions outlined in these documents, as well as the ones that aren’t mentioned, have led the taxpayer to cover an ever-increasing bill of legal fees, with 2024 providing a jaw-dropping bill of $1.7 million at their expense. This has prompted Minister Kahlon and others to make public criticisms against the Kamloops municipal government.
Mayor Hamer-Jackson, speaking to CBC, denied any challenges to his leadership and called all the accusing councillors “liars.”
"The bottom line is they didn't want me to be the mayor, and they don't believe in the democratic process,” he said, “and like I said, this is just another deflection."
