File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Kamloops Council

Public Inquiries to remain on Kamloops council agenda – for now

Oct 22, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops council has kicked a proposal to remove the Public Inquiries portions of its regular meetings back to its governance committee.

The discussion followed a Zoom-bombing incident last month that resulted in pornography being displayed to council and those watching online. After that incident, Councillor Bill Sarai led a call for staff to explore getting rid of Public Inquiries.

Debate at the Tuesday (Oct. 22) meeting encompassed more philosophical discussion of the ongoing role of the public in municipal governance to the mayor’s role in policing public participation.

Councillor Katie Neustaeter described frustration with members of the public directing rude comments and remarks at councillors, including sticking out their tongues, pulling faces and giving councillors the middle finger.

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“Those are very regular occurrences,” said Neustaeter. “I would say things like that have happened more often in these council meetings than not. It is almost every workday I have had sitting in this chair, I have experienced one or more of those things.”

Neustaeter and several colleagues noted they may not have contemplated removing the public portions of regular meetings if the chair — most commonly Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson — would crack down on speakers who attack city staffers, go off topic or run long.

Hamer-Jackson turned the discussion around, saying councillors have a responsibility to maintain decorum, as well.

“When I voted against spending $7.1 million on an already shovel-ready project, I had Councillor Hall say I was weak-kneed. I had Councillor Sarai, at the same time, say, ‘Jesus Christ’ to the point where the media could hear it,” noted the mayor. “I think that it has to work on both sides.”

Hamer-Jackson expressed his belief that eliminating screen-sharing from Zoom participation or limiting online participation to audio only would rectify the issue.

Staff’s recommended course of action, having surveyed several other communities about their council procedures, contained several changes to council’s procedure bylaw, including removing the meeting-opening reading and other measures to shorten regular meetings.

Unsatisfied with those recommendations and still wishing to give the public some role in council meetings, council voted to ask for a new proposal from the Governance and Service Excellence Select Committee.