Justice reserves decision on conflict of interest petition against Kamloops councillor
KAMLOOPS — A B.C. Supreme Court justice has reserved his decision after hearing two days of arguments — first from a group of 10 petitioners and then from Kamloops councillor Mike O’Reilly’s lawyer.
The group of 10 had petitioned the courts to have O’Reilly removed from council over a perceived conflict of interest, relating to the Build Kamloops multiplex arena.
The basis of the suit is that O’Reilly has, or appears to have, a financial interest in the location of the recently announced four-sheet arena multiplex to be built at 2070 Hillside Drive due to its location, approximately four kilometres by vehicle from an industrial park owned by Comet Industries, for which O’Reilly serves as CEO.
The lawsuit seeks to have O’Reilly disqualified from council for the remainder of the current term, which expires in 2026. It also asks the judge to nix the current arena multiplex location.
