THIS WEEK, we saw the highs and lows of what Kamloops council can do.
First, the highs.
What council did this week in launching the process to open its own medical clinic is a glimpse of the potential positive impact local government can have on its community.
It’s an example of being innovative enough to think outside the box but not too proud to see what another community has done well and copy it.
Though it’s in its infancy, Colwood’s clinic has already had a tremendous impact on doctor recruitment in that Vancouver Island city.
Health care is not a municipal responsibility, but when a local government can knock down a barrier to health care without raising taxes, why shouldn’t it?
The time horizon for getting a clinic up and running is almost certainly beyond the fall of 2026, which is when the next municipal election will take place.
The re-election prospects of everyone around this council table are dim at best, so this is also an example of councillors acting like leaders not politicians.
The clinic has a chance to be a legacy project that long outlives their political careers.
And why are those re-election prospects so dim? Well, that’s the flip side of the council coin this week.
In a summary of its report to the province on progress following the Braun Report, we started to get a clearer idea of the scope of dysfunction this council has been mired in during this term.
It noted no fewer than two dozen substantiated complaints against Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson involving workplace misconduct and 21 breaches of privacy on the part of the mayor.
The summary also spoke to the ongoing Code of Conduct complaints and findings involving the mayor. We should note no findings yet in the complaint against Councillor Bill Sarai.
All in all, this whole saga has now cost taxpayers more than $1 million.
When we consider what positive moves council has made in spite of all this dysfunction — like exploring a municipal medical clinic — we can only imagine how much more good work a fully cohesive and harmonious group could have accomplished.
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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.
