TRU Market Auto (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

WEST VICTORIA STREET

Kamloops Mayor believes recent destruction at his commercial property reiterates need for more recovery options

Jul 30, 2025 | 4:37 PM

KAMLOOPS — In the most recent report to the City’s Safety and Security Select Committee, community services reported 100 calls for service so far this year along West Victoria Street, while the entirety of Victoria Street saw 273 calls for service over the same time frame. Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were also called out 45 and 48 times, respectively, to those two corridors so far in 2025.

The mayor of Kamloops, Reid Hamer-Jackson, says he has dealt with his share of vandalism over the years at TRU Market Auto, which is the used car lot he owns on West Victoria Street, but it’s normally a smashed window or stolen camera. Last week it was taken a few steps further.

“Typically they will come and steal something,” Hamer-Jackson told CFJC News. “They’ve stolen trucks, broke in and stolen vehicles and that thing. But this is a different level, this is unusual. Because I talk with the street population, this isn’t somebody doing a smash and grab, this is a smash and smash and smash. And I don’t know the motivation.”

Hamer-Jackson claims that as far as he can tell, nothing of note was stolen, and video evidence has been provided to the RCMP. He sees it as an escalation of pre-existing issues in the city.

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“Our RCMP are doing great job, but we continue to allow this to happen,” said Hamer-Jackson. “We continue to want to support, and sure you need harm reduction, but we have 15 or more drug houses. I’m going to be blunt here, they are called harm reduction but they are drug houses, okay, they are legal drug houses and we need to start shifting.”

Mornings at the neighbouring business, Stereo Warehouse, begin with daily calls to community service officers, and checks for needles for owner Nina Johal. She believes the current strategy from the City and province is not working and things are getting worse.

“I want the City to know whatever they are doing is not working, so we need to find better solutions,” said Johal. “We are not opposed to these people getting help, but they just need the right kind of help. They are breaking in to stores, they are stealing stuff and our store is not immune to that.”

While trying to run a business, she finds herself often scared for her wellbeing.

“Somebody came in, walked in right to the back of the store (recently). Me and Mindy (Stereo Warehouse co-owner) started walking towards him and he says, ‘I’m going to come and shoot you.’ We really didn’t know what to say to him, so we backed away from him and he walked out,” shared Johal who confirmed the RCMP were called.

Hamer-Jackson says he’s hoping to use his position as mayor to enact change, again calling for a audit of social agencies in the city, and the need to move focus towards recovery.

“They said in 2018 they were going to have wrap-around services. Let’s do it, let’s get going,” said Hamer-Jackson. “Can’t they prove it already, what it’s been nine years since the drug (crisis) going on. Let’s do it, why do we continue to do the same things over, it’s called insanity.”