Reid Hamer-Jackson pointing out some of the damage caused to this auto dealership on West Victoria Street, August 1, 2025. (Image Credit: Kent Simmonds/CFJC Today)

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The mayor isn’t the only victim of crime

Nov 2, 2025 | 6:00 AM

I’LL ADMIT I FELT A LITTLE SYMPATHETIC toward Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson this week as he outlined the thousands of dollars of damage done to his property since being elected.

The mayor had made a point of campaigning in favor of a tougher stance against the homeless, the drug addicts and the vandals who break into homes and businesses, leaving windows broken and offices trashed.

The homeless just trying to stay warm and alive, the drug addicts ravaged by diseases that are leading to an early grave. Trying to stay warm may involve setting a small fire. Sometimes those fires can cause damage, but they aren’t the biggest problem. That is reserved for the criminal element who make inroads into traumatizing the more vulnerable, and it’s these people who need to be dealt with first.

Then we can deal with those who need the support systems that are sadly lacking.

The Mayor also has to realize there are many more sites in trouble in Kamloops than his business on West Victoria Street. The downtown, parts of Notre Dame, Tranquille, Valleyview and Barnhartvale are all facing problems in one form or another. And the police don’t have the resources to make changes.

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Maybe if the Premier put his efforts into dealing with this issue instead of staking his future on a pipeline, we may be able to make some real progress in dealing with this critical and very complicated problem.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

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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.