File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today).

By James Peters/Aaron Schulze

Through the Amended Motions

Mayor Hamer-Jackson sole vote against his own notice of motion following multiple amendments

Nov 5, 2025 | 6:59 AM

KAMLOOPS — A lengthy debate on a motion brought forward by Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson ended with short tempers — and the mayor voting against his own motion.

Hamer-Jackson was pushing to call on the province to launch an audit of BC Housing facilities in Kamloops that offer harm reduction services. The issue was one of the mayor’s signature election campaign platforms when he was elected in 2021.

The first point of friction was the mayor’s insistence that the motion include the term “drug housing,” which several councillors felt is derogatory and stigmatizing. Hamer-Jackson argued the term is “real world” language that those who occupy the housing frequently use themselves.

Council passed an amendment removing the term from the motion.

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Second, several councillors expressed reluctance to have Hamer-Jackson be the sole representative of council in engaging the province, which was part of the mayor’s initial motion.

Once again, council amended the motion to include the Safety and Security Select Committee in working with Hamer-Jackson to craft the letter calling for an audit.

After those amendments were passed, the mayor’s motion passed 7-2 — with Hamer-Jackson joining Councillor Dale Bass in opposition. The mayor said he opposed the amendments that council made and thus, could not support the final motion.

However, nearly half an hour later, a vote to reconsider the motion was approved. A third, final amendment was made to clarify that council is requesting a review of BC Housing programming, and not local operators providing that programming.

The amended motion passed 8-1, with Hamer-Jackson the lone nay vote.

Speaking to CFJC Today after Tuesday’s meeting, Councillor Katie Neustaeter, who chairs council’s Safety and Security Select Committee, says it’s disappointing that Mayor Hamer-Jackson refuses to work collaboratively with council. She says the mayor has been invited to serve on committees.

“The motion was still 90 per cent intact as it was when it came to us, and it’s a real shame the mayor didn’t support his own motion,” Neustaeter says. “It’s not dissimilar to not coming to closed meetings for over a year now. That’s where incredibly big decisions are made, and we miss his voice in that space. Our community elected him because they wanted him to have voice and input but when he abdicates his responsibility, there’s not much the rest of council can do about it.”

The mayor said he didn’t vote against his own motion, but rather all the amendments made. He added that he won’t attend the Safety and Security Select Committee meetings.

“I’ve watched these meetings,” Hamer-Jackson told CFJC Today after Tuesday’s meeting. “You can get more police, ambulance, fire… we’ve got to deal with the root cause of the problem and that’s mental health and addiction.

“I’m here to get a safer community and accountability, and both of those are very challenging.”

with files from Michael Reeve/CFJC Today