PETERS: Hamer-Jackson’s lawsuit the latest sad chapter in the saga at Kamloops city hall

Jun 16, 2023 | 10:45 AM

THE STATE OF KAMLOOPS COUNCIL just went from fraught to sad — or maybe vice versa. Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson is suing Councillor Katie Neustaeter for defamation.

Hamer-Jackson says Neustaeter’s statements about his conduct several months ago were untrue and caused damage to his reputation. It’s the latest salvo in what has been a volatile relationship between the mayor and his councillors ever since the start of the term.

Contrary to a popular narrative in the community, this council has actually managed to get a certain amount of business done since the last election. It has passed a budget, it has passed a public drug use ban and it has spent a windfall of money from the provincial budget. Council has given the okay to a number of projects and initiatives over the first eight months of its term.

Amid a lot of noise being made in the background — and sometimes in the foreground — council is doing the work of the city. With legal action being taken by one member of council against another, though, that work will become a lot more difficult. Over and above the functioning of council, this is not good for Kamloops in other ways.

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Just after Kamloops was in the spotlight for successful major sporting events like the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Memorial Cup, we’re in the spotlight now for the wrong reasons.

People and reporters are taking notice. CBC’s Justin McElroy, noted for his penchant for rankings, said Kamloops just shot to the top of his list of dysfunctional municipalities in B.C.

The notoriety this brings Kamloops could mean a lot of things, all of them bad — doctors won’t want to move here, businesses won’t want to invest here. You can bet the provincial government will be preoccupied with ensuring our broken local council gets fixed before pouring needed resources into our community.

Is it interesting for news coverage? Possibly.

But anyone who has any sort of investment in Kamloops, who wants to see the city as a whole succeed and move forward, has to be sad and frustrated with the latest chapter in this saga.

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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.

by James Peters

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PETERS: Hamer-Jackson’s lawsuit the latest sad chapter in the saga at Kamloops city hall

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