External investigator dismisses Kamloops mayor’s complaint against councillor
CBC
An external investigator has dismissed a code of conduct complaint filed by the mayor of Kamloops, B.C., against a city councillor.
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, who has repeatedly clashed with members of Kamloops council, had filed the complaint against Coun. Dale Bass after statements she gave to CFJC Today in October 2024.
Bass had said in an article posted on Oct. 30 of that year, that Hamer-Jackson’s behaviour towards staff had led the rest of council to strip him of his official office.
“He bullies and harasses, and staff does not feel safe. We have staff off on medical leave because of his presence,” Bass told the publication.
Hamer-Jackson filed a complaint afterwards, alleging Bass’s statement was broadcast “with no proof, evidence and facts” and contravened the city’s code of conduct.
But external investigator Reece Harding, who previously served as the City of Surrey’s ethics commissioner, found that Bass’s statement was true after speaking to city staff.
He found that at least two city employees had to take medical leave due to Hamer-Jackson’s behaviour toward them, and staff had repeatedly had their personal information disclosed by the mayor.
In addition, the report revealed that four complaints had been filed against Hamer-Jackson “due to bullying and harassing behaviour” with WorkSafeBC, the province’s workplace regulator.
“I am left, at the end of this matter, somewhat puzzled as to why Mayor Hamer-Jackson filed this complaint,” Harding wrote.
“While I do not intend to engage in an analysis as to whether [the complaint] was frivolous, vexatious, or filed in bad faith … I wish to note that the Code of Conduct should be taken seriously as a set of ethical guidelines to which Council has agreed to hold itself.”
The mayor has been no stranger to controversy since his 2022 election, including accusing a local journalist of assault.
He has filed two defamation suits against a fellow city councillor — one of which has been dismissed — and has had his pay cut after leaking confidential documents.
In 2024, eight councillors formally asked him to resign as mayor. Hamer-Jackson declined to do so.
In an interview, Bass welcomed the investigation’s findings, and said it would help the public understand the steps council took to protect staff from Hamer-Jackson.
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