The mayor of Kamloops, B.C., who is increasingly at odds with his city council, is set to discuss his political future on Monday.
Reid Hamer-Jackson is hosting a news conference at 10 a.m. PT to discuss what he described in his invitation to local media as a “resignation consideration” discussion.
The mayor has not provided any more details about the nature of the news conference.
It comes as he is increasingly isolated at city hall, most recently having had his pay docked 10 per cent and being removed as city spokesperson by the rest of council.
Those decisions came after the mayor refused to resign in the wake of the release of a damning report put together by a provincially-appointed municipal adviser.
Prepared by former Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun, the report was critical of Hamer-Jackson’s behaviour toward council and city staff, saying that the mayor has shown “a dismissive and condescending attitude towards constructive criticism or the suggestion of apologies” and that his treatment of staff may have led to an unsafe work environment.
The mayor has refused council’s request he apologize for his behaviour and, in the immediate aftermath of the report, was defiant about calls to resign, saying he would continue to serve the city.
It was that defiance that prompted the pay cut and removal of the mayor as a city spokesperson. Council has also prevented him from closed council meetings for a year or until he receives privacy and confidentiality training.
First elected in 2022, Hamer-Jackson was a political newcomer who won the mayor’s seat against several experienced municipal politicians who had previously served at the council table.
His focus was on public safety, and his campaign included a promise to buy bus tickets for unhoused people who were not originally from Kamloops.
Shortly after he was elected, B.C. Housing asked Hamer-Jackson to stop dropping into shelters unannounced, saying his unplanned visits were disruptive to the work they were trying to accomplish.
Earlier this year, the mayor suspended the city’s chief administrative officer in a bid to “shake things up,” a decision that was criticized and reversed by council.
He has also been investigated for recording a phone call with a city staffer and has launched a defamation lawsuit against councillor Kate Neustaeter and a second against a local developer.