A scathing report from the Municipal Adviser to Kamloops Council has identified Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson as the root cause of the dysfunction at City Hall.

Former Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun – who was appointed by the Province in February – unveiled his findings publicly this morning, May 7, and called the situation in Kamloops “untenable.”

“In my opinion, the mayor’s reluctance to change behaviour or admit error has significantly contributed to the issues,” Braun said during a nearly hour long presentation at Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.

“Based on the compelling evidence before me, in my opinion, the Mayor’s approach is largely responsible for the issues, with minor contribution by Councillors in reaction.”

In his report, Braun identified a total of 16 challenges facing the City of Kamloops, which has been bogged down by “dysfunction and discord” since the last municipal election in October 2022.

“The relationship between mayor and council is untenable and the status quo is not an option,” Braun added, noting that while conflict among elected officials in not unique to Kamloops, the situation in Kamloops is “not normal.”

“The mayor appears to prefer fighting disagreements without an openness to resolving issues. This suggests a preference for a combative stance over constructive dialogue. It does not appear that the mayor looks to staff or council for advice or guidance.”

So far now – this is a complete dressing down of #Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/SXvR74FfaN

— Brett Mineer (@MineerBrett) May 7, 2024

Braun made 23 recommendations – 10 for Mayor Hamer-Jackson and 13 for Council as a whole, including the mayor.

Among his recommendations to the mayor, Braun urged Hamer-Jackson to let go of grudges and adjust his leadership style.

“The mayor has apparently failed or refused to participate in the investigation of complaints against him, which suggests a disinterest or avoidance of accountability mechanisms,” Braun said.

“The mayor reached out multiple times to the municipal adviser for advice and guidance. Unfortunately, I did not observe that the mayor acted on that advice even once. I have observed the mayor avoiding responsibility for his actions and inactions.”

And here are the 16 challenges faced by the City of #Kamloops, as identified by Henry Braun.#bcpoli

If you’re interested, here is the entire 66 minute long presentation to Council, which includes calls for Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson to resign.https://t.co/ZKEW2itJnE pic.twitter.com/Oe2KCw5uHG

— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) May 7, 2024

Braun’s recommendations also included maintaining the current sanctions on the Mayor, as well as potential financial penalties for violations of council’s code of conduct.

“With legal input, amend the code of conduct to include sanctions for repeated offenses with a structured remuneration penalty,” Braun said. “For example, for the first infraction, a 10 per cent reduction in salary; the second infraction 25 per cent, the third infraction 50 per cent, fourth infraction a 75 per cent reduction.”

Braun also admitted Tuesday he is not confident that there will be any headway made by council before the next municipal election, scheduled for October 2026.

“Absent significant change in how the mayor interacts with others, I am not optimistic there will be any improvement during the remainder of this term,” Braun said.

“The mayor’s position has continuously been that he has done nothing wrong, made no mistakes and he has nothing to apologize for. This makes for a difficult working environment.”

Committee votes 8-1 to ask Mayor to resign

In light of the report, the Committee of the Whole voted 8-1 to ask Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson to resign, though the mayor has indicated he has no plans to do that.

“It’s been very well documented, we have struggled as a council of nine to collectively in a professional and cohesive manner,” Councillor Margot Middleton said, just before she put the non-binding motion on the table.

“I think what would be fair, like what I said to Mr. Braun, I think I have not had a lot of defence in this,” Hamer-Jackson responded. “I think this will be taken care of in a court proceeding where you have lawyers, examination for discovery.”

Committee of the Whole votes in favour of a motion calling on #Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson to resign. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/7qqCR9ue70

— Brett Mineer (@MineerBrett) May 7, 2024

The motion to call for the mayor’s resignation came as Braun also said he would be recommending the province bring in legislation to “remove a member from council.” While B.C. does have recall legislation, it only applies to MLAs.

“Local governments are democratically elected and are responsible and accountable to the people they represent,” Municipal Affairs spokesperson Alanah Connie told Radio NL in October.

“There is no mechanism for the Minister of Municipal Affairs to dissolve the council or remove democratically elected council members from the council.”

In September of last year, Kamloops Council reached out to the province and asked that they appoint a municipal adviser. The province offers that service to municipalities at no cost.

Braun also said Tuesday that a copy of his report has been sent to the Province, but it’s not clear when or if Victoria will respond.

“I expect all members of council to work together to focus on good governance to serve the people of Kamloops,” Municipal Affairs Minister Anne Kang said, in a statement to Radio NL via her office.

“I recognize that implementing the advice from the municipal adviser will take time. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs will continue to be available to provide guidance and additional support.”

You can find a copy of Henry Braun’s report here.