EDITORIAL – Interested, or not interested — that was the question

Posted on December 13, 2023 in Editorials, Page One, Rothenburger // 4 Comments

(Image: CFJC Today, file photo)

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

ANOTHER FUN DAY at Kamloops City council yesterday as councillors sparred with the mayor over a motion to send a letter to the provincial government.

The letter, proposed by Coun. Kelly Hall’s safety and security committee, would state that council “is not interested in a third party review of shelters, social housing, and related services.”

It would go to the Housing Minister and BC Housing, but Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson argued against it. While the committee pointed to a 2021 letter from David Eby — who was the minister for housing at the time — in which he rejected a third-party review, the mayor contended the door wasn’t shut.

He said such reviews have been done elsewhere, and that recent conversations with current government ministers indicated interest. Further, he said, MLAs Peter Milobar and Todd Stone seem willing to champion the cause.

Hamer-Jackson was always going to lose the argument with councillors, but he sure gave it a good try. By the time they all exhausted each other, it was hard to tell what it was the committee, and councillors, actually wanted, because they began contradicting themselves.

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Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached atmrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Kamloops City council

About Mel Rothenburger (11714 Articles)

ArmchairMayor.ca is a forum about Kamloops and the world. It has more than one million views. Mel Rothenburger is the former Editor of The Daily News in Kamloops, B.C. (retiring in 2012), and past mayor of Kamloops (1999-2005). At ArmchairMayor.ca he is the publisher, editor, news editor, city editor, reporter, webmaster, and just about anything else you can think of. He is grateful for the contributions of several local columnists. This blog doesn't require a subscription but gratefully accepts donations to help defray costs.

4 Comments on EDITORIAL – Interested, or not interested — that was the question

John Noakes // December 13, 2023 at 7:37 AM // Reply

Thanks, Mel. Perhaps it’s time I take a double dose of Geritol for stamina and find a comfortable chair in council chambers to take in a full meeting early in the New Year.

I sure don’t condone what happened on St. Paddy’s Day with the wildcat walkout and embarrassing display at City Hall. But, after this last little stumble from Katie, I have persuaded myself that had Dale, instead of the rookie, taken the lead on St. Paddy’s Day, we would have seen how a far more experienced and polished journalist would have handled the media release.

Again, might I mention that I am looking forward to your annual “Night Before Christmas” with this one likely to be nominated for an award in journalism.

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Ken McClelland // December 13, 2023 at 7:23 AM // Reply

From this council’s perspective, if the Mayor thinks something is a good idea, it must be bad, we’re not sure why, but let’s kill this idea right now just to be sure….

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- Colleen // December 13, 2023 at 3:47 PM // Reply
  
  Yes! I don’t know the mayor and didn’t even vote for him. At least he’s trying to change the state of this City. I’m more disillusioned with most of the councillors who seem to support the status quo which hasn’t worked for years.
  
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Pierre // December 13, 2023 at 7:21 AM // Reply

The farce continues. In regards to the recent conversation about heightened numbers of “medical responses” by the KFR inculpating the Province to stop the “downloading” a review of the human misery industry, even a local one by City’s staff, should be immediately undertaken. But City’s staff is too busy designing flawed bicycle paths, not finding enough time to better manage what they have already and preparing budget concoctions to justify double digits tax increases.

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