REID ALL ABOUT IT – Another contentious end to a council meeting

Reid All About It is an occasional glimpse into the mayoral life of Reid Hamer-Jackson:

Say what you will about Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, he doesn’t give up easily.

At today’s (Sept. 9, 2025) City council meeting, he once again used his Mayor’s Report to ask for the public release of documents relating to his alleged bullying behaviour. And once again, it fell on deaf ears.

He said there’s been a “media blitz” about councillors’ claims — especially by Coun. Mike O’Reilly — that he has four Worksafe BC claims filed against him, and about a council claim that he was the cause of former CAO David Trawin’s resignation.

Hamer-Jackson said he’s asked Worksafe BC for details of whether or not claims were filed and, if so, what they were about. Worksafe told him to speak to the City’s Human Resources department, he said.

“How do I get some clarity on these accusations?” he asked.

Staff told him that details of Worksafe BC complaints are confidential, especially the names of complainants, and that only the number of complaints can be released.

The mayor then went on to challenge council’s, and Trawin’s, contention that the CAO left the City’s employ due to poor treatment from Hamer-Jackson. As Hamer-Jackson has pointed out on previous occasions, Trawin recanted in writing on a claim that Hamer-Jackson had threatened to fire him.

The mayor said he’d copied the email to O’Reilly long ago. Hamer-Jackson also tried to talk about a conversation he said he had with Trawin shortly after the last civic election in which Trawin discussed future employment plans.

As he continued with his comments, a motion was made and seconded among council to adjourn the meeting, as has happened in the past, and approved. As mentioned in the ArmchairMayor.ca in the past, such a motion is out of order according to Robert’s Rules of Order, which say it can’t be made to interrupt another member who is speaking, yet corporate officer Maria Mazzotta told the mayor that councillors had voted to adjourn the meeting, She thereby validated council’s motion.

And so, the meeting ended. One observation: the comments about Worksafe BC claims being confidential are undoubtedly true. In which case, is it fair for councillors to be making public statements about the complaints being made, when Hamer-Jackson has no way of contradicting whatever it is that was stated in those complaints? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate not to mention them at all?

— Mel Rothenburger.