REID ALL ABOUT IT – Mayor asks for removal of sanctions, return of pay

An occasional look at the mayoral life of Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson.

Once again, the mayor is asking City council to dial back its sanctions on him. In a letter to council members, he says his request is based on two concerns with the Honcharuk Report that resulted from one of the major investigations into allegations regarding his behaviour: not being provided with clarity on the allegations, and “contemporaneous written communications that I have now assembled (that) show a sustained, functional working relationship that does not align with the characterization relied upon in the report.” Hamer-Jackson says it wasn’t fair to ask him to anticipate in the investigation when the allegations weren’t disclosed. And, he says, he was never provided with an official copy of the report itself, even though parts of it were reported by media. He asks that councillors reconsider the findings of the report, reverse the sanctions and reinstate remuneration cuts. “Given the seriousness of the findings and their impact, I intend to pursue this matter to a proper and fair resolution.” Though the letter was written March 28, Hamer-Jackson says he hasn’t received a response, so he released it to the media yesterday (May 1, 2026)….

Meanwhile, the mayor has an upcoming court date May 12 regarding a claim by one of his former lawyers that Hamer-Jackson owes $42,000 in legal bills. In response to a story about it in Castanet yesterday, the mayor sent out a link to a Castanet story from Aug. 15, 2025 headlined ‘Kamloops mayor, former lawyer reach $42K settlement over unpaid bills.’ The story says the lawyer, Daniel Coles, had agreed to a plan under which Hamer-Jackson would pay the bill when his properties are sold, and that Coles had agreed to ask the City to reimburse fees related to code of conduct investigations….

In a separate story today (May 1, 2026), Castanet reports that Scotiabank has filed a lawsuit against Hamer-Jackson claiming he and his Tru Market auto sales business owe more than $103,000 in credit card debt. “I think everybody in the whole world knows that I’m in financial difficulty,” he’s quoted as telling Castanet, which also says Beem Credit Union has filed a B.C. Supreme Court petition alleged the mayor has defaulted on a $425,000 loan.