REID ALL ABOUT IT – Neustaeter hopes her legal victory ‘will protect others’
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
An occasional glimpse into the mayoral life of Reid Hamer-Jackson.
KATIE NEUSTAETER is taking a victory lap on her campaign Facebook page today (Oct. 2 2026) over a decision by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Hughes ordering Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson to pay $5,000 in damages plus “full-indemnity costs” for his libel lawsuit against her. She had sought $10,000.
She began her post with, “The answer is no: Taxpayers will not be paying for the legal fees associated with my defence against Reid Hamer-Jackson’s meritless lawsuit.” According to Neusaeter, “… The court found that the lawsuit against me was brought in bad faith and for an improper purpose, and recognized the significant harm caused by Reid’s attempts to use my family to his benefit in his lawsuit. I want to be very clear about this — I filed for damages to make an undeniable statement: the family members of elected officials should never be leveraged or manipulated for political benefit. In my case, this is a very vulnerable family member who is also a senior.”
She is, of course, talking about her father Kevin. Hamer-Jackson has noted many times that it was Kevin Krueger who made contact with him (when the former MLA was still living on his own) to offer political help, not the other way around. But Neustaeter hopes her experience “will protect others.” She included a photo of herself and her dad taken when she was just a toddler.
Hamer-Jackson has filed an appeal of Hughes’ earlier decision to dismiss his lawsuit against Neustaeter, which evolved from a statement she read publicly on behalf of council accusing him of “crossing personal and professional boundaries.”…
Meanwhile, the Tyee has done another hatchet job on the mayor with a story headlined ‘After City Hall Chaos, Kamloops Prepares to Vote’ with a subhed, ‘BC’s most controversial mayor is seeking re-election. Is anyone still on his side?’ The article reviews the litany of legal issues the mayor has faced, and quotes former City councillor Arjun Singh extensively. “The biggest thing that I’ve detected so far is just a desire to return to council not being in the news for fighting all the time,” Singh told The Tyee….
Hamer-Jackson continues his flurry of emails to various council and media members on everything from closed meetings to his pay cuts to demands that incumbent councillors all resign before the election. He seems to be rankling the incumbents, a couple of whom have fired back. One is Dale Bass, who urged him to “get help” in one reply, in another writing, “Love seeing your signs out there. Oh, wait. Right.” An apparent reference to the fact Hamer-Jackson hasn’t erected any campaign signs.
Anyone providing an opinion or commentary on this article and set of circumstances would do well to first read the decision of The Honourable Justice J. Hughes at the following link:
Hamer-Jackson v Neustaeter, 2026 BCSC 1871 (CanLII), <https://canlii.ca/t/knjzn>
The facts, law, analysis and outcome are loud and clear about who is in the wrong.
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The Armchair Mayor has denounced the recent Tyee article on Mayor Hamer-Jackson as a “hatchet job”. He did so, not on the basis that there was anything inaccurate in the article, but on the basis that it ought to have been labelled as “Analysis” or maybe “Opinion “ rather than news. Fair enough. He went on to assert that “Proper news reporting should include all sides of an issue or event”. I couldn’t agree more.
Which makes me wonder – why has the Armchair Mayor (along with another pro-RHJ blogger) studiously avoided reporting on, or even reading, the recent Supreme Court decisions that have squarely addressed RHJ’s credibility, truthfulness, motivations, etc? Are the Reasons for Judgement handed down by Justice Hughes and Associate Judge Keim hatchet jobs as well? Just wondering.
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Hi Mel, just read the Tyee piece you mentioned. What about it leads you to call it a “hatchet job”?
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There’s an old technique called “card stacking” that went out of style years ago and has been rejected by major media and journalism schools. Card stacking refers to the writing of an article that reports only the facts, and uses only sources, that promote the writer’s own bias, but masquerades as objective news. The Tyee article is a good example of this. It is published under the “News” category, not under the “Analysis” or “Opinion” departments where it should be. Opinion writing is supposed to be clearly labeled as such so the reader knows where the writer is coming from, but that’s increasingly a thing of the past with today’s online media. Proper news reporting should include all sides of an issue or event. The Tyee continues its “Mayor of Chaos” theme, which makes for cute clickbait but does nothing to enlighten. The latest article quotes one source, which is on the negative side of Hamer-Jackson’s record. So, yes, the intention of the article is pretty clear. It will certainly please the mayor’s detractors but presents a very one-sided picture. At the least, The Tyee should have clearly labeled it as one person’s opinion.
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The Tyee in teamwork with a local “journalist” brings to mind a nomination for a Jack Webster award.
A “hatchet job” is a hatchet job, whether its done in a hair salon or in an on-line opinion article that is cheaply clothed to be news. The difference with a hatchet job on a person’s hair to a hatchet job on a person’s life is that hair generally grows back in a couple of weeks. Ruining a person’s life can have implications for years.
Some folks should keep their hatchet jobs on hair, Armchair Mayor.
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Thanks Mel. Hope you’re well.
I’ve had a re-read and I agree the sourcing is not that fulsome for a news story and the subhead is torqued, but the core info – and the headline – is hard to argue with in my view. Can we call the last four years of municipal politics in Kamloops anything but chaos?
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It is correct that the past four years have been chaos in city hall. But as I used to tell my kids, it takes two sides to fight. I don’t know if you’ve listened to any council meetings this term, but imo they’ve all behaved abominably.
The trouble with the Tyee’s and other reporting seems to be that the actions of councilors are ignored while the mayor’s are highlighted.
And the playing field hasn’t been level. For example: The mayor was sanctioned for “misleading the public” when he didn’t know the name or license# of the person who yelled a slur at him from a pickup, but Coun. Neustaeter got a free pass when she denied a council quorum drafted the March 17/23 “statement” against the mayor. The Conduct investigator found there had been at least one meeting but excused Neustaeter on the grounds it was an honest error made in ignorance of the law. Why didn’t the mayor get the same grace?
And where the media hatchet falls is their trumpeting of the mayor’s transgression far and wide but failing to investigate why Coun. Neustaeter’s worse transgression was excused. This is disturbing since denying there was a meeting, a definite breach of the Community Charter, is surely more serious than reporting an anonymous slur but being unable to identify the person involved.
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There is a fine line between Genious and Stupidity.A genious knows when to quit.Mel, honestly somebody needs to sit down with Mr.RJH and tell him he needs to walk away.This is a case where je isn’t going to wimln.The Judge has had enough, said it was final, no other Judge in our system is going to over rule on this.It is over.Even Mick would tell Rock Balboa this is a fight where he’ll get knocked out and never recover from.He needs to know this.
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“full-indemnity costs” is 100% of her costs no cost out of pocket to our city, he owes it all — please look it up… This is great, now wether or not we get it before he declares bankruptcy, because he has some more cases that he will more than likely lose.
This is not a normal judgement, but necessary, now if he’d only move on and give up the rest as this will repeat itself.
Please familiarize yourself with the law Bronwen.
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Oh, tp be rid of this man for good.
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If Katie had any integrity she would have had the fortitude to invite Reid to listen and watch her little soapbox display.
Both she and also Dale Bass have no idea the sentiment held for both of them by a lot of citizens. They are bound to get a very rude awakening. Pride precedes a fall Katie……you should know that one by chapter and verse.
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Coun. Neustaeter was reported in Castanet claiming that her legal costs are “north of $250,000,” How can they be anywhere near that?
The petitioners in their failed conflict-of-interest lawsuit against Mike O’Reilly had to pay less than $20,000 in total lawyer’s costs. That lawsuit involved both Mike’s and the city’s lawyers and covered two days of court.
When court costs are awarded in BC, they’re levied according to a schedule that places a maximum on how many hours can be charged and sets a firm rate of pay. So it’s likely the mayor is looking at a bill significantly less than what Coun. Neustaeter’s lawyer is actually charging the city.
So it’s likely taxpayers will still be covering some of Coun Neustaeter’s costs–maybe a good portion.
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The award was for full indemnity costs not court costs.
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RHJ claims he once again in progress with appealing the decision again, with no doubt more adjournment from RJH over it all as well,that will probably run the cost well over a million..
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