Mayor's salary slashed again

Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s salary has again been slashed after a third-party investigator found he breached council’s code of conduct by disclosing two confidential documents — behaviour described as “a substantial departure from the standard to be expected of a mayor.”

The documents include a 2023 workplace investigation report into allegations of bullying on the part of Hamer-Jackson, and a resolution from a spring 2024 closed council meeting. Both documents contained personal information about city staff.

In his report, dated Sept. 4, 2024, third-party investigator Reece Harding concluded Hamer-Jackson was either “willfully blind” to steps taken to ensure the documents remained confidential, or “he intentionally disregarded them.”

“I acknowledge that Mayor Hamer-Jackson feels embattled, isolated and undermined by the rest of council,” wrote Harding, a partner at Vancouver law firm Young Anderson.

“However, that does not give him license to ignore the ethical rules created by the legislature through the enactment of the Community Charter and reinforced by the council through the adoption of the code of conduct.”

Harding said the mayor, whom he interviewed in the course of his investigation, has “shown no willingness to take responsibility for his actions,” instead consistently choosing to blame others.

“Council must proceed on the assumption that he is likely to continue to disclose confidential documents either through lack of care or simply when it suits him,” Harding said in the report.

Pay reduced by 15 per cent

In a statement provided to Castanet Kamloops, city council confirmed Hamer-Jackson’s salary has been reduced by 15 per cent for a year as a result of the independent investigator’s findings and recommendations.

His salary — which was $128,693 in 2023, according to city records — was temporarily reduced by 10 per cent in June due to findings from another code of conduct investigation.

In relation to the Sept. 4, 2024, investigation findings, the mayor has also received a letter of reprimand, and now has limits on his access to confidential information “as necessary to protect the municipality and its staff.”

Hamer-Jackson faces public censure, and has also been asked to issue a letter of apology. The third-party investigation report will also be published with redactions necessary to protect personal information and privacy.

In its statement, council said it carefully considered the investigator’s recommendations before imposing these sanctions on Hamer-Jackson.

“Council takes these findings seriously, as they impact the trust and integrity of our municipal operations,” the statement said.

“Protecting privacy and confidentiality is a priority for council, and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that proper measures are in place for prevent such actions from occurring in the future.

“We remain hopeful that the mayor will reflect on his actions and commit to improving.”

Law firm retained in April

In April 2024, Vancouver-based law firm Young, Anderson was retained to investigate a code of conduct complaint submitted by Coun. Dale Bass. The cost of the investigation is estimated to be $46,413.

Bass’ complaint had alleged the mayor sent reporters copies of the Integrity Group workplace investigation report and a resolution from a March 28, 2024 closed council meeting. The resolution — a copy of which was provided by Hamer-Jackson to Castanet Kamloops — outlines restrictions preventing the mayor from suspending several City of Kamloops employees.

Harding said the mayor admitted to him that he disclosed the Integrity Group report, but he thought it wasn’t confidential as it had previously been leaked to the media and because other councillors had made public statements about the matter.

For months, Hamer-Jackson asked council to release the Integrity Group report, but to no avail. He received a copy in a mysterious envelope in his mailbox earlier this year.

Harding concluded the document was clearly meant to remain confidential, and Hamer-Jackson “was, at best, reckless in his actions” by handing out copies to reporters.

Harding said Hamer-Jackson also admitted to disclosing the closed council resolution, but he claimed he didn’t know it was confidential.

Harding disagreed, concluding the mayor either knew or should have known it was — and failed to take any steps to double check the status of the document before sharing it with reporters.

Mayor distrusts investigator

When reached for comment, Hamer-Jackson accused Bass of wasting taxpayer money to file the code of conduct complaint in the first place. He said the report’s conclusions were merely the opinion of Harding, who the mayor said is “making a very good living off the City of Kamloops.”

"They are hiring lawyers in Vancouver to get the result that they want or don't want,” the mayor said. “I don’t really care what Reece Harding has to say.”

The mayor said he disagreed with Harding’s conclusions in another code of conduct investigation report which looked into the source of the original leak of the Integrity Group document to reporters in the summer of 2023.

He said when it comes to the Integrity Group report, he said he actually doesn’t know if the papers he received in the mail was the actual confidential document, or some other document.

“The document I got, it may be 77 pages, and the real one could be 50 pages. So I have no idea,” he said.

Mayor doesn’t have ‘carte blanche’

Before recommending a number of sanctions — including a 10 per cent reduction in the mayor’s salary, slightly less than the 15 per cent enacted by council — Harding noted the office of the mayor carries with it distinct responsibilities.

“Being the head and leader of council does not give the mayor carte blanche to do as he pleases,” Harding said.

He added legislature also requires the mayor to reflect the will of council as a whole.

“It was clearly council’s will that the report and the resolution remain confidential documents. They took steps to ensure the confidentially of both, and took steps to ensure that Mayor Hamer-Jackson knew that they were confidential,” Harding wrote.

“Mayor Hamer-Jackson was either wilfully blind to these steps, or he intentionally disregarded them. Either way, the mayor’s behaviour is a substantial departure from the standard to be expected of a mayor.”