First Kamloops code of conduct report released a year later

Kamloops city hall has seen more than 20 code of conduct complaints filed over possible council transgressions in a year-and-a-half, but it was the first one that resulted in the mayor's first pay cut. It's also the latest one to be released publicly. Last October, an investigator concluded Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson wasn't truthful with the public when, following a widely reported press conference that spring, he said the public began to see him as a "pervert." It was a sentiment both the mayor and his lawyer at the time David McMillan each told reporters, but the investigator didn't buy it and it led to some of the first sanctions against Hamer-Jackson. The investigation was launched after a complaint from councillor Katie Neustaeter, while he was already facing a defamation lawsuit over the same matter that had been filed a month earlier. READ MORE: Kamloops city councillor's secret recording scandal far from over https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-city-councillors-secret-recording-scandal-far-from-over/it107373 The crucial lead-up to the investigation started in the spring with a widely reported news conference. In March 2023, councillors stood together city hall to denounce Hamer-Jackson's behaviour, though there were no specifics provided. Neustaeter read a joint statement aloud and one particular phrase stood out to the mayor. He was accused of breaching "personal and professional boundaries." Councillors promptly left the room after the statement was read, taking no questions from reporters. Hamer-Jackson contends some people interpreted it to suggest he was guilty of sexual misconduct, whether or not that was the intended meaning. It was the crux of a defamation suit he would file against Neustaeter https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-mayor-councillor-spill-the-beans-in-court-filings/it99714 three months later. iNFOnews.ca obtained the report on Dec. 6 through a Freedom of Information request, more than six months after requesting a copy. The investigation ended in October 2023, with a follow-up report three months later that ended with the same conclusion: Hamer-Jackson misled the public. It wasn't, however, because investigator Sarah Chamberlain found he lied. Rather, it was that he refused to bring enough evidence to the table. Hamer-Jackson showed "unwillingness" to provide any names or specifics to claims that he had been called a pervert, the report said. The evidence he did bring was "inconsistent and not credible." "There is no evidence to corroborate his statements that he was approached by citizens who called him a 'pervert' or otherwise implied that they believed the statement referred to sexual impropriety," the report read. READ MORE: Prosecutors double-down, no criminal charges in fatal Kamloops crash https://infotel.ca/newsitem/prosecutors-double-down-no-criminal-charges-in-fatal-kamloops-crash/it107406 Hamer-Jackson argued the investigation shouldn't have gone forward at all, citing the city's own bylaw. It states that an investigator "may" choose not to proceed if the matter is before a higher court. It's not clear how much that was considered. After interviewing all but one councillor, Chamberlain found the meaning of the statement wasn't intended to accuse the mayor of sexual misconduct. Whether that's a meaning widely interpreted isn't clear and Chamberlain found it unlikely without evidence from Hamer-Jackson. Before the investigation or the lawsuit, Hamer-Jackson did tell council of accusations about sexual impropriety, according to the report.  He sent an email on April 13, 2023, telling all councillors he had faced a "wide range of accusations" related to "personal advances" toward women. It also provides no specifics other than a vague reference to what would later be the main thrust of his defamation lawsuit against developer Joshua Knaak. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-mayor-accused-of-groping-developers-wife-in-response-to-lawsuit/it106133 Although the Knaak matter, which alleges Hamer-Jackson was guilty in a groping incident at a local bar, wasn't widely known publicly by the time the lawsuit was filed and councillors, including Neustaeter, said it was "widely known," according to the report. Chamberlain recommended council explore options for sanctions, but didn't specify what should be done. By February 2024, council asked Hamer-Jackson to sign an apology letter to Neustaeter for "misleading" the public and damaging her reputation. He has refused and, by June, he was hit with his first salary cut of 10 per cent. Both parts of the Chamberlain report were released on Dec. 6, following an initial request in February. A "third-party" intervened in an attempt to block the report's release, which forced the involvement of the province's privacy commissioner. In the end, the "third-party," who turned out to be Hamer-Jackson himself, relented and allowed the report to be released.  The mayor said he changed his mind and decided he wanted the report to be public. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. 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