Ministry advisor for Kamloops city hall gets the boot

An advisor appointed by the province to work with clashing Kamloops city councillors was ousted from the position just before his work started. Peter Fassbender, a former BC cabinet minister and Langley mayor, was contracted as an advisor to city hall by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. He was tasked with providing support and recommendations to address communication and decision-making among elected officials.  Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson confirmed Fassbender was out and told him the ministry is going a "different direction." READ MORE: Kamloops council's advisor recommendations have no teeth https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloops-councils-advisor-recommendations-have-no-teeth/it102311 He couldn't say what that means for the future of the advisory role, which was requested by city council this fall. Coun. Margot Middleton proposed the idea, citing "dysfunction and discord" around the horseshoe. Fassbender's final report with recommendations for city council was expected by April, but it's not clear whether that timeline will be moved. It's also not clear whether the ministry has a new advisor lined up. A ministry spokesperson was not immediately able to comment on the changes. 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. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .