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1 week ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Hall |City Issues |Page One |Mel Rothenburger
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson wants an independent forensic audit done of City operations to reduce waste and increase transparency, and he’s challenging any councillors who oppose the audit to explain themselves. The mayor introduced a notice of motion at last week’s council meeting and sent out a news release today (June 17, 2025) as a follow-up. His motion is expected to come up for debate at next week’s regular meeting.
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2 weeks ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Issues |Mel Rothenburger
A group of Kamloops residents who lost a legal battle with Coun. Mike O’Reilly is trying to raise public donations to pay for court costs incurred by O’Reilly and the City. The 10 residents alleged that O’Reilly was in a conflict of interest in connection with the Build Kamloops ice rink because of his involvement with the nearby Comet Industries industrial park development. The Supreme Court judge ruled against them, and ordered them to pay all costs of the legal action.
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2 weeks ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Hall |City Issues |Mel Rothenburger
Bart Simpson wasn’t registered for a public inquiry at today’s Kamloops City council meeting (June 10, 2025) but he made it into the discussion anyway. Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson asked council to reconsider a resolution at the last meeting to scrap public inquiries from the agenda, again. Public inquiries have been an issue for councillors for quite some time because they don’t like the behaviour of some of the speakers.
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2 weeks ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Hall |City Issues |Page One |Mel Rothenburger
Residents of age will be able to enjoy a wine or brewski at the Riverside Park Bandshell grounds this summer. City council today (June 10, 2025) approved a pilot project that will kick in later this month and run until October, noon to nine. If it becomes permanent, the season will run from May 15 to Oct. 1. A report from staff noted that several other cities, including Kelowna, Penticton, Vancouver and Chilliwack, already allow “responsible consumption ” in designated areas.
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2 weeks ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Issues |Page One |Mel Rothenburger
A City council report to Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon outlines a litany of grievances against Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, characterizing his behaviour as “resulting in widespread disruption, excessive costs and public concern.”The report/ letter, written in response to a request from Kahlon for an update on steps taken as a result of an investigation by former Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun into dysfunction within the council, was released publicly today with a few redactions.
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2 weeks ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Hall |City Issues |Page One |Mel Rothenburger
Demands that Coun. Bill Sarai resign are ramping up, with close to 2,000 signatures on an online petition as of this morning (Monday, June 9, 2025). The petition, sponsored by Kamloops Citizens United, was first posted late last year when Sarai’s so-called Tapegate was revealed, in which he secretly recorded an argument with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, then lied about who did it.
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1 month ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Issues |Page One |Mel Rothenburger
The petitioners who alleged Coun. Mike O’Reilly was in a conflict of interest over the Build Kamloops ice rink project say they might appeal a judge’s dismissal of their case. In a decision released Tuesday (May 27, 2025), Justice Kenneth Ball rejected the group’s claims and awarded costs to O’Reilly. The 10 petitioners wanted O’Reilly disqualified from office based on his shares in Comet Industries, of which he is CEO and president, a company developing an industrial park on Iron Mask Road 3.9 km.
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1 month ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Issues |Mel Rothenburger
More than 300 people were experiencing homelessness in Kamloops at the time of a “Point in Time” count taken last fall, according to a report presented to City Council this week. A Point-in-Time Count provides a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness within a community in a 24-hour period.
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1 month ago | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Issues |Mel Rothenburger
Property tax season is on the horizon and Kamloops residents are being encouraged to sign up for a MyCity account and enroll in eBilling if they haven’t already done so. According to the City, with the potential for another postal worker strike in May, MyCity will be the most reliable source for personal information on property taxes and utility bills. The payment deadline for property taxes this year is Wednesday, July 2.
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Mar 12, 2025 | 
armchairmayor.ca | Armchair Mayor.ca |City Issues |Mel Rothenburger
Development of a 36-space child care facility at Station Plaza, 510 Lorne Street, funded though the ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund, is “moving ahead” with the YMCA as its service provider, says the City. City employees will have priority access to the service but will not get a subsidized rate. The project was initially scheduled to open in 2024. Once operational, the Lorne Street Child Care Centre will offer up to 12 spaces for infants/toddlers and 24 spaces for children aged 3-5.
