BC’s Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs has formally asked for an update on the work the City of Kamloops has done since receiving a report from municipal advisor Henry Braun.
In the letter, which was included in the council’s Jan. 14 meeting agenda, Ravi Kahlon says he understands a few of Braun’s recommendations have been implemented but is requesting an update on how much Kamloops City Council has progressed.
Kahlon said he wants to meet with the council early this year when they are ready to discuss what has been done to implement the 23 recommendations made in Braun’s report.
“While I recognize that council has made some progress towards implementing the recommendations of the report, I also understand that governance challenges are continuing,” Kahlon writes in his letter.
“I respectfully request a report from council on the work that has been done to implement the recommendations to inform the responsible conduct work the ministry continues to work on with our partners.”
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Kamloops City Council received the damning report in early May 2024 after Braun was assigned to monitor and provide recommendations to council after several complaints and internal investigations into conduct.
In his report, Braun identified 16 challenges and made 23 recommendations in his report, 10 directed at the mayor and 13 directed at all nine members of council.
“The current council governance situation in the City of Kamloops is not normal,” Braun said.
A week after the report, mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson responded to the report but also began to talk about confidential information, resulting in councillors voting him out chairing the meeting.
Since Braun presented his report, city councillors have voted in several restrictions against the mayor.
At the end of May the mayor was removed as spokesperson for the city and in June his pay was docked by 10% and was barred from closed council meetings.
A month later, he was removed from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) board and Kamloops Airport Authority Security and last fall, his office was moved to a different area in city hall.
In October, city council laid down conditions for the mayor to meet so he could be reinstated to those boards.
To date, no other restrictions have been implemented.
Kamloops council will review Minister Kahlon’s letter and discuss it during the Jan. 14 meeting.