by Kamloops Critic | Jan 20, 2026 | City Hall, Code of Conduct, Kelly Hall
The City of Kamloops has now formally confirmed that citizens are barred from accessing its Code of Conduct complaint process, eliminating any public pathway into Council’s primary accountability mechanism. In a written response this week, Corporate Officer Maria...
by Kamloops Critic | Jan 18, 2026 | Code of Conduct, Kelly Hall
A formal Code of Conduct complaint has been submitted against Kamloops City Councillor Kelly Hall following the January 13, 2026 Regular Council Meeting, alleging a pattern of conduct inconsistent with Council’s own governance standards while he presided as Chair. The...
by Kamloops Critic | Jan 14, 2026 | City Council, Local Government
Less a Debate About Public Engagement, More a Diagnostic Session on the Mayor On December 9, 2024, Kamloops City Council revisited the contentious motion to suspend Public Input (formerly called Public Inquiries). What initially appeared as a debate about citizen...
by Kamloops Critic | Jan 7, 2026 | Byron McCorkell, City Council, City Hall, Code of Conduct, Reid Hamer-Jackson
When a system designed to protect the public interest becomes a tool of attrition, accountability itself is at risk. Introduction: Accountability or Attrition? Codes of Conduct exist to ensure ethical governance, protect the public interest, and maintain trust in...
by Kamloops Critic | Dec 31, 2025 | Arena Multiplex, Build Kamloops, Mike O'Reilly
When Multitasking Goes Too Far Kamloops City Councillor Mike O’Reilly wore many hats. Councillor. Chair of the Build Kamloops Select Committee. CEO, President, and shareholder of Comet Industries. Individually, none of those roles are improper. Taken together — and...
by Kamloops Critic | Dec 26, 2025 | City Hall, Kamloops Politics, Local Government
Why the City of Kamloops needs a CAO reset — not another governance controversy Calls to replace a city’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) should never be made lightly. In a well-functioning municipality, such decisions are not driven by ideology, personal conflict,...
by Kamloops Critic | Dec 21, 2025 | City of Kamloops, PAC
Parking Was Never a Side Issue The Kamloops Performing Arts Centre (PAC), also known as the Kamloops Centre for the Arts, has been promoted as a cornerstone of downtown revitalization and a cultural legacy project. But from the very beginning, one fundamental issue...
by Kamloops Critic | Dec 10, 2025 | City Council
We were played by Council during their meeting November 4th, 2025. The name of the play could have been “Let’s Pretend to Support the Mayor’s Motion While Rendering it Useless”. No wonder Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson seemingly opposed his own motion. By the end of the...
by Kamloops Critic | Dec 6, 2025 | AAP, City Council, PAC
It’s no wonder the public was enraged after hearing the news that the cost for the performing arts center (PAC) had jumped from $154 million to $211 million. Many residents unwittingly approved a $140M loan by doing…absolutely nothing. Those that were aware of...
by Kamloops Critic | Nov 30, 2025 | AAP, City Council, Kamloops
Today’s post is about the concerns around Kamloops City Council’s use of the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) for the PAC (Performing Arts Centre) and arena multiplex projects. I’ll argue that, even if legally defensible, Council violated the spirit of the BC AAP...
