Amid the background of the all too common sound of sirens, Kamloops City Councillor Mike O’Reilly threw his hat into the ring. He’s hoping you’ll vote for him for Mayor in the upcoming civic election on Oct 17, 2026.
Homelessness
O’Reilly told CFJC Today on Oct 2, 2025:
I don’t think there is any shock that there is a grave concern with the relentless chaos, and the homelessness that has spread throughout our communities, neighbourhoods and riverbanks and that is something we need to take a different approach. We need to put Kamloops first, it’s not about waiting for the provincial government telling us what they are going to let us do, we need to put Kamloops first and put a Kamloops first solution forward.
Ironically, O’Reilly and his fellow councillors have controlled City Hall since they were elected in 2022. Why didn’t he attempt to solve the problem before this?
More Wet Shelters
While citizens are making it extremely clear they don’t want any more wet shelters, O’Reilly keeps voting to allow them. As far as I know, the only shelter he and the rest of council pushed back on was one whose intended location just happened to be near the residence of a councillor’s family member.
Build Kamloops Conflict
Yes, it’s true. A judge found in O’Reilly’s favour when a group of local citizens attempted to have him ousted from office. However, there are still citizens who believe Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson had cause to remove O’Reilly from the Build Kamloops committee.
If councillors hadn’t reacted so poorly to the Mayor’s proposed committee changes, a lawsuit could have been avoided. Knowing the future arena multiplex will be located near the development site owned by Comet Industries, which O’Reilly is president and CEO of, will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many for years to come.
Leadership
There’s a quote by Aristotle: “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader”. During this term, O’Reilly has consistently shown that he is not a good follower.
By participating in council’s refusal to second the Mayor’s motions, O’Reilly has shown that he is not open to listening and understanding the views of those he disagrees with.
Fiscal Responsibility
I recall O’Reilly’s comments in regards to a business case for the performing arts center (PAC). O’Reilly told iNFOnews.ca in 2024:
We assume the numbers, while they may be increased, it will become revenue-neutral in the same time period. We didn’t feel at the moment that it needed to be updated because a lot of it was still the same.
The plans O’Reilly was referring to were from 2019. I don’t think a bank would be reassured that the PAC will be revenue-neutral in 5 years. Yet that’s what he expected the public to accept when supporting an Alternative Approval Process (AAP) which bypassed the need for a referendum.
If you recall, citizens who objected had to first be aware of the AAP, and then also submit a properly completed objection form. If you’re just hearing about the AAP now, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Vote For Change
Let me remind you, you already did vote for change when you voted for Reid Hamer-Jackson. However, O’Reilly is one of the 8 councillors who have opposed nearly every attempt made by today’s Mayor.
If anything, O’Reilly has helped demonstrate that no single council member, not even the Mayor, can effect change without the support of at least half of the remaining members.
Status Quo
In my opinion, a vote for O’Reilly is a vote for more of the same. More wet shelters, more crime, more homelessness, more taxes, more sirens, and more secrecy. And thanks in part to O’Reilly, you’ll have less you’ll be able to say about it.
O’Reilly has helped shut down Public Inquiries, and in my experience, has been a contributor to the many unanswered emails to citycouncil@kamloops.ca.
Election 2026
The next election is October 17, 2026. If you were considering voting for Mike O’Reilly, I urge you to reconsider.
I will not be voting for any of the current Mayor and Council! The AAP process was a bit of a joke. It basically bypassed the majority of Kamloopsians in an attempt to forego a referendum. The small sample of 5,000 to pass as a vote to take on a massive debt was an egregious error and we won’t forget.
And, the constant squabbling between the parties is a huge embarrassment! There are no adults in the chamber!