A personal reflection on Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, voter intent, and why change in Kamloops was always going to be uncomfortable — and why that matters.
The Mayor Who Wouldn’t Stay Down
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Reid Hamer-Jackson
Protected Speech Is Not Vindication
In the days following the dismissal of Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s defamation lawsuit, Councillor Katie Neustaeter has characterized the court’s decision as vindication. That word is doing far more work than the judgment itself supports. The court didn't declare the...
Free Speech Won. That’s Not the Whole Story
Local coverage of Hamer-Jackson v. Neustaeter has settled into a comfortable, low-effort storyline: Free speech wins. Case dismissed. Move along. It’s tidy. It’s simple. It’s also incomplete in a way that meaningfully misleads readers. Justice J. Hughes did not...
The Photo Controversy: Was This Ever About a Slideshow — or About Control?
Guest commentary for KamloopsCritic.ca When Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson issued a public letter on January 14, 2026 rejecting Council’s demand that he sign an apology over the cancelled March 2024 State of the City slideshow, most coverage treated it as another chapter in...
Weaponizing Accountability: How Kamloops’ Code of Conduct Process Is Failing Taxpayers
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...