by Kamloops Critic | Mar 19, 2026 | Governance & Accountability, Kamloops City Council
The Kamloops Mayor’s motion to delay projects now before Council looks, at first glance, like a financial decision. It proposes pausing the Kamloops Centre for the Arts and the arena multiplex, citing economic uncertainty, long-term debt, and the upcoming 2026...
by Kamloops Critic | Mar 17, 2026 | Kamloops City Council, Municipal Governance
Public hearings are presented as one of the few moments when residents can directly influence municipal decisions. The City of Kamloops invites the public to “Have Your Say,” encouraging residents to review bylaws, prepare submissions, and appear before Council prior...
by Kamloops Critic | Mar 13, 2026 | City Council, Civic Accountability, Municipal Governance
When residents have concerns about taxes, development, policing, homelessness policy, or major capital projects, the advice is almost always the same: email City Council. In Kamloops, residents are routinely directed to send those concerns to citycouncil@kamloops.ca,...
by Kamloops Critic | Feb 22, 2026 | Kamloops City Council, Municipal Governance, Transparency & Accountability
The December 13 Hypothetical That Wasn’t So Hypothetical During the December 13, 2022 regular Council meeting’s Public Inquiries section, there were a couple inquiries about closed meetings. At one point, an unidentified voice — not clearly captured on...
by Kamloops Critic | Feb 20, 2026 | Kamloops Politics, Legal Matters
A simple question about access to a restricted area of Kamloops City Hall has turned into a second defamation lawsuit between Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson and Councillor Katie Neustaeter. At the centre of the case is one basic issue: When does “observing” become “spying”?...
by Kamloops Critic | Feb 7, 2026 | Kamloops Politics, Reid Hamer-Jackson
A personal reflection on resilience, change, and why underdogs still matter My attention to municipal politics didn’t begin with personalities or insider knowledge. It began during the Alternative Approval Process for the performing arts centre and the arena...
by Kamloops Critic | Feb 6, 2026 | City Council, Ethics & Transparency, Local Government Accountability
After three emails and nearly three months, only the Mayor responded. When I published Why the O’Reilly Case Matters in Kamloops, I suggested the case was about more than one councillor or one complaint. It was about whether City Council understands what ethical...
by Kamloops Critic | Feb 3, 2026 | Kamloops Politics, Katie Neustaeter, Reid Hamer-Jackson
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...
by Kamloops Critic | Feb 2, 2026 | Kamloops Politics, Katie Neustaeter, Reid Hamer-Jackson
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...
by Kamloops Critic | Jan 30, 2026 | City Hall, Kelly Hall, Local Government Accountability
After publishing evidence showing that the City of Kamloops’ January 13, 2026 Regular Council Meeting minutes omit a completed vote and conceal multiple procedural breakdowns visible in the City’s own meeting video, I wrote to the Corporate Officer requesting that...
