FILE PHOTO

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Reid Hamer-Jackson

The mayor of Kamloops has been the subject of more investigations than what's been made public.

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson expects an advisor, recently appointed by the province, will examine what's been going on behind the scenes at the embattled city hall.

"There's a lot of stuff going on that people don't really know about. The only stuff you know about is the investigations into me, and there's been several, but that'll all come out," he said.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs appointed former Langley mayor and former cabinet minister Peter Fassbender to help council address their problems with a final report expected in the spring.

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Council asked for help in the fall, prompted by councillor Margot Middleton. She got unanimous support from council in September when she suggested asking the ministry for support to overcome their "dysfunction and discord."

So far, the public has been told the mayor has been the subject of at least two workplace investigations, including one involving bullying and harassment claims and another centred around a secretly recorded conversation with the city's chief administrative officer. Just how many are ongoing or completed isn't clear.

Hamer-Jackson said one investigation was prompted after councillor Bill Sarai confronted the mayor in his own office. 

"I've shared a lot of things with administration and they've gone nowhere, except for investigations into me," the mayor said.

He didn't detail the complaints he's made to city staff.

Now that Fassbender has started his inquiry, Hamer-Jackson said he's looking forward to a third-party look at what's going on at the embattled city hall, including behind the scenes.

Kamloops has been faced with what seems like endless controversies, often centred around the mayor.

Hamer-Jackson has been rebuked by fellow councillors several times, including six months into his term when councillors publicly called out his "erratic" and "disruptive" behaviour. Along with facing multiple workplace investigations, he's currently taking one councillor to court of defamation claims.

"I think it's great to get some outside help," Hamer-Jackson said.

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Fassbender is expected to continue working with council until April, with a report on his findings and recommendations at the end.

The ministry was not available to comment on the scope of the inquiry or whether the recommendations will be binding.

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