FILE PHOTO
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Reid Hamer-Jackson
October 10, 2023 - 7:00 PM
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has turned over a recorded conversation between himself and the City of Kamloops' top employee.
Last month, council ordered Hamer-Jackson to turn over all recorded conversations with staff or councillors and resolved to investigate the mayor's behaviour. He was given a 10-day deadline and he has since handed over one recording.
The conversation, unknown to chief administrative officer David Trawin, was recorded while the pair discussed the Noble Creek irrigation system over the phone.
READ MORE: Kamloops launches investigation into mayor's practice of recording phone calls
The mayor's wife, Lori Hamer-Jackson, recorded the conversation in March while the pair were driving, in which Trawin confirmed the City would be working to keep the irrigation system running for the year.
Trawin warned the mayor during the call that one home was within five feet of falling into the water and the City may have to declare a state of emergency. Weeks later, Hamer-Jackson did just that and the system was temporarily shut down due to eroding embankments.
Hamer-Jackson tried to have a member of the public read a transcript of the conversation read aloud during a September council meeting, but councillor Mike O'Reilly put a stop to the reading, concerned about the authenticity of the recording.
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Council later held a closed meeting, without the mayor, and found Hamer-Jackson may have violated human resources policies. They demanded the mayor submit the recorded phone call and any others he had. They also voted to hire an external investigator to look into the mayor's practice of recording phone calls without consent or knowledge of staff members.
Hamer-Jackson told iNFOnews.ca the March phone call was the only one he had a recorded copy of. He wrote a letter to City staff and council on Oct. 6, in which he said he is not aware of any other recorded conversations.
He went on to say he takes "very serious issue" with what he calls "factually inaccurate assumptions and statements" in the council closed meeting notes released to the public. Specifically, council suggested Hamer-Jackson has a "practice" of secretly recording phone calls, but he denies doing so.
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