(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

The City of Kamloops has hired an outside investigator to probe harassment complaints levelled at Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson.

An investigator was called in after multiple City employees claimed the mayor bullied and harassed them, but it's not clear what consequences he'll face and the conclusion of that report hasn't been made public.

"The municipal corporation has been forced to take extraordinary steps to protect certain members of staff from ongoing mistreatment and a hostile work environment at the hands of an elected official," councillor Mike O'Reilly said.

The investigation began at least a month ago, lining up closely to council's adoption of a code of conduct policy for elected officials, but O'Reilly wouldn't confirm when the complainants came forward.

Exactly what complaints were levied about the mayor isn't clear. Hamer-Jackson refused to comment or acknowledge the existence of a workplace investigation.

"We've had a lot of leaks, as you know," Hamer-Jackson said. "I would think that would be a human resources issue and I think that would be something happening in closed (council meetings)."

He said there have been "a lot" of in-camera, or closed, meetings he hasn't been a part of.

"If there was anything in closed, I wouldn't be able to speak to it anyway," he said.

O'Reilly said the complaints come from multiple employees, but wouldn't say how many or whether they are union staff or management.

"Like all employers, the City of Kamloops has a legal duty to provide a safe workplace for its employees, free of bullying and harassment. When we receive complaints alleging an elected official is mistreating staff, the City is legally obligated to inquire into the matter. It has no choice in the matter and must act in a matter of law," said O'Reilly, who is deputy mayor for the month of June.

Although he wouldn't confirm details of the alleged harassment nor how many employees were affected, O'Reilly said the complaints are entirely unrelated to the mayor's defamation lawsuit against fellow councillor Katie Neustaeter and privacy breaches when Hamer-Jackson took personnel documents to his home.

Human resources investigations are carefully managed around privacy legislation, meaning even the results of that investigation may never become public.

"Certain individuals continue to breach privacy and confidentiality laws, and council would like nothing more than to provide the public with a complete and accurate description of events," O'Reilly said. "However, doing so would require us to break the law."

Chief administrative officer David Trawin said even if there are consequences for an elected official under council's code of conduct policy, that information may remain confidential too.

The City's code of conduct policy sets out 14 potential consequences if a workplace investigator finds fault. It includes censuring the elected official, barring them from events, refusal of reimbursement for certain events or mandatory workplace training.

Kamloops City council has been mired with controversy since the Oct. 15 election.

The most recent chapter was last week when Hamer-Jackson filed a defamation lawsuit against councillor Katie Neustaeter related to a joint statement she read aloud on behalf of council.

The statement came after Hamer-Jackson unilaterally changed committee appointments to include members of the public, including someone who worked on his campaign and two candidates who lost in the October municipal election.

The workplace investigation is not related to Hamer-Jackson's legal disputes with Neustaeter, according to sources at city hall.

News broke earlier this month when Hamer-Jackson was accused of breaching privacy legislation after he took personnel documents to his home.

In the first few months after the election, Hamer-Jackson started his term facing potential legal issues with local non-profits Canadian Mental Health Association and ASK Wellness.

ASK Wellness accused the mayor of defaming the non-profit and its chief executive officer Bob Hughes.

Elected officials appear to be working together, aside from the mayor. It's not clear whether Hamer-Jackson can repair any of his relationships on council now that he's filed a defamation suit against Neustaeter.

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