Kamloops mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson had his burnt SUV towed by the city on Dec. 14, 2023, after he refused to do it himself.
(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)
December 14, 2023 - 1:06 PM
Kamloops city staff made good on their promise to have the mayor's burnt up SUV towed away.
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson said he would not abide by a 48-hour order from the city's fire chief to get rid of the wreckage. That hasn't spared him from paying the tow bill.
"We made arrangements for it to be towed this morning," fire chief Ken Uzeloc said.
The truck arrived at Hamer-Jackson's used vehicle dealership on Dec. 14 and took it away. Uzeloc said he'll also be getting a bill for the tow truck and the storage fees, depending on how long it takes for him to pick it up.
Hamer-Jackson, meanwhile, is on a plane today, heading south for a vacation.
Earlier this week, Uzeloc told iNFOnews.ca the city has gotten multiple complaints about the twice-torched Pontiac Torrent.
The Pontiac Torrent collected campers after it was burnt twice, eventually prompting an order from the fire chief to remove it.
(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)
It was first lit ablaze shortly after the October 2022 election, then again roughly a year later, prompting two arson investigations at his business Tru Market Auto Sales.
Uzeloc said he gave the order to remove it because he deemed it a fire hazard, noting it had become an "attractant" for trespassers. In recent weeks, it became littered with graffiti and was turned into a makeshift camp.
Hamer-Jackson said he felt targeted by the fire chief's order, while his business is on a street that frequently has issues with graffiti, fires and vandalism.
He claimed he was leaving the vehicle there because he could still sell it for parts, noting the only other vehicle on his lot had also been vandalized and had its batteries stolen.
Speaking to iNFOnews.ca from Mexico, Hamer-Jackson erroneously claimed the city would be paying the storage fees after he discussed it with Uzeloc, but didn't say how long that would continue. Uzeloc later said it will be up to the property owner to pay once its claimed from the storage facility, adding that the city will seek reimbursement from Hamer-Jackson if the SUV goes unclaimed and unpaid.
Hamer-Jackson also questioned why bylaw staff took action on the vehicle.
"Was that one of the first things on his agenda?" Hamer-Jackson questioned of Uzeloc, who was recently promoted to take charge of the bylaw department along with his duties as fire chief.
The mayor said Byron McCorkell, who was previously in charge of the city's bylaws and protective services division, "backed off" of the burnt vehicle issue last year.
"At the time they called it a nuisance and it wasn't nice to look at," Hamer-Jackson said.
Although he questioned what prompted Uzeloc to take action on the SUV, the mayor added that he is supportive of the city's firefighters.
"I'm a huge supporter of our firemen and Kamloops Fire Rescue. I thanked them up and down for saving my building several times," he said. "And I've talked to a lot of them — they know my vehicle's not the problem. They're going to fires all over the place."
— This story was updated at 4:45 p.m., Dec. 14, 2023, with comments from Reid Hamer-Jackson.
— This story was updated at 12:24 p.m., Dec. 15, 2023, with additional comments from Ken Uzeloc regarding who pays storage and towing fees.
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