FILE PHOTO - Kamloops mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson at a March 28, 2023 council meeting.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was reluctant to accept that he has a conflict of interest with a planned homeless shelter in Kamloops.

As four men waited at the podium in council chambers to voice their concerns over the shelter the Nov. 5 meeting was interrupted with a warning for the mayor.

"I'm not sure you've had a chance to read your email that I sent you yesterday regarding your conflict of interest on this matter," the City's corporate officer Maria Mazzotta said.

A man waiting at the microphone initially interrupted, followed by Hamer-Jackson who asserted that he "decided" he's not in a conflict, which he would repeat until he left the meeting.

"I'm not in conflict. I'm going to tell you something: just because somebody accuses you of something, does not mean you're in conflict. So, I've made up my mind that I will be involved in this," Hamer-Jackson said.

The meeting had barely started when the mayor left and he didn't return. He's frequently absent from closed council meetings, often without an explained reason, but this was the first time in since December 2022 he left an open meeting without coming back.

READ MORE: Kamloops mayor missed more closed meetings than rest of council combined

His conflict isn't related to the shelter itself, but rather the property owner. Joshua Knaak bought the former RV dealership and plans to lease the site for three years.

Mazzotta and Hamer-Jackson interrupted each other several times as she tried to explain why he should leave the room, and he continued to assert that his legal dispute with Knaak shouldn't bar him from staying in the room. 

"Giving it further thought, just because somebody accuses you of defamation, accuses you of being a bully, a racist, a sexual predator or anything else, that does not mean that's fact," he said.

It was a legal dispute that he spurred this past summer as he accused Knaak of defamation.

"I'm continuing on because the Community Charter prohibits you from participating in any aspect of any discussion related to Joshua Knaak until you have received legal advice that you are no longer in conflict this individual who you have sued. When you receive that legal advice, you have an obligation to state on the record 'A,' that you have it and 'B,' your rationale for remaining in the room," Mazzotta said.

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Council took a break in an effort to give the mayor time to consult with a lawyer on the issue, but he continued in a back-and-forth with Mazzotta until eventually leaving through the front door. He didn't affirm whether he was in a conflict and didn't say whether he would return.

In a text message to iNFOnews.ca shortly after, he said he would have been removed "no matter what." Asked for his view on why he was in conflict, he said to ask Mazzotta, but said she is "off side."

Asked outside council chambers about the proactive effort to warn Hamer-Jackson of the conflict, she said he had previously stepped away because of a separate matter with Knaak's development company. Once that happens, the city will often alert elected officials when it's anticipated they will face the same conflict again.

The 142 Tranquille Road property will be leased by BC Housing, where it would bring the only emergency shelter to the North Shore and could open by mid-December. Offering 44 shelter beds and a new program called a "community access hub," the North Shore business association initially proposed the model.

BC Housing chose ASK Wellness to run the shelter, where it will have outreach workers trying to connect people to housing and mental health supports through Interior Health along with other services.

Several people came to council to voice their concerns over bringing the shelter to the Tranquille area and largely focused on issues with vandalism and crime that businesses could face.

Noting it would be the only shelter on the North Shore, leaders of multiple non-profits, including ASK Wellness CEO Bob Hughes asked, "If not here, then where?"

READ MORE: Defiant and controversial: Kamloops mayor digs in with half of term left

The property isn't zoned to allow shelters, so BC Housing applied for a temporary use permit. It will return to council twice more before getting approval for the permit, while BC Housing is hosting an open house for residents to ask about the shelter later this month. Once approved, the permit would last for three years with the option for an extra year.

All councillors at the meeting approved the shelter proposal, moving it ahead to hear from the public before giving a final OK. Mike O'Reilly was out of the country and didn't attend.

The City planned to buy a property for this purpose and had one lined up in July. How that deal fell through wasn't addressed other than a mention in a staff report that said it was "unable to be secured."

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