B.C. taps ex-cabinet minister to intervene in conflict between Kamloops mayor, council

B.C. has tasked a former provincial cabinet minister with repairing the conflict between the mayor of Kamloops and city councillors, after some councillors and critics have said the dysfunction is having a "detrimental" impact on the city's residents and operations.

Peter Fassbender will serve as a municipal adviser to Kamloops until April and offer recommendations to Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, city council and the province for next steps, a spokesperson for the City of Kamloops confirmed Monday.

Fassbender served as a City of Langley councillor and then three-term mayor before being elected in 2013 to represent the then-B.C. Liberal party in the legislature. The province is paying for the former education and sport minister's work with Kamloops, he said Monday.

"My hope is that what I bring is a perspective that will help them to find that path to success," Fassbender told CBC's Daybreak Kamloops on Monday. "I'm not coming in with any preconceived notions."

His appointment comes after an unusual unanimous vote by Kamloops city council in October to ask for provincial help amid lawsuits, investigations and concerns surrounding the first-time mayor's conduct.

Hamer-Jackson is currently suing Coun. Kate Neustaeter for defamation, after she said at a March press conference alongside her seven fellow councillors that they had been "subjected to repeated disrespect, violations of personal and professional boundaries, belittling and constantly disruptive behaviour by the mayor."

That alleged behaviour was the subject of a workplace investigation earlier this year, and another probe is underway regarding the mayor's decision to record a phone call with the city's top administrator.

In addition to the turmoil at city hall, Hamer-Jackson also made headlines recently when he feuded with the city's fire chief over a torched SUV that was in his dealership lot. The SUV, which was deemed a fire risk, was subsequently towed.

The mayor, a newcomer to politics who ran on a platform emphasizing safety and accountability in 2022, supported Coun. Margot Middleton's motion to ask the province for an adviser, and says he welcomes Fassbender's appointment.

"I think it's great. It's a great opportunity [to have] somebody objective come in, have a look and get everybody's opinions," he said Monday from Mexico, where he is on vacation.

Fassbender says he has already had initial virtual meetings with the mayor and councillors, and will travel to Kamloops in the new year to meet with them face-to-face.

"They all got elected to make a difference for their community, I believe that's what they all want to do, and now we just need to see if we can find that path," he said.

The Municipal Affairs Ministry said in a statement that municipal advisers are independent contractors, with costs covered by the province, and are expected to provide a final report to mayor and council. 

"Municipal advisers are currently in place in Silverton and Kamloops," a ministry spokesperson said. "Both are experienced contractors with local government expertise who are providing support and recommendations directly to the councils."

There have been four other occasions when a municipal adviser was employed in B.C.: Harrison Hot Springs and Lions Bay this year, Wells last year, and McBride in 2017.

WATCH | CBC's Justin McElroy compares dysfunction in two B.C. municipalities: 

Kamloops vs. Harrison Hot Springs: Which local government is more dysfunctional?

12 months ago

Duration 2:09

This year, when Justin McElroy worked on stories about local government controversies, the people he spoke with kept bringing up the same two communities. He breaks down the issues in B.C.'s Harrison Hot Springs and Kamloops.

'Cloud over the city'

Coun. Middleton says she is pleased by Fassbender's appointment and is keen to start work in the new year to get out of what she called "troubled waters."

"I think there may be some areas that we seem to have a little improvement," she told CBC News, but "every time we look like we might have turned the corner, we seem to quite quickly slip back into the previous issues."

Terry Lake, a former Kamloops mayor and health minister who worked alongside Fassbender in the B.C. Liberals' cabinet, says he's "optimistic" the appointment will bring positive changes.

"I can't think of a better person than Peter," he said, noting that Fassbender was often trusted with challenging portfolios.

But the improvements can't come soon enough, as Lake says the dysfunction has had a "detrimental" impact on morale among staff, residents, and key strategic priorities, like a proposed new performing arts centre. 

"It's putting a cloud over the city of Kamloops, the citizens and the operation of the city," said Lake.

"So hopefully this will make a difference because there's three more years of this mayor and council, and that's a long time for the city just to be treading water."