B.C. government removes Kamloops municipal adviser

The province has cancelled the contract of Peter Fassbender, a municipal adviser for Kamloops, B.C.

Fassbender was appointed in early December to help Kamloops councillors navigate a fractious relationship with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson.

The former provincial cabinet minister told CBC News he had already begun interviewing councillors in preparation for the role, but the province informed him on Friday that he would be out of the job in the new year.

The province has released little information about the change — and Fassbender says he is dumbfounded.

"The ministry representatives that called me simply said that the government had decided to take a different direction, and that's the only explanation that I received," Fassbender told CBC News.

In a written statement, a spokesperson for B.C.'s Municipal Affairs Ministry repeated what they told Fassbender.

"The focus continues to be on helping the Kamloops City Council resolve its challenges so the people of Kamloops can be best served by their elected officials," the spokesperson wrote. "We will work quickly with the city to determine the best fit for a new adviser."

CBC News has reached out to the City of Kamloops for this story.

Municipal advisers are independent contractors, with costs covered by the province, and are expected to provide a final report to mayor and council, the Municipal Affairs Ministry said in a statement earlier this month. They can be appointed on the direction of the council in question, with the municipal affairs minister having the final say.

A municipal adviser is currently in place in Silverton, B.C., the ministry said earlier this month.

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.

Dysfunctional council

Kamloops council has faced its fair share of public spats and controversies since Hamer-Jackson's election win in October 2022.

The mayor, a newcomer to politics who ran on a platform emphasizing safety and accountability, had told CBC News he welcomed Fassbender's appointment earlier this month.

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

Hamer-Jackson is currently suing Coun. Katie 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.

Hamer-Jackson also made headlines when he feuded with the city's fire chief over a torched SUV sitting on a used car lot owned by the mayor. The vehicle, which was deemed a fire risk, was subsequently towed.

Fassbender told CBC News he had begun virtual interviews with the mayor, councillors and city staff, and was doing his due diligence for the role. He was informed on Dec. 22 that he would be let go, with his contract officially expiring on Jan. 2.

Fassbender said he had not had conversations with councillors or the mayor about the sudden change, and said it would be inappropriate for him to comment further on Kamloops politics as he was no longer involved.