Call for resignation

Dear Editor:

Open letter to city council
Dec 2, 2024

Dear Council Members,
Councillor Sarai intentionally created a situation involving Mayor Hamer-Jackson by editing, manipulating, and fabricating events, including altering a recording he made without the mayor’s knowledge. When the mayor questioned the recording’s origins and wondered if his office might be bugged, Councillor Sarai publicly defamed and dismissed the mayor’s concerns, calling him paranoid and delusional.

By selectively clipping the audio to highlight only the mayor’s side of the confrontation and falsely claiming he received it from an outside source, Councillor Sarai misrepresented the recording as evidence provided by a staff member. He then used this manipulated evidence to rally support within the council, falsely accusing the mayor of wrongdoing.

This behaviour is deplorable and beneath contempt. In large part, Sarai’s actions led to the Honcharuk Report, the Braun Report, sanctions, and ongoing disciplinary measures. Councillor Sarai’s conduct reflects a clear and ongoing pattern of harassment and bullying directed at the mayor. These reports have been corrupted and should be regarded as “fruit of the poisonous tree” and disregarded.

Councillor Sarai openly demonstrated disrespect and contempt for those citizens who have attempted to hold him accountable for his actions. He has mocked and used foul language in front of staff and citizens.

Councillor Sarai admitted guilt when he attempted to pre-emptively address the breaking news story, offering the excuse that the mayor “brings out the worst in everyone.” This defence is akin to a spouse justifying abuse by claiming, “She deserved it because she bugs me; she brings out the worst in me.”

Councillor Sarai openly disrespects Kamloops City Hall and everyone who works there. His foul language was not limited to the Mayor’s office; it was also used outside, in plain sight, and within earshot of the support staff.

This message is not intended to defend Mayor Hamer-Jackson but to emphasize how Councillor Sarai’s actions have damaged the City’s reputation and may have exposed it to severe consequences. Councillor Sarai’s deceit, lies, and hypocrisy have tainted this council. To restore the integrity of the office, the council must demand his resignation.

— Kathrine Wunderlich
Kamloops

Village of Hope

Dear Editor:

Isn’t about time we face facts about the home-less population in Kamloops, I think it is!

For years now the wellness industry has been growing, and with it the ever-growing number of dollars that are being spent. But where are the tangible results, are we seeing positive results that would justify the enormous expenses? I think not!

By supplying the addicts with free drugs, we are doing them a great disservice.

What should be one of the priorities is to rehabilitate these unfortunate people to the point when they can re-enter society and become contributing members of it.

The wellness industry should be brought under one hat, with strict control of their finances, after all it is taxpayers’ money they are using.

Let’s start planning now for a pilot project, an undertaking that would focus on establishing a doable way to eventually bring homelessness, and drug addiction, to an end.

How to start?

With the aid of funds from the provincial and federal governments

Kamloops should acquire the Tranquille Farms property and turn it into a venue where homeless people can be housed, made healthy again by curing them off drugs, re-educated and trained to help them get back into the workforce. A successful program of this magnitude could then be adopted by other cities and provinces.

Should the Tranquille Farms not fit into this plan, certainly there must be some suitable property available within Kamloops that can be acquired.

Respectfully submitted.

— Peter H. Bartel
Kamloops

Pleased to have a paper

Dear Editor:

Happiness is to have a paper back in our town. Recalling when the three kids all took turns to do a newspaper route in Brocklehurst. It was quite a step towards ‘growing up’.

In those days they still had to collect from the customers. It was a lesson for them to learn to manage money. Sometimes they had to go two to three times to get the payment collected, with excuses like: I don’t have change right now; my husband is not home and he pays, etc.

Now the eldest of these paper carriers is 66 and retired.

And I was not popular as a mom, since I insisted that they put half of their net income into a bank account. All of them got a nice little send off amount from their own accounts when they left home.

And of course, I open the paper with the old worn out joke: I look at the obits first, so see if I am in there, and if not, I am good to go for a while yet.

The kids would cherish those special moments when they did sports or attended a function, a parade or a grad, when somehow they got their faces into the paper by chance it was clipped out and saved as special in a photo album.

We are so happy to have the paper again. Not everyone likes to sit at the computer for all the news. Some of us still like a hard copy book and not a Kindle to read. It’s a great day: congratulations on the birth of The Chronicle.

I also love and cherish the photos of those that are one last time in the paper with their obituary.

— Sigi White
Kamloops