Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has had yet another code of conduct complaint substantiated against him.

Third-party investigator Reece Harding found Hamer-Jackson in breach of council’s code of conduct, saying the mayor was in a conflict of interest when he voted to deny a temporary use permit for a property owned by Arpa Investments — a company owned by Joshua Knaak, who the mayor is currently suing for defamation.

“That litigation created a link between a personal consideration — the lawsuit — and the mayor’s public law duty to vote on land use applications in a manner that reflects the public interest,” Harding wrote in his report.

Harding found Hamer-Jackson to have a “non-pecuniary conflict of interest,” with regards to his vote against Knaak’s permit application. Hamer-Jackson’s was the only vote against.

Knaak is a prolific developer in the city, as well as past president of the Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce and the North Shore Business Improvement Association.

Hamer-Jackson launched the suit in June 2024, alleging Knaak had made statements accusing the mayor of “groping women on the dance floor” and that Hamer-Jackson had “grabbed” or “touched” Knaak’s wife inappropriately, according to the notice of claim, and that Knaak’s statements to that effect were defamatory.

The alleged incident occurred in 2023.

Knaak denied the claims in his response to the suit. None of the claims have been heard in court and the case has not progressed since August 2024.

In his report, Harding noted that Hamer-Jackson had previously declared a conflict of interest regarding city business with Knaak’s company Arpa Investments, but withdrew it at the Nov. 26, 2024, city council meeting, stating he had received legal advice and was no longer in conflict.

Harding said the mayor was given “many opportunities” to participate in the investigation and provide a summary of the legal opinion he had received, but he refused to do so.

“As such, I have limited to no evidence to conclude anything other than he took no steps to avoid this breach,” Harding wrote.

Based on Harding’s recommendations, city council took action in a closed meeting on July 29 to censure the mayor. Council asked the mayor to deliver a “general description of the legal advice” he claimed to have at the November 2024 meeting, as well as proof the advice came from a lawyer qualified to practice law in B.C.

Council also asked the mayor to deliver a letter of apology to Knaak, and to complete mandatory training on his obligations under the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, with respect to conflicts of interest and his oath of office.

The mayor is facing further reductions to his pay if he fails to comply with council’s terms.