Kamloops Critic

08/29/2026

Mike O'Reilly wants Kamloops residents to ask him questions. So I asked one.

O'Reilly recently posted a video called “Elected Officials Read Social Media Messages” and invited people to send him questions.

I asked why no Code of Conduct complaints had been filed against councillors who voted to remove the public's ability to submit complaints while some of those councillors were themselves subjects of active complaints.

Instead of answering, O'Reilly said the change was about “one member of the public that was abusing the system” and identified former councillor Denis Walsh.

He also referred to 17 complaints and $93,033.97 in investigation costs.

There's just one problem: there were six complaints when Council made the change in August 2023.

So what did O'Reilly know at the time that led him to conclude Walsh was “abusing the system”?

That's the question I went looking for answers to. The full article is here:

👉 https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/mike-oreilly-code-of-conduct-questions/

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Mike O'Reilly says Denis Walsh abused Kamloops' Code of Conduct system. The 2023 record raises some pretty obvious questions.

08/22/2026

I've noticed a few people recently calling Katie Neustaeter a narcissist.

It got me wondering: what does that actually mean?

More importantly, would it even matter if a politician had narcissistic traits?

I started looking into the psychology, the leadership research and some of the behaviour we've seen around Kamloops City Council. What I found was considerably more complicated than I expected.

Maybe the better question isn't whether a politician is a narcissist.

Maybe it's what happens when their ego collides with evidence.

New on Kamloops Critic: Is Katie Neustaeter a Narcissist?

https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/is-katie-neustaeter-a-narcissist/

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Is Katie Neustaeter a narcissist? We examine the behaviour behind the label, narcissism and leadership, and what it actually tells voters about a politician.

08/20/2026

Katie Neustaeter is asking Kamloops voters for another four years on City Council.

On August 17, she announced her campaign for re-election, with three priorities:

Local Leadership.
Good Governance.
Accountable Advocacy.

Those sound like reasonable goals. But what do they actually mean?

I spent some time looking back at Neustaeter's first term — Council meetings, minutes, City documents, court proceedings, campaign material and some of my own reporting — and asked a fairly simple question:

Does her record give me confidence that she should get another four years?

I looked at how she has dealt with public criticism, public participation, Code of Conduct complaints, conflict-of-interest questions, disagreements with the Mayor, and residents who disagree with her or Council.

I also looked at her recent campaign open-house invitation — and one resident's response to it.

My conclusion?

I would not vote for Katie Neustaeter.

My preliminary recommendation for the October 17 municipal election is Not Recommended.

I've tried to explain why rather than simply tell readers what to think.

If you're interested in how I reached that conclusion, the full article is here:

👉 https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/katie-neustaeter-candidate-profile-2026/

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A preliminary 2026 candidate profile of Katie Neustaeter examines her record on governance, public input, accountability, conflicts and communication.

08/15/2026

“So, sue me.”

That's what Councillor Katie Neustaeter told Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson during the June 28 Council meeting.

On its own, it might just be another sarcastic comment at City Hall.

But the Mayor has sued Neustaeter twice, and the City has agreed to cover her legal defence in both cases.

I went back through the history behind those three words, including the two lawsuits, the City's indemnification decisions, the legal-cost questions and the new Council pay bylaw.

So what does “so sue me” look like when taxpayers are already paying the legal bills?

Read the full story: https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/so-sue-me-katie-neustaeter/

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Katie Neustaeter told Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson “so sue me.” Here's the history behind the remark, two lawsuits and the City's legal costs.

08/14/2026

What did Kamloops Council just give itself the power to do?

I wasn't particularly surprised to see Council dealing with its own pay this week. At this point, I'm more of a "I wonder what they'll try next" person.

But when I went through the new Council Remuneration Bylaw, a few things caught my attention.

The annual pay increases aren't actually new. The existing policy already provided for annual adjustments.

The expense allowance is changing, though — from $5,000 to $8,000 per council member, a 60% increase. And the new bylaw gives Council a mechanism to withhold a council member's pay when money is owed to the City.

More interestingly, one section specifically deals with legal costs and expenses the City has advanced on behalf of another council member.

That caught my attention because there is currently an unresolved legal-cost dispute between Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson and Councillor Katie Neustaeter. No costs have been awarded against the Mayor yet, and I don't know whether this provision was written with that case in mind.

I also looked at who will control the new committee reviewing Council's own pay, why the bylaw doesn't require public members, who signed off on the report, and what this could mean for the Mayor — or any future council member who owes money to the City.

I'm not claiming to know the motive behind the changes.

I'm asking a simpler question:

How much control should elected officials have over their own pay — and how much power should they have to take that pay away?

I've gone through the bylaw and laid out what I found.

👉 Read the full article: https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/kamloops-council-pay-bylaw-71/

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Kamloops Council has changed its pay rules, increased expense allowances and added a new way to recover money from council members. Here's what Bylaw 71 changes.

08/11/2026

Well played, Councillor O'Reilly?

The beginning of the June 23 council meeting bothered me when I watched it.

Mike O'Reilly was deputy mayor for June. Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was absent, yet O'Reilly told the public the Mayor hadn't reached out electronically, staff were checking the parking lot to make sure he wasn't there, and then he called a 10-minute break so he could prepare to chair the meeting.

At the time, I didn't know what was going on behind the scenes.

Now we know a little more.

Mel Rothenburger reported yesterday that O'Reilly had blocked the Mayor's texts.

So I went back and looked at what happened on June 9, what O'Reilly said on June 23, and what Rothenburger reported afterward.

There's one question that I think deserves an answer:

Which councillors are currently blocking the Mayor?

I've laid out what I found in the article.

👉 Read the full story: https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/well-played-councillor-oreilly/

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Mike O'Reilly blocked Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson's texts while serving as deputy mayor. What does that tell us about the June 23 council meeting?

08/05/2026

Would I trust Kathrine Blair-Wunderlich to help govern Kamloops?

That's the question I started with before writing this profile.

Unlike most candidates I've reviewed, I've known Kathy for nearly two years. That made this profile more challenging because I wanted it to be grounded in evidence rather than personal experience.

I went back and reviewed Justice Groves' decision, City documents, Council records, media coverage and Kathy's own background before reaching a conclusion.

Whether you agree with my recommendation or not, I hope you'll come away understanding how I reached it.

Read the full profile here:

https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/kathrine-blair-wunderlich-candidate-profile/

If you've met Kathy or have questions you'd like to see asked during the campaign, let me know in the comments.

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Who is Kathrine Blair-Wunderlich? Kamloops Critic reviews her background, leadership experience, court challenge, advocacy, and suitability for Kamloops City Council.

08/01/2026

NEW CANDIDATE PROFILE

One of the questions I've been asking myself as I meet candidates for Kamloops City Council is surprisingly simple:

Would I trust this person to make decisions that affect my family and my community?

That's the standard I've decided to use throughout this election.

This week, I sat down with Christopher Mitra for a couple of hours to learn more about who he is, why he's running and what he hopes to bring to council. After our meeting, I did what I usually do—I went home and started digging. I reviewed his campaign website, blog posts, media interviews and public statements to see whether they matched the person I met.

They did.

One thing that stood out to me was Chris's understanding that council isn't about one person getting their own way. It's about working together, asking good questions and making sound decisions. As someone who's spent years watching council meetings, those are qualities I think are worth paying attention to.

That doesn't mean I agree with every position he may take in the future. The campaign is still young, and I'll continue asking questions of every candidate. But based on everything I've seen so far, Christopher Mitra has earned a Cautiously Recommended rating.

Whether you agree with my assessment or not, I hope you'll take a few minutes to read the article and decide for yourself.

🔗 Read the full profile: https://kamloopscritic.ca/post/2026/christopher-mitra-candidate-profile/

If you've met Chris or have questions you'd like to see asked during the campaign, let me know in the comments.

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Christopher Mitra is running for Kamloops City Council in 2026. After meeting with him and reviewing his campaign material, here's my assessment of his leadership, experience and why he's currently rated Cautiously Recommended.

07/28/2026

All I can say is WOW Katie, just WOW!

Today's Committee of the Whole meeting:

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

07/28/2026

Utility Rates and RCMP Building Update

That's what's on the council's agenda today at 1:30 PM.

Why has the price tag on the RCMP building gone up to $160 million?

Will the Transcript feature on Zoom be available for the hearing impaired, or those who can't have the volume up wherever they are viewing from?

Yesterday it wasn't available and I haven't received a response from the city as to why?

At the last regular meeting, it wasn't available either, until I emailed them. It was fairly quickly turned on, and AFTER the meeting finished, I received a response suggesting it was a setting on my end.

I'll drop a link to the Council Access Portal in the comments if you'd like to attend attend.