Kamloops RCMP dismiss mayor's complaint journalist assaulted him
Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson had claimed that Tim Petruk, the news director for Castanet Kamloops, had assaulted him at a local pub on June 28.
The mayor told CBC News that Petruk had hit him in the back at Bailey's Pub after the Kamloops NorthPaws baseball game.
Petruk told CBC News at the time that he had just patted the mayor on the shoulder while saying goodbye.
Now, police have said that after speaking with witnesses and reviewing video footage, they won't be forwarding charges to prosecutors in the case.
They said that while "unwanted contact" had happened, the interaction didn't constitute an assault.
"The public is reminded to respect personal boundaries and not make unwanted contact," read a statement from Supt. Jeffery Pelley.
Journalist was critical of mayor
Hamer-Jackson had earlier told CBC News that his interaction with Petruk couldn't be seen as a friendly pat.
"He walked up behind me; he whacked me in the back ... it would take a person of less than average intelligence to think in any way that it was a nice gesture," Hamer-Jackson said immediately after the interaction.
The mayor had said Petruk has repeatedly published "biased" articles and op-eds against him.
He specifically criticized an opinion piece Petruk wrote in 2024, in which he described Hamer-Jackson's treatment of another Kamloops journalist as "bullying for all to see."
Immediately after the police complaint was first lodged, Petruk told CBC News the mayor was trying to use the police to "harass" a journalist after critical coverage.
"This will no doubt prove to be another baseless allegation made by the mayor and another waste of taxpayer resources getting the police to investigate his petty grievances," Petruk said at the time.
WATCH | Hamer-Jackson refuses to step down after council request:
Hamer-Jackson has been no stranger to controversy since his 2022 election.
He has filed two defamation suits against a fellow city councillor and has had his pay cut for leaking confidential documents.
In 2024, eight councillors formally asked him to resign as mayor. Hamer-Jackson declined to do so.
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