Latest news with #KatieNeustaeter
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Kamloops, B.C., mayor files 2nd defamation lawsuit against councillor
Social Sharing Kamloops, B.C.s mayor has filed a second defamation lawsuit against a city councillor. Reid Hamer-Jackson filed the lawsuit based on an email Coun. Katie Neustaeter sent last year, referring to his behaviour as "creepy." Documents filed in B.C. Supreme Court last week claim Neustaeter damaged Hamer-Jackson's reputation when she made what he's referring to as a "sordid and scandalous accusation." The mayor claims he filed the lawsuit because Neustaeter refused to "walk back" allegations she made in May 2024 that he was monitoring her bathroom breaks. In the lawsuit filed by the mayor on July 31, Hamer-Jackson states Neustaeter sent an email to senior city administrators and the rest of city council accusing Hamer-Jackson of "surreptitiously tracking her movements, documenting when she uses the bathroom, engaging in creepy behaviour and being an unsafe person." Neustaeter sent that email in response to another one Hamer-Jackson had sent to a city manager, asking why the councillor was allowed to use a washroom in a restricted area. That city manager, Jen Fretz, sent the mayor and the rest of city council an email explaining she escorted Neustaeter to the washroom. The restriction on the corridor where that particular washroom is located was part of rules changes implemented last year after a safety audit at the City of Kamloops, which banned city councillors from using the corridor unless they were escorted by someone else. The rule changes also included locking the mayor out of his office on the main floor at city hall and setting up a new office for him on the basement floor. 2nd defamation lawsuit This is the second time since 2023 that the mayor has sued Neustaeter. The councillor has three weeks to file a response to the second lawsuit. Neustaeter's lawyer, Daniel Reid, told CBC News he plans to address the latest lawsuit at a Sept. 22 hearing in Kamloops. That's when a judge will be asked to dismiss the mayor's first lawsuit filed against Neustaeter more than two years ago. The 2023 lawsuit involves a statement Neustaeter read on behalf of all eight city councillors in March 2023, accusing the mayor of crossing "personal and professional boundaries." None of Hamer-Jackson's claims have been proven in court. The mayor has been no stranger to controversy since his 2022 election. In July, he filed a police complaint after accusing a journalist of assaulting him at a pub, though the journalist claimed he had patted the mayor on the shoulder.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Motion to dismiss Kamloops' mayor's defamation suit against councillor adjourned until September
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has adjourned a hearing on a defamation suit filed by Kamloops, B.C., Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, against one of the city's councillors until September. Coun. Katie Neustaeter has been seeking to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed against her by the mayor in June 2023 after she made a public statement on behalf of council accusing him of crossing personal and professional boundaries. Hamer-Jackson claims that led some people to wrongly believe he may have sexually harassed her. His claims haven't been proven in court. On Monday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jacqueline Hughes granted a last-minute request from Hamer-Jackson to adjourn a hearing on Neustaeter's dismissal application until Sept. 22. It came seven months after the mayor, who was representing himself in the case, was advised to hire a lawyer. The lawyer that he hired was only retained late last week and sought the adjournment in court. Hughes granted Hamer-Jackson's lawyer's request, but ordered the mayor to cover the costs linked to the hearing, which was set to last five days. "I'm really grateful that, this time, the mayor will face some of the consequences of his own actions and, certainly, this is when it will be expensive for him," Neustaeter said outside court after the adjournment. "I want justice to happen. I want it to be fair and I want it to be right," the councillor added. "And if that means waiting a little bit longer, then that's what we'll do." Hamer-Jackson and his lawyer refused to comment outside court when approached by CBC News. Neustaeter has been sparring with Hamer-Jackson — in public and in court — since the spring of 2023. The councillor wants the defamation lawsuit tossed out under provincial legislation, which rids the courts of actions considered a drain on time and money. If lawyers for Neustaeter convince the judge that the mayor's case against her is frivolous, it could be dismissed, and he could be forced to cover her legal costs. That impacts taxpayers in Kamloops because they're currently covering Neustaeter's legal fees. "I'm just pleased that [Hamer-Jackson] now has counsel who has agreed to represent him, and that we have a date that we can work towards to finally give Coun. Neustaeter her day in court," the councillor's lawyer, Daniel Reid, said Tuesday. The mayor's legal costs must be paid by him. He says it's partially why he's trying to sell his home, his boat and the commercial property he owns on Victoria Street West. Acrimonious relationship For the last year, the rest of council has been asking the mayor to resign. He responded by holding a news conference last summer, declaring he plans to seek re-election. The province has been asked to help resolve the discord at city hall, but Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon says there's no way to force the mayor to leave. Kahlon recently confirmed he's trying to update the Municipal Affairs Act, to avoid the type of thing that's happening in Kamloops, which has also been seen in some other WATCH | B.C. government to rein in dysfunctional councils: Kahlon also told CBC Kamloops that taxpayers should be concerned that more than a million dollars has been spent on legal issues involving the mayor. "If I were a citizen of Kamloops, I would be pissed, quite frankly, because we elect our officials to treat each other with respect … those are dollars that could have gone to infrastructure. Those are dollars that could have gone to important community services," said Kahlon. The minister added that the legislation won't be ready before the next civic election in the fall of 2026.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Motion to dismiss Kamloops' mayor's defamation suit against councillor adjourned until September
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has adjourned a hearing on a defamation suit filed by Kamloops, B.C., Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, against one of the city's councillors until September. Coun. Katie Neustaeter has been seeking to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed against her by the mayor in June 2023 after she made a public statement on behalf of council accusing him of crossing personal and professional boundaries. Hamer-Jackson claims that led some people to wrongly believe he may have sexually harassed her. His claims haven't been proven in court. On Monday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jacqueline Hughes granted a last-minute request from Hamer-Jackson to adjourn a hearing on Neustaeter's dismissal application until Sept. 22. It came seven months after the mayor, who was representing himself in the case, was advised to hire a lawyer. The lawyer that he hired was only retained late last week and sought the adjournment in court. Hughes granted Hamer-Jackson's lawyer's request, but ordered the mayor to cover the costs linked to the hearing, which was set to last five days. "I'm really grateful that, this time, the mayor will face some of the consequences of his own actions and, certainly, this is when it will be expensive for him," Neustaeter said outside court after the adjournment. "I want justice to happen. I want it to be fair and I want it to be right," the councillor added. "And if that means waiting a little bit longer, then that's what we'll do." Hamer-Jackson and his lawyer refused to comment outside court when approached by CBC News. Neustaeter has been sparring with Hamer-Jackson — in public and in court — since the spring of 2023. The councillor wants the defamation lawsuit tossed out under provincial legislation, which rids the courts of actions considered a drain on time and money. If lawyers for Neustaeter convince the judge that the mayor's case against her is frivolous, it could be dismissed, and he could be forced to cover her legal costs. That impacts taxpayers in Kamloops because they're currently covering Neustaeter's legal fees. "I'm just pleased that [Hamer-Jackson] now has counsel who has agreed to represent him, and that we have a date that we can work towards to finally give Coun. Neustaeter her day in court," the councillor's lawyer, Daniel Reid, said Tuesday. The mayor's legal costs must be paid by him. He says it's partially why he's trying to sell his home, his boat and the commercial property he owns on Victoria Street West. Acrimonious relationship For the last year, the rest of council has been asking the mayor to resign. He responded by holding a news conference last summer, declaring he plans to seek re-election. The province has been asked to help resolve the discord at city hall, but Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon says there's no way to force the mayor to leave. Kahlon recently confirmed he's trying to update the Municipal Affairs Act, to avoid the type of thing that's happening in Kamloops, which has also been seen in some other WATCH | B.C. government to rein in dysfunctional councils: B.C. government to rein in dysfunctional councils 28 days ago Duration 2:12 The B.C. government says it's looking at how to rein in dysfunctional city councils. A number of communities — most notably Kamloops — have been paralyzed by councillors and mayors investigating and sometimes suing each other, instead of focusing on city business. Justin McElroy has more on what prompted the government's action, and how it could deal with the issue. Kahlon also told CBC Kamloops that taxpayers should be concerned that more than a million dollars has been spent on legal issues involving the mayor. "If I were a citizen of Kamloops, I would be pissed, quite frankly, because we elect our officials to treat each other with respect … those are dollars that could have gone to infrastructure. Those are dollars that could have gone to important community services," said Kahlon. The minister added that the legislation won't be ready before the next civic election in the fall of 2026.
