The mayor of Kamloops has launched a second defamation lawsuit against a city councillor over accusations he says have harmed his reputation.
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson filed the suit after Councillor Katie Neustaeter allegedly called his actions “creepy” in an internal email. The email was sent in 2024 to senior city staff and council members. According to court documents filed in B.C. Supreme Court on July 31, the mayor says the email made false and serious claims about him.
The lawsuit centers around a message Neustaeter sent in May 2024. In it, she accused Hamer-Jackson of watching and recording her movements, including when she used the bathroom. The mayor says those comments were not only untrue but also damaging to his character.
He claims he took legal action because Neustaeter would not withdraw her comments or issue a correction.
The email Neustaeter sent described the mayor’s behaviour as unsafe and said he had been secretly monitoring her. She claimed he noted her bathroom use and referred to his actions as unsettling.
Her message was in response to an earlier email from the mayor. In that message, he had asked a senior city manager why Neustaeter had used a staff-only washroom in a restricted area. The area had limited access as part of safety rules introduced the year before.
Those changes followed a city safety audit. Under the updated rules, councillors can only enter certain city hall corridors when escorted. These new policies were aimed at improving workplace safety.
In response to the mayor’s question, the city’s civic operations director, Jen Fretz, replied to all council members. She confirmed that she had personally escorted Neustaeter to the restricted washroom. Her email stated this was allowed under the new rules.
The lawsuit says that despite this clarification, Neustaeter continued to spread what the mayor calls “scandalous” claims.
This is not the first legal action Hamer-Jackson has taken involving a fellow council member. It is the second time he has pursued a defamation case within the past year.
There has also been public tension between the mayor and city officials. In one recent incident, the mayor claimed a journalist assaulted him. The journalist denied the accusation, saying it was simply a pat on the shoulder.
The mayor has also faced changes to his access and workspace. As part of the safety rule updates, he was locked out of his main floor office at city hall. A new office was set up for him in the basement. The restrictions included the corridor that led to the washroom at the heart of this lawsuit.
A motion to dismiss the mayor’s earlier defamation case has been delayed. The court is expected to hear it in September.
The outcome of this second lawsuit remains to be seen, but it adds to the ongoing friction at Kamloops city hall. Both sides have yet to make public statements about the latest filing.
The court has not yet set a hearing date for the new case.
