KCU’s speech given at the council meeting today, and a good play-by-play article from former Mayor Mel Rothenburger’s Armchair Mayor website:

My name is Kathrine Wunderlich, and I am speaking today on behalf of Kamloops Citizens United-KCU.

We strongly oppose the decision to ban public participation at council meetings for six months.

Numerous voices, including a former mayor and a current council member, urged you not to remove the public’s right to speak.

In response, the matter was referred to the Governance and Service Excellence Select Committee, raising public hopes for constructive solutions.

Unfortunately, those hopes were not met. Councillor Sarai, who initiated the motion, also sat on the committee but failed to contribute any meaningful proposals.

We would like to call attention to the fact that the spreadsheet done by the city of Kamloops shows that 70% of the BC municipalities listed-have Public Enquiries on their agendas-as per line 3. This number is different from line 1-that pertains to Q & A sessions. (Photo below.)

At the committee meeting, the following points were made:

● “Public inquiries have not been chaired effectively, so we need to make adjustments to ensure they are.”

● “Part of what we’re trying to do is limit the stunting we’ve seen at the podium. On the day we discussed public inquiries, someone pulled a massive stunt unrelated to city business, which has stalled the city’s progress.” (This referenced the Zoombombing incident.)

● “I would prefer a space safe for everyone, from a six-year-old to a nine-year-old, rather than ensuring the same 12 people can return to create chaos.” “It saddens this council to see how that decorum has declined.

Let’s clarify:�Your concerns include:

1. The Mayor is not effectively chairing meetings.

2. Zoombombing—a security risk common in government institutions across Canada, and highlighting why Zoom is not recommended for legal meetings.

3. Disruptive individuals, including a handful of repeat attendees.

Instead of addressing these specific issues, you are punishing the broader public—the very people you are paid to represent. You are holding the community accountable for problems beyond their control.

This approach is unacceptable.

The expectation was for this council to resolve these specific challenges, not to avoid them and penalize everyone in the process.

We understand there is a balance between constructive public input and micromanaging city hall. However, the growing public presence at meetings and the surge in correspondence reflect dissatisfaction with some of this council’s decisions. These concerns will persist until positive steps are taken.

Emails to council are going unanswered—a process that should have been improved long before considering further restrictions on public input.

No politician is above criticism. As elected officials, you are not rulers but stewards accountable to taxpayers. Citizens, not subjects, have the right to voice criticism without fear of repercussion. Leadership requires facing scrutiny and transforming challenges into opportunities—not evading responsibility.

With this in mind, KCU extends an olive branch. We formally request a meeting with the mayor and council members to collaboratively resolve the public inquiries issue in a way that satisfies all parties.

Thank you.

Read Armchair Mayor article here: https://armchairmayor.ca/2025/01/15/editorial-public-inquiries-may-yet-be-saved-but-it-sure-aint-simple/