Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson is facing the prospect of formal action from city council following a public confrontation with Deputy Mayor Bill Sarai during the Hot Nite in the City car show over the weekend — an incident that witnesses describe as aggressive, vulgar, and deeply inappropriate for a family event.

The confrontation occurred during the awards ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 9, as Sarai prepared to speak in his role as deputy mayor. The Mayor had reportedly attempted to take over the role of MC — despite prior decisions by council barring him from representing the city at public events.

When Sarai declined to step aside, citing that council had stripped the Mayor of such duties, Hamer-Jackson reportedly responded with an angry outburst. Sarai told iNFOnews.ca the Mayor shouted profanities at him, including calling him and other councillors “lying pieces of s***” and “motherf***ers.”

Witness reports indicate they “were just shocked at the vulgarity of the language being used.”

Organizers have acknowledged there was a disagreement between the two politicians but said they were asked to take it elsewhere.

As Sarai resumed his MC duties, members of the crowd began heckling him, reportedly calling for him to “get off the stage” and demanding, “We want the Mayor.”

Sarai described the moment as frightening, saying he was alone and unsure whether the hecklers might escalate their behavior. “I had no other councillors with me, I’m by myself,” he told iNFOnews.ca. “Are they going to be waiting for me?”

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and helped calm the situation. The heckling reportedly subsided soon after.

City Councillor Dale Bass confirmed to Radio NL that council has been briefed on the incident and that a formal response is expected. “Councillor Sarai made the rest of council aware that there had been an incident… witnessed by many members of the public,” she said. “We’ll be addressing that in the coming days.”

Bass compared the incident to a press conference last year where Hamer-Jackson’s supporters verbally attacked members of the media. “Think back to what your former colleague Brett Mineer had to go through during that press conference,” she said.

Sarai said a council code of conduct complaint and even a potential RCMP investigation are being considered in the aftermath of the altercation.

Hamer-Jackson, who has clashed with council on numerous occasions and was stripped of his official spokesperson role last year, has not commented publicly. He declined interview requests from both Radio NL and iNFOnews.ca.

Council is expected to formally address the issue during its next meeting on Tuesday.