Via .

A Kamloops councillor has issued a public apology for falsely accusing Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson of making a joke about flatulence at a recent business association dinner.

At TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 (June 27) council meeting, Coun. Stephen Karpuk put Hamer-Jackson on blast, accusing him of making an inappropriate joke about farting at a June 14 dinner meeting of the Central Interior chapter of the Canadian Home Builders Association Central Interior (CHBA-CI).

Karpuk claimed the mayor suggested people fart more to produce more green energy during a question-and-answer session at the dinner.

B次元官网网址淸I was] embarrassed at the end when the mayor asked whether we should pass gas as a way to generate more green energy,B次元官网网址� Karpuk said at TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 council meeting. B次元官网网址淭he groans in front of 230 people were embarrassing to me. Not thrilled about, B次元官网网址楧o you want me to fart more?B次元官网网址� Really disgusting.B次元官网网址�

In response, Hamer-Jackson denied making any such quip, telling Karpuk his accusation was B次元官网网址渄ead wrong.B次元官网网址�

Karpuk replied: B次元官网网址淣o, itB次元官网网址檚 not dead wrong, itB次元官网网址檚 dead on the mark. Everyone at my table heard it, too.B次元官网网址�

After the council meeting, Hamer-Jackson told reporters he recalled making a comment about beef at the CHBA-CI dinner, but not a comment about farting.

B次元官网网址淭he only thing I said about beef is when they talk about renewable fuels and using cattle for fuel, I said B次元官网网址榃ell, we better start eating more beef because the more cows we have, the more fuel weB次元官网网址檙e going to have,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Hamer-Jackson said, noting his comment was in regards to a process of using methane gas from cattle as energy.

Within hours of the meeting, however, the mayor was cleared of the cheese-cutting claims.

Hamer-Jackson called KTW to clarify that CHBA-CI president Tom Calne had informed him that Calne, nor the mayor, was the one who made the joke about flatulence at the June 14 dinner meeting.

As a result, Karpuk has retracted his accusation and told KTW that he had been mistaken in his accusation of the mayor, explaining that CHBA-CI executive officer Rose Choi, who was sitting at the mayorB次元官网网址檚 table at the dinner, clarified to him it wasnB次元官网网址檛 the mayor who made the joke.

B次元官网网址淚t was someone sitting beside the mayor,B次元官网网址� Karpuk told KTW. B次元官网网址淚 had my back turned to the mayor and was told it was the mayor by people beside me.B次元官网网址�

Karpuk has apologized for B次元官网网址渁ny harms his accusations may have causedB次元官网网址� Hamer-Jackson and his family.

B次元官网网址淚 acted emotionally instead of rationally,B次元官网网址� Karpuk said in his lengthy public apology. B次元官网网址淚 am truly sorry for this. I ask for forgiveness for my mistakes.B次元官网网址�

- By Michael Potestio