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 Tuesday害羞草研究所檚 (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.

害羞草研究所淸I was] embarrassed at the end when the mayor asked whether we should pass gas as a way to generate more green energy,害羞草研究所� Karpuk said at Tuesday害羞草研究所檚 council meeting. 害羞草研究所淭he groans in front of 230 people were embarrassing to me. Not thrilled about, 害羞草研究所楧o you want me to fart more?害羞草研究所� Really disgusting.害羞草研究所�

In response, Hamer-Jackson denied making any such quip, telling Karpuk his accusation was 害羞草研究所渄ead wrong.害羞草研究所�

Karpuk replied: 害羞草研究所淣o, it害羞草研究所檚 not dead wrong, it害羞草研究所檚 dead on the mark. Everyone at my table heard it, too.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淭he only thing I said about beef is when they talk about renewable fuels and using cattle for fuel, I said 害羞草研究所榃ell, we better start eating more beef because the more cows we have, the more fuel we害羞草研究所檙e going to have,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 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 mayor害羞草研究所檚 table at the dinner, clarified to him it wasn害羞草研究所檛 the mayor who made the joke.

害羞草研究所淚t was someone sitting beside the mayor,害羞草研究所� Karpuk told KTW. 害羞草研究所淚 had my back turned to the mayor and was told it was the mayor by people beside me.害羞草研究所�

Karpuk has apologized for 害羞草研究所渁ny harms his accusations may have caused害羞草研究所� Hamer-Jackson and his family.

害羞草研究所淚 acted emotionally instead of rationally,害羞草研究所� Karpuk said in his lengthy public apology. 害羞草研究所淚 am truly sorry for this. I ask for forgiveness for my mistakes.害羞草研究所�

- By Michael Potestio