The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce has decided to reverse itself on the hiring of John Perks as executive director following the controversy involving Facebook posts he shared.

“Today, the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce is announcing that John Perks will not be employed as its executive director as previously announced,” chamber president Joshua Knaak said in a press release issued on Sunday afternoon.

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“In accordance with privacy laws, the chamber board cannot comment on personnel matters.

The Board will resume the review of the excellent pool of qualified candidates who have participated in the interview process, but will not re-open applications at this time.”

When reached by Kamloops This Week, Knaak said that when the statement was created, the chamber decided it would not be commenting any further. He would not confirm if anyone at the chamber met to discuss the issue.

"What we're saying on the topic is what's in the statement," he said.

Knaak said 35 to 40 candidates were interviewed and the chamber will return to that pool to find its new executive director.

Until a new director is chosen — which Knaak said he hopes will happen within a month — Acacia Pangilinan will resume her duties as interim executive director.