By James Peters / Ashley Legassic

UPDATE: MLA Stone blasts NDP after BCLC shelves plans for new headquarters

Jan 17, 2019 | 10:34 AM

KAMLOOPS — The BC Lottery Corporation says it is putting off a plan to build a new headquarters in Kamloops — and the area’s MLA is calling the current provincial government out.

The Crown corporation says it is committed to staying in Kamloops, remaining in its existing location along Seymour Street West.

Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone calls the decision “devastating” for the community.

“It was only months ago that the minister responsible, David Eby, looked the people of Kamloops in the eyes and said the construction of a new headquarters for BC Lotteries in Kamloops was full-steam ahead, there were no issues,” Stone says. “Now we learn a couple of months later that in fact the NDP have decided to kill a major infrastructure project that had been committed to the people of Kamloops.”

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Stone says upwards of 250 jobs could have been created with a new location, and no matter how many upgrades the current building goes through, there won’t be enough room to facilitate the extra employees.

BCLC says its decision announced Thursday comes after a third-party review.

In a news release, BCLC says a final needs assessment report found “that despite inefficiencies in some parts of the Kamloops headquarters, the building is well maintained and functioning.”

The corporation says it expects employment to grow in Kamloops as the business evolves, but despite that, claims the report found more work is needed to project future needs and associated space requirements.

 “While we are not moving forward with a new development at this time, BCLC and the Province of B.C. remain 100 per cent committed to our head office remaining in Kamloops,” said Peter Kappel, Chair for the BCLC Board of Directors. “As a Crown corporation, BCLC must make responsible investments to build our business, while maintaining our commitment to managing our costs in the best interest of the Province and the people of British Columbia.”

In November 2017, Eby assured Kamloops residents the project would be continuing on with his support during a trip to the city. He also discussed the possibility of employment growth within the corporation due to the new headquarters building.

BCLC had also acquired property adjacent to it for development.

“The plan was to put up a new building, a $50 million building on that new corner, which is a critical entry point, a gateway into the downtown core on the western side of the city,” Stone says. “Again the construction of that building would create a tremendous number of jobs in terms of actually building it, and was going to be built in such that it would offer the space to facilitate the hiring of upwards of another 250 employees in the City of Kamloops and BC Lotteries headquarters.”

“That is now not going to be possible. No amount of upgrades to the existing building will enable BC Lotteries to fulfill its promise to creating 250 new jobs in Kamloops over the next decade, which was the plan only 18 months ago.”