Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Social Issues

City officials, local agencies to meet to discuss responsibility for social issues

Jan 21, 2020 | 3:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — The suspension of the Out of the Cold program this winter has left many in Kamloops asking who is responsible for the provision of social programs.

A meeting between social agencies and City staff in the coming days is meant to begin tackling that question.

City of Kamloops officials say more and more fingers are pointing their way.

At a regular council meeting Tuesday (Jan. 21), Councillor Arjun Singh said it sometimes seems “the community is asking us to do more.”

Community and Protective Services Director Byron McCorkell says he agrees that the City seems to have become more of a focus.

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“What we’ve done in the past week is we’ve spoken with the social agencies involved and we’ve told them that we would be at the table to support some of the funding issues or concerns that they’re having,” said McCorkell.

“We have a meeting scheduled in the coming days with those same social agencies to talk about, ‘If this is the new norm, who is doing what and what is the City’s role, if any?’ Then we’ll be coming back to you, as council, if there is something that we can provide that we are not now,” he added.

Mayor Ken Christian was quick to caution council not to jump in just because they notice a void.

“I do caution, just because there is a problem and another level of government is not necessarily stepping up to the plate, that we assume responsibility for that,” said Christian. “The reason is what I see as fairly clear — the province has the responsibility, the mandate and the money for social assistance.”

“I’m not suggesting… that we would wander into anything, (but) that we would actually have a thoughtful, fulsome conversation on if we want to do more,” responded Singh.

Out of the Cold has been hosted at St. Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Kamloops for the past decade, but the program could not find a host location this winter.