Despite concerns, Kamloops councillors contend residents will get say on major developments

“The meeting on Monday was really around a proactive approach to bylaws that will be required locally to align the processes with Bill 26 should it pass,” said councillor Sadie Hunter, who’s also chair of the committee. “So staff was looking for direction around defining criteria for what would be a minor variant versus a more significant one, which would require a public hearing.”

Under the new rules, developments that fit Kam Plan could bypass the public hearing process and be immediately approved by the province. Some councillors worry about the potential loss of residents’ input.

Hunter notes the province processing minor rezoning applications would save city staff and councillors time, but says major developments should receive feedback from residents.

“If we were seeing a lot of interest and a lot of concern or questions about a particular application, at that first reading council could then say ‘Do you know what? We think there’s something bigger at play here that we need to hear more about, so we want to send it to a public hearing,'” noted Hunter.

Eby has said cities should be able to decide where housing should go, but he notes cities shouldn’t be rejecting housing projects or slowing them down when more are needed.

Councillor Mike O’Reilly contends the City of Kamloops’ permitting process isn’t slow at all compared to other cities.

“When something’s announced by Victoria, a substantial change, and they’re trying to speed up processes when we have reports coming back that we are six to eight weeks for rezoning and development permits compared to a Lower Mainland municipality that’s three to five years,” he said. “It really won’t have the same impact here.”

The concern O’Reilly has is how the province’s plan could affect the KamPlan.

“The OCP has always been an important document, a guiding document for how you want the city to develop, but now it’s going to be even more so as these provincial changes come in,” noted O’Reilly. “We really need to educate the public as to what an OCP is and how it will affect the area they live in.”

Council and the rest of city hall is still waiting for the details of this potential legislation.

“It’s not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination,” said Hunter. “There’s still quite a few months from now until the province might present this, so by no means will we be looking to allow or support taking away the public’s right to express their opinions.”

by Chad Klassen

Despite concerns, Kamloops councillors contend residents will get say on major developments

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