(Photo credit: Mel Rothenburger).

By Stephanie Swensrude

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Kamloops has failed in cultural vision set 20 years ago

Aug 27, 2022 | 6:46 AM

TWENTY YEARS AGO, Kamloops was feeling good about itself.

The waterfront from Riverside Park to the Red Bridge was being transformed, we had a great art gallery, the museum had been revamped, Riverside Coliseum (now Sandman Centre) had been built, and plans were in the works for a referendum on construction of the Tournament Capital Centre and upgrading and expansion of the McArthur Island Sports and Events Centre.

The city was truly becoming a great place to “live, work and play,” as its strategic plans put it. One thing was missing: an iconic performing arts centre. Though a $2-million renovation spruced up the Sagebrush Theatre, and the Pavilion Theatre was popular for smaller stage productions, Kamloops was woefully short of arts spaces.

In 2003, a cultural strategic plan was released painting a picture of a Kamloops that could be as strong in cultural amenities as it was in sports venues. The 99-page report outlined the needs, the economic and social benefits, and the costs.

That report is up for review, and Kamloops residents are being asked for input on what they want to see next in the development of culture in the Tournament Capital. City Hall will take that input and mould it into a brand new cultural strategic plan for release next year.

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The 2023 plan will almost certainly be very different from the one created in 2003, although the Number One priority of the original —a performing arts centre — will likely remain in that position.

Yes, it’s been 20 years since a new arts centre was identified as the next big public facility in Kamloops. But the vision for the centre then wasn’t the same as what’s taken over the public dialogue in more recent years.

At that time, it was referred to as the Kamloops Arts and Heritage Centre. Estimated cost, by the way, was $14.85 million, in comparison to the guestimate of $90 million-plus should a referendum that’s expected next year be approved. The cost of procrastination.

I’m biased about that 2003 plan since I was involved in it, but it made sense. Instead of splintering arts and culture facilities, it saw a natural fit between arts, performing arts, and heritage. The latter wasn’t an afterthought; it was integral.

The plan recognized the cultural, historical and economic importance of heritage and foresaw protecting it as part of an arts-heritage zone stretching from the river up into downtown. It was described as “a Kamloops Arts and Heritage District marked by the Kamloops Art Gallery, the river, the Kamloops museum and heritage houses downtown.”

The current City council has ignored that vision, allowing dozens of heritage homes in the downtown core to be bulldozed in favour of sterile towers, and throwing the beloved St. Andrew’s into uncertainty.

Instead of significantly enhancing the mandate of the Heritage Commission as recommended in the plan, the current council basically decommissioned it out of existence.

The arts-and-heritage connection has been abandoned, and the Performing Arts Centre concept now envisioned is devoid of any consideration of heritage.

The PAC is still a vital need in Kamloops, still the next big thing that will round out life in the city. In 2003, 84 per cent of survey respondents described existing arts infrastructure as “completely inadequate,” and not much has changed. More than 90 per cent saw the need for a major new facility.

According to that plan, the vision was for Kamloops to become a recognized leader in cultural development. I doubt anyone today would contend that goal has been met.

A shiny new PAC is, by no means, the only requirement. Arts groups big and small, amateur and professional, need the resources only a city government can provide. The arts live not just in 1,000-seat theatres but in neighbourhoods, home studios, small programs and community events.

A few things have been accomplished. For example, as proposed in 2003, a mayor’s gala for the arts is now an annual event. We have some good public art. The arts and culture community remains robust despite everything. And, announced this week, the former Telus building downtown will soon provide more space for the symphony and Western Canada Theatre. But the vision of 2003 remains largely unachieved or ignored.

Whatever happens next with respect to culture will require strong leadership from City Hall, not the weak-kneed “it must come from the community” approach that’s become the mantra of the current administration. A plan is only as good as those in charge of making it happen.

Let’s hope the 2023 plan doesn’t gather dust for 20 years.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.