Estimated $20 million provincial dollars coming to Kamloops for new infrastructure

“When I look at the money, it’s fantastic we’re going to get some money but what we need in Kamloops, specifically, is land,” O’Reilly told CFJC Today.

According to the province, the grants will be used to prepare for future growth.

Municipalities don’t need to apply. Eby says the individual grant amounts will be based on a population formula and handed out by the end of March.

“This is a one-time, billion-dollar investment to help communities meet the demands of record population growth, aging infrastructure and support those communities impacted by downturns, for example in the forestry sector,” Eby said at a news conference Friday.

The money will be coming from the province’s projected almost $6-billion surplus.

O’Reilly expects Kamloops will see about $20 million from this fund.

“When I look at the numbers based on $1 billion and we’re sitting at just over 2 per cent of the population, I would expect maybe $20 million coming toward Kamloops unexpectedly,” he said.

O’Reilly has a long list of what the money could provide for Kamloops residents, including rec centres, affordable housing and servicing areas for new housing developments.

The province will be doling out the money and more information on what the grant can be used for next month.

And while that money is appreciated, O’Reilly would like to see the government release some of the land it holds downtown.

“The provincial government is one of the biggest landholders in Kamloops, specifically in the downtown core in the precinct land behind the courthouse,” he explained. “That would be much more advantageous for our community for our housing continuum and housing affordability to have that come on the market – land that’s already owned by the province to now be a player in helping the housing in Kamloops.

by Sydney Chisholm

Estimated $20 million provincial dollars coming to Kamloops for new infrastructure

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