(Image Credit: Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: City-TNRD team approach to PAC challenging but worth exploring

Feb 6, 2024 | 5:55 AM

WITH THE ARTS CENTRE back for discussion, the City, at the prompting of Coun. Dale Bass, wants to talk to the regional district about teaming up. Since some people outside City limits will make use of the new centre, if it gets built, it might be a logical arrangement.

The idea isn’t new. When the PAC went to a referendum in 2015, residents of Sun Rivers wondered why they weren’t included. The City council of the day wasn’t interested.

When the aborted 2020 referendum was up for discussion, same thing. The idea of including the TNRD in the project was never pursued.

It’s been done elsewhere. When Vernon built its performing arts centre in 2001, it was done jointly by the City, two regional district electoral areas, and the District of Coldstream.

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Conceivably, it could be done here with adjacent TNRD electoral areas. But what about Sun Rivers, which is not governed by the TNRD? It has upwards of 2,500 people and is still growing but it sits on Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc land. Residents there pay their taxes to the Band, not to the City or the TNRD.

That means the Band would have to agree to some sort of arrangement to collect the taxes for the arts centre and pass them along to the City. The federal government, which ultimately controls the leasing of Band lands to non-Band members, might even have to be part of it.

Besides that, the matter of acquiescence would have to be figured out. For example, if City residents voted in favour of the PAC, but Sun Rivers residents voted against, it would hardly be fair to force Sun Rivers folks to be taxed.

Still, the possibility of a joint City-TNRD approach should be discussed, and the fact City council is now interested in it is a positive sign. But Sun Rivers and TteS must be part of that discussion.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. 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.