File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today / Adam Donnelly)

By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: Don’t forget about that Build Kamloops alternative approval process

Aug 23, 2024 | 12:30 PM

TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE at the same time.

For example, the borrowing initiative to kickstart the Build Kamloops program is good for the city.

The projects included in the program will help bring Kamloops up to date with the size of city it has already become and set the stage for the future.

Short of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in donations, something that has never happened and will never happen, long-term debt is the best way to finance these projects.

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That’s true.

But a second thing is also true: so much is being done at the municipal level to ensure this program goes ahead that people should be rightly concerned about the fairness of the alternative approval process being run by the city.

It’s not that the process is necessarily being purposefully torqued in the direction of approval — it’s just that there are some circumstances that could certainly lead one to that conclusion.

Consider how advantageous it is to Build Kamloops proponents that people completely forget about the alternative approval process.

The burden of stopping it is on its opponents. If they amount to 10 per cent of the voters of Kamloops who properly return the appropriate forms, the issue is either dead or goes to what would be a very risky referendum for proponents.

It’s a boon to council, then, that the 30-day AAP is taking place largely in August, when many are either on holidays, in full summer tune-out mode or are preoccupied with preparing families for the start of the school year.

Summer is distraction season.

And from the city, radio silence on the ongoing process.

All of the relevant details about the process are published on the city’s website, but otherwise, we’re hearing nothing.

Asked if the tally of incoming response forms could be made public on a weekly basis, the city told CFJC that would jeopardize the integrity of the process.

It would also remind people of what’s happening right now when they may have forgotten, and that forgetfulness is very helpful for Build Kamloops proponents.

Ultimately, momentum has been on the side of Build Kamloops moving ahead — and that’s great.

But the program has had a lot of help from a playing field that is not exactly even.

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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.