The existing RCMP detachment in downtown Kamloops. (CFJC Today File Photo)

By Victor Kaisar

New RCMP HQ

New $150-million RCMP headquarters proposed for Kamloops

Jan 10, 2025 | 10:20 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops city councillors are being asked for approval to borrow $150.7 million to fund the validation, detailed design and construction of a new RCMP detachment on Battle Street downtown.

In a report going before Tuesday’s (Jan. 14) city council meeting, staff are proposing to build a new five-storey, 120,700 sq. ft. building at 560 Battle Street, located to the west of the existing detachment, which will make way for a two-storey parking garage.

“For a couple of years we’ve been working through various concepts of how to best accomodate the growth for the RCMP,” Project Delivery Manager Adam Gordon told CFJC Today.

“We’ve arrived at the current concept that will facilitate growth for the RCMP up until 2058, so that’s about a 30 year horizon”

Gordon said the new facility is expected to be able to accomodate around 325 people, four times the current building which was designed to accommodate 85, when it was built in 1990. At present, there are over 150 people who work at the Battle Street detachment.

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“Operations at the existing detachment will remain in full effect until the completion of the new addition’s construction,” Gordon said, in the report to council.

“At this point, RCMP equipment and staff will be relocated into the new addition, and the existing detachment will be demolished. A specialized, two-storey parking structure will be built at the existing detachment location to facilitate current and future RCMP fleet requirements.”

Gordon said the current detachment has “surpassed both the functional capacity and the spatial needs of a modern police force” noting it will be more and more of challenge as the city and RCMP staffing needs continue to grow.

“The current and future needs of multiple functions have been incorporated, including, but not limited to, prisoner intake, cells, exhibits, fleet maintenance, crime prevention, forensics, investigative services, information, records, traffic, fitness, training and management,” Gordon wrote.

Construction may begin in 2026

According to the report, construction on the new RCMP headquarters will begin in 2026, with a move-in date sometime in 2029.

“A phasing strategy will be implemented to limit as much disruption to RCMP operations as possible, occurring in alternating phases of demolition and construction, beginning with off-site pre-construction work in 2025,” Gordon wrote.

“Construction of this project will be taking place concurrently with the Kamloops Centre for the Arts site approximately 350 metres away. Efforts will be made to minimize disruptions to the downtown core while these two large construction projects are taking place in close proximity to one another.”

New proposal replaces previous concepts

Gordon also said the city has spent approximately $4.75 million to develop preliminary designs on a pair of proposals that were presented in Oct. 2023, and this “recommended” third option being presented in Jan. 2025.

According to the 2023 report, the first proposal for major renovations would have accommodated another 15 years of potential growth at a cost of around $96 million. The second proposal proposed minor renovations that would added seven more years at a cost of $77 million.

“Having gone through those two proposals, there was just a feeling through the administration and through talking to the RCMP that they didn’t offer enough of a growth potential for what that investment was going to be,” Gordon told CFJC.

“This is a longer term investment that is purely aimed at growth for the RCMP.”

Gordon also said plans to present a business case for the expansion of the RCMP detachment in 2020 was delayed by COVID-19, with that work eventually completed in 2022.

This new proposal – Concept 3 in Gordon’s report – is currently expected to have a maximum value of approximately $148.2 million, which includes $28.5 million in “allowances for escalation and construction risk.”

In addition to the construction funding, the city will carry a $1.8 million reserve for internal costs, which staff say necessitates the need to borrow $150.7 million. Councillors are also being asked to approve the use of $100,000 in gaming grants for procurement work.

Property taxes projected to rise nearly six per cent

According to report, borrowing for this project is projected to raise property taxes by 5.45 per cent for the next five years – 0.99 per cent in 2025, 2.12 per cent in 2026, 1.53 per cent in 2027, 0.44 per cent in 2028 and 0.37 per cent in 2029, based on this year’s overall taxation level.

It also estimates that with interest – currently 4.07 per cent for 10 years – the new RCMP detachment will cost $285,770,248.

City Councillors will also need to determine whether to seek public approval for the borrowing via a referendum or the alternate approval process. Gordon said that decision will “inform the project timelines to a certain extent.”

“The project team has accounted for labour increases in the integrated project delivery contract, but potential escalation costs for materials will be handled separately through the escalation reserve,” Gordon said.

“Given the unprecedented cost of inflation, supply chain issues and global uncertainties related to materials, staff believe this approach is best to mitigate risks the city may face in the future.”

You can find the entire report heading before city council on Jan. 14 here.