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By Victor Kaisar

Build Kamloops

City councillors set to give final approval for pair of Build Kamloops borrowing bylaws Tuesday

Apr 6, 2025 | 5:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — A pair of Build Kamloops borrowing bylaws will be going before Kamloops city councillors for a final vote on Tuesday (April 8).

Councillors have already adopted the two loan authorization bylaws that allow staff to borrow up to $140 million to construct a performing arts centre downtown, and up to $135 million for a four-sheet arena multiplex in Dufferin as well as future Build Kamloops initiatives.

“The purpose of this report is to complete the legislative requirement of providing municipal security resolutions to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) of British Columbia to enable the City to borrow funding for the Build Kamloops initiatives,” a City of Kamloops staff report said.

It notes that the final step in requesting borrowing from the Municipal Finance Authority is to obtain consent from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

“The Thompson-Nicola Regional District can submit its consent for the City’s request for debt financing for the Build Kamloops initiatives for the fall intake once Council approves this report’s recommendation and Administration forwards the required documentation,” the report said.

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CFJC Today has reached to City of Kamloops Corporate Services Director David Hallinan for more on the process.

Last month, the City said that its legal battle over the process used to get approval from the electorate to fund Build Kamloops is over. Kathrine Wunderlich argued in a petition in BC Supreme Court that the City had not taken proper steps to inform the public of the alternative approval process (AAP).

After Justice Joel Groves sided with the city in February, Wunderlich said she intended to appeal the decision, but reneged on that decision last month.

“Pursuing legal action against city council’s decisions imposes unnecessary financial strain on taxpayers, shifting the burden of accountability onto them,” a statement from Wunderlich said. “Even if we were to challenge the decision in court, the ultimate resolution would demand a political solution.”

Her statement released via citizen watchdog group Kamloops Citizens United also said that the priority is to “hold council accountable” to ensure that future policies align with the “needs and expectations of Kamloops residents.”

A number of other Kamloops groups and organizations including Western Canada Theatre, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Sport Interior BC, Kamloops Minor Hockey, and the Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce have all voiced support for Build Kamloops.

The City has previously said that it hopes that construction on the arts centre can get underway later this year, with construction on the arena multiplex following suit in 2026. As of the most recent information, those timelines appear to still be intact.

Build Kamloops also includes a new leisure pool, a curling and racquet sport complex, new indoor field space, and a new all-ages community centre.

It also included a new seniors centre at Cottonwood Avenue, renovations to the Kamloops indoor soccer dome, and a new daycare at the repurposing of the Parkview Activity Centre into a new childcare centre.

You can find more information on Build Kamloops here.

The proposed Build Kamloops project timeline. (Image Credit: City of Kamloops)