File Photo

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Upcoming staffing decisions critical to success of new Kamloops facilities

Oct 26, 2025 | 6:00 AM

MAJOR STAFFING DECISIONS are forthcoming for the City of Kamloops.

These decisions are critical to the success of two major projects – the new Performing Arts Centre and the new multiplex for ice skating. If the City screws it up, it will leave us with two large white elephants which will drain us dry.

There are several stages each project must go through on the construction road. First, you find your contractor, you also need to have a team to oversee design, and figure out how all the pieces fit, how to build something that will last and above all, be useful 10 to 20 years from now.

This is critical. Otherwise, we will face many expensive fixes to provide for expansion and upgrading.

This multiplex facility will not only be available for skating, it will become an entrance way for Kenna Cartwright Park, and there are several other potential uses that will be woven into the Master Plan.

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: December 4, 2025

9h ago

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: 16 days of activism against gender-based violence

Dec 03, 2025

Question of the Week

Will the amount of money you spend on Christmas be more or less than last year?

Dec 01, 2025

It’s the same with the Performing Arts Centre. Lots of things can be put in the facility to maximize use without taking away from the specific needs of the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and Western Canada Theatre.

Now here’s my ask – don’t screw these projects up! It will be many years before we can fix any problems we create. We need to provide room in the multiplex for the multiple users who will use it and recognize that the KSO and WCT have different, but specific needs that need to be addressed in the Performing Arts Centre.

It will not be perfect but it will certainly be better than it is now.

So please, City Hall, do this right. Please ensure you vet the candidates fully and choose the person who is the best, not the ‘friend” who is pretty good but not the best. Even if we were interested in a particular friend, let’s expand the search to include the widest range of people possible.

I’m not saying for a minute that someone local can’t do the job. But the hirings that start now and carry on into the actual running of the facilities are probably some of the most important we will make in the next 25 years.

The people of Kamloops will be watching everyone from City Council to staff and, of course, those building the facilities. If they don’t do it right – and that also means doing it without huge cost overruns – heads will roll. This is serious stuff, and Council must be made aware that jobs will definitely be on the line.

Let’s ensure we don’t make the same kind of mistakes the province made in planning our new Cancer Clinic.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

——

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.