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By Victor Kaisar

Free Saturday Street Parking

Kamloops to offer extended free on-street parking this holiday season

Nov 9, 2025 | 5:10 PM

KAMLOOPS — The City of Kamloops will once again offer free on-street weekend parking in the downtown core through the holiday season, though it’ll be in effect longer than previous years.

Parking will be free on the six Saturdays from Nov. 22 until Dec. 27, following a proposal by Councillor Margot Middleton.

“It’s just the way that the holiday falls and the fact that the 27th being a Saturday, the day after Boxing Day, it could become a bit of a banner day for downtown and for people that are out and about,” Middleton said, referencing potential post-Christmas clearance sales.

Unlike previous years when free parking was offered on Saturdays in December, the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association (KCBIA) proposed a November start date to “capture the peak of holiday shopping period,” as well as events like the annual Santa Claus Parade (Nov. 23) and the inaugural Kamloops Christmas Market (Nov. 21 to 30).

“If approved, the KCBIA will promote free holiday parking through our seasonal marketing campaigns and acknowledge the City of Kamloops as a valued partner in this initiative,” a letter from KCBIA executive director Howie Reimer said.

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“Free parking during the holidays has proven highly popular with both businesses and the community, and extending this support in 2025 will further strengthen downtown’s role as the heart of Kamloops’ holiday experience.”

Normal time limits and other parking rules will still apply even when street parking is free. On-street parking on Sunday and the two city parkades on Seymour Street and Lansdowne Street are already free on weekends.

In its request, the KCBIA was asking for parking fees to be waived on the five Saturdays between Nov. 20 and Dec. 20, and for free parking in city-owned off-street lots to try and drive business to downtown retailers and restaurants.

“This initiative encourages early shoppers to support local businesses and boost downtown economic activity,” Birtin Baidya, the city’s Indigenous and external relations liaison, said during Tuesday’s (Nov. 4) council meeting.

Relief from construction woes

Kamloops Councillor Bill Sarai said by offering this free parking, the city will also be showing support for downtown business owners who have been inconvenienced by construction “for the betterment of the whole city.”

“In my opinion, a few weekends earlier is our way of showing that maybe they can make up some of that revenue that they lost when Fourth Avenue was dug up, when Lansdowne was dug up,” Sarai said. “City Gardens in also in play.”

“If your downtown is struggling that means your community is struggling and we don’t want our downtown to be struggling.”

According to the city, five Saturdays of free on-street parking will cost between $55,000 and $60,000 in lost revenue – roughly $11,250 per day – based on current parking rates.

While staff were asking council to approve the KCBIA’s request – as people tend to be done holiday shopping by mid-December – Baidya noted that the city could “explore” Middleton’s request, seemingly suggesting that it could be put forward next year.

Councillor Katie Neustaeter also said she was opposed to the last minute change to include Dec. 27, noting the recommendation before council “was worked into the budget.”

“I won’t vote in favour of this amendment but I would be supportive of saying ‘can you explore that for next year?'” she said. “I won’t support the amendment, not because I don’t think it’s a good concept, but because changing it at the eleventh hour without understanding the implication doesn’t seem like great governance to me.”

Council, however, was in support of the extended timeline this year, as Middleton also referenced the impacts caused by downtown construction.

“This is sort of a fairly simple way to offer them an opportunity [to recoup some revenue] that they might not have though of,” Middleton said. “It’s something we should consider.”