File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: With cuts and deferrals, Kamloops council chooses short-term relief over long-term planning

Jan 23, 2026 | 12:30 PM

WE ELECTED OUR CITY COUNCILLORS to make tough choices — sometimes choices between two bad options.

Kamloops council was faced with just such a decision as it tackled its budget at a Committee of the Whole meeting this week.

It was the proverbial rock and a hard place for councillors — choosing between emergency, short-term measures and more measured, long-term thinking.

On one hand, if they didn’t make cuts, if they didn’t defer costs, they would have to approve a near-double-digit tax increase and incur the white-hot wrath of their residents and businesses.

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Certainly, some of the financial pressures they are dealing with were passed along to them by previous councils.

The nature of our system, though, means those past councils are not accountable for their short-term decision-making. They’re gone.

The alternative this council had was to do just what those previous councils did — pass the buck.

Councillor Stephen Karpuk warned his colleagues about the consequences of doing that, saying these deferrals and cuts will land on the next council’s desk with a thud.

Even so, the incentives to engage in long-term, big-picture planning were few — especially this year.

It’s impossible to view these decisions outside the context of there being an election in nine months.

To be perfectly frank, the councillors who do let their names stand for re-election are going to have a very difficult time regardless of this decision.

There’s a lot of water under this council’s bridge.

A double-digit tax increase likely would have sunk the incumbents’ chances completely.

Instead, it’s in the range of 7 per cent and they give themselves the best shot at coming back in the next council. Then, they will be tasked with cleaning up the fiscal mess this council has left. Talk about a privilege.

Cuts and deferrals may have been necessary this year, but those tend to compound over time until they cause a crisis.

This fall, voters should look to the candidates who are best equipped to head off that situation before it’s too late.

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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.