SOUND OFF: Pause the PAC and Multiplex?

Mar 19, 2026 | 2:19 PM

KAMLOOPS RESIDENTS WHO SUPPORT A PAUSE on the PAC and Arena Multiplex can make their views known by emailing Council before its decision this Tuesday, March 24.

At the March 10 Council meeting, the motion “Postpone/Delay Advancement of Major Capital Projects – Kamloops Centre for the Arts and Arena Multiplex” was introduced.

It cites financial pressures, funding uncertainty, and long-term debt commitments, and it proposes up to a one-year pause, halting further spending and contracts while requiring a report on the impacts. It would allow a newly elected Council to provide direction after the 2026 election.

KCU supports this motion. We previously called for a pause due to unclear financials and a lack of public input during the AAP process, when public enquiries were still allowed – but Council would not permit any questions or discussion of the two AAPs during the AAP timeframe.

The PAC cost is now $211 million – approximately 37 per cent higher than the $154 million stated in official AAP materials and notices. The City now states the original figure was “construction only” and excluded soft costs, but earlier documents demonstrate otherwise.