Board of governors meeting, March 27. (Image Credit: TRU)

By Michael Reeve

WILLIAMS LAKE TRU CAMPUS

TRU board of governors votes to begin consultation, delays final vote on disposal of Williams Lake facilities

Mar 27, 2026 | 1:56 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Thompson Rivers University (TRU) board of governors approved two of three motions in front on them on Friday (March 27) surrounding the potential closure of the school’s Williams Lake campus.

The university has stated even if the campus is shuttered, it will not be leaving the region. However, concerns have been raised in Williams Lake about the process.

Meantime, the mayor of Williams Lake is calling out Thompson Rivers University for a lack of consultation on the proposed closure of its campus in the city.

The report, presented to the TRU Board of Governors, originally stated “the mayors of Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Chief of the Williams Lake First Nation, and President and Vice Chancellor of TRU have agreed to oversee planning for reimagining post-secondary education in the region.” That quote has now been removed by TRU.

“[Until] yesterday, I never heard back from TRU, other than the initiation to come to the TRU graduation. That is all I know,” Mayor Surinderpal Rathor told CFJC News. “And when I received the email from the vice-chancellor, I was not very happy. I told them I’m not happy with this whole process.”

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The board of governors approved the motion to begin consultation on the issue with both the impacted communities and the TRU senate. The motion to approve the full closure and disposal of the campus facilities by 2028 was postponed until June, when a pair of reports are due back to the board on the topic. 

Mayor Rathor was blunt about the impact of the potential closure on his community.

“‘Disaster’ is one word. Disaster. That means they put all the people under the bus who worked so hard for years and years and years, to create a one campus institution,” said Rathor. “They have been dishonest. They have ruined all the work done for years.”