Dale Bass (Image Credit: CFJC Kamloops)
Cooling requirements

Kamloops councillor Bass asks staff to investigate mandating air conditioning units in rentals

Jun 10, 2026 | 4:31 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops city staff are set to investigate tools available for adoption of a bylaw that would require existing rental units to have proper cooling equipment.


Already within the 2024 B.C. building code, new buildings are required to be able to keep the interior temperature below 26 C. 

The motion from Councillor Dale Bass was approved in a 4-3 vote Tuesday (June 9), with Councillors Katie Neustaeter, Mike O’Reilly and Bill Sarai opposed. Bass expects it will draw criticism from landlords.

“That’s why this is going to staff,” Bass told CFJC News. “I know landlords of these buildings aren’t going to be happy about it. They are going to have issues, raise them, tell staff, let us work our way through this. Maybe we need to lobby the provincial government for some grants, I don’t know. That is why we have staff. I have an idea… staff, can we do this? How can we do this? What do we need to do to make sure we can do this? You tell us.”

A similar motion has already been passed in the Lower Mainland. While Bass is unsure if it will work for Kamloops, she didn’t want to sit by idly in the wake of the 2021 heat dome.

“We had 17 people die within two days from heat – most of them seniors, most of them forgotten, unable to get out,” added Bass. “Even if they were able to get out, they were still going out into the heat and they died. It would be nice to stop that.”

There is no timeline for when the report from staff will be returned to council.