(Image Credit: City of Kamloops)
Strategic Priorities Fund

Kamloops wins $7M grant for arts centre lobby; millions more awarded for Savona, Ashcroft water projects

Jul 30, 2026 | 9:56 AM

KAMLOOPS — The City of Kamloops has won a $7-million federal grant for its Centre for the Arts project.

Kamloops was included in a list of successful funding recipients through the Strategic Priorities Fund, administered by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).

The funding will chiefly be directed to the facility’s main lobby, cafe and gallery.

The project carries a $150-million construction budget in total. The majority of that funding is budgeted to come from long-term debt, which was authorized by an alternative approval process (AAP) carried out in 2024.

The UBCM also selected two water projects in the region as funding recipients from the grant program.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District will receive $7 million to build a new water treatment plant in Savona.

That will take care of the majority of the $11-million project budget. The TNRD has secured funding from two other grant programs to cover the remainder.

In applying for the grant, the TNRD’s Jamie Vieira said turbidity in the water drawn from Kamloops Lake has led to recurring issues with the Savona Community Water System, presenting ‘an ongoing health risk.’

In a news release issued Thursday (July 30), the TNRD says this is the largest grant the district has received for a project in its history.

“As the largest community water system operated by the TNRD, Savona’s system will benefit from the addition of a state-of-the-art water filtration plant that will finally end the chronic annual boil water advisories for the community,” said Mike Grenier, director for Electoral Area ‘J’ and Chair of the TNRD Utility Systems Committee.

The Village of Ashcroft was also selected for funding. It will receive $4.8 million to expand its reservoir in Pressure Zone 3 and install a pressure-reducing valve (PRV) station.

Individual grant applications were capped at a maximum of $7 million. Kamloops and the TNRD were two of 13 applicants who will receive the maximum grant amount.