A rendering of the proposed KSAR and KFR facility on Devick Road in Rayleigh. (Image Credit: TNRD)

By Victor Kaisar

KSAR Headquarters

Kamloops Search and Rescue facility rejection in AAP won’t trigger October referendum: TNRD

Apr 5, 2026 | 1:38 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) will not be holding a referendum on a new permanent headquarters for Kamloops Search and Rescue (KSAR) during this October’s municipal election, if voters reject a request to borrow up to $6.3 million using the alternative approval process.

No dates have been set for the AAP, but it could begin at the end of May and run into the summer. Residents in all 10 TNRD Electoral Areas and all 11 Member Municipalities will be able to participate in the process that will determine whether the project on Devick Road will proceed.

At least 14,029 residents who oppose the borrowing will need to submit valid opposition forms in order to kill the project, once the AAP has received the required provincial approvals. They’ll have have to 30 days to do so, once proper notice of the AAP has been published by the TNRD.

Residents in favour of the borrowing are not required to do anything.

‘Staffing and Timeline Issue’

Week In Review

Week in Review: Week of March 30

Apr 04, 2026

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Removing bathroom doors at Barriere Secondary increases safety concerns

Apr 02, 2026

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: April 2, 2026

Apr 02, 2026

According to TNRD staff, the decision to not hold a referendum this year – in the event of a failed AAP – is due to additional costs and logistical reasons.

“If the AAP is unsuccessful, we are mandated through legislation that we have to proceed [with a referendum] within 80 days,” TNRD corporate officer Marnie Jeremiah said. “This means we would have to involve our member municipalities and host a regional referendum while everyone is planning for elections.”

“It’s a staffing and timeline issue but if the board wises to do it at a future date, we are able to. However, because the AAP would have failed at that point, we would need to introduce something new – a reduced requisition or something else along those lines – in order to proceed with a referendum.

TNRD Board Chair Barbara Roden said she believes it has been over 50 years since the TNRD last held a region-wide referendum.

“The last time such a region-wide referendum happened involving every member municipality and every electoral area was probably around 1973 to 1974 when the regional library service was established,” Roden said. “That’s how long its been since the TNRD has even thought about conducting a referendum through the entire region.”

In January, TNRD staff estimated it would cost between $50,000 and $100,000 to run a referendum across the entire regional district. They also noted they may need to set up polling stations and offer mail-in ballots in areas where no election is required.

“The cost of running the referendum will be significant because not only will we need polling stations in electoral areas where there is an acclamation, we would also have to figure out how to run polling stations within every eligible member municipality,” Jamie Vieira, the TNRD’s General Manager of Operations, said.

“We know that when we delay projects, costs do not go down but inflation goes up and that is a risk,” Vieira added, but said he wasn’t able to estimate what a potential increase could look like if the project is delayed further.

Financial Implications

The project – which also includes a new fire station to serve the Rayleigh area of Kamloops – is estimated to cost nearly $9.5 million. The city will cover the approximately $2.3 million in costs to build the fire station, while KSAR will also provide about $1.4 million towards the total costs.

In June last year, the TNRD voted to jointly fund, own, and operate the new facility, which will replace KSAR’s existing antiquated headquarters on Mission Flats Road.

The TNRD says the estimated annual budget for capital borrowing and operating costs for the proposed facility is $622,143 for 20 years – which would result in a residential tax rate of nearly $1.11 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

That amount of borrowing, according to the TNRD, will equate to $7 per year for the average home owner.

Ongoing operations and maintenance costs of the proposed facility will also be funded through a newly-created regional service instead of through grants as was the practice to this point.

The City of Kamloops will cover operating costs for the fire station along with 25 per cent of the shared operating costs. The TNRD will pick up the other 75 per cent of the shared operating costs. KSAR will be required to cover all of its own expenses related to training, deployments and equipment.

Estimated impact to TNRD taxes by property class (Image Credit: TNRD)

If the AAP is approved this year, construction on the new facility – which will act as a regional training facility for all SAR groups within the TNRD – will begin next year.

“We did reach out to all the other SAR teams in the TNRD and they were all supportive,” KSAR president Paula Davies told CFJC in January. “It’s great for the entire TNRD and all the teams that work and operate in the region.”

In voicing her support for the project, Roden told her TNRD colleagues to take stock of the instances where KSAR helped render aid in their communities.

“I’ve already spoken with staff about the need for a full court press on this and absolute transparency explaining exactly what we’re doing, exactly why we’re doing it and we would all need to get behind it because we all have a part to play,” Roden added in January.

More information about the project as well as the upcoming AAP can be found here.