‘There’s so much room for development’: Kamloops MP convenes inaugural Economic Council meeting

“My goal here is to bring as many people together into one room where we can discuss how do we attract more industry, how do we attract more jobs and how do we keep the jobs that we have?”

The Conservative MP said while some issues he heard about – affordability, the economy, bureaucracy and red tape – were expected, others like transportation gaps in smaller communities caught him off guard.

“These are smaller issues that, for some people, really impact whether or not they’re going to come and settle in Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola,” Caputo added. “I didn’t realize how much taxi service impacted small communities. That was something I didn’t expect to hear. Those are the types of things having all these people in one room really helps.”

There were also discussions around the trades and labour shortages as well as on wages to try and retain workers who are already in the area.

“We have 15 unique communities, 29 First Nations, two regional districts [in the riding]. It’s important to hear from all of those groups,” he added.

Today’s first MP Economic Council meeting was a success. I’m grateful to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion.

We talked about key issues facing Kamloops–Thompson–Nicola, particularly around job creation and long-term prosperity, and began identifying ways we… pic.twitter.com/cBeCfRd5Ji

— Frank Caputo (@FrankCaputoKTN) April 7, 2026

While he declined to speak directly to the ideas presented as they’re not fully developed, Caputo said he will use his portfolio as MP to advocate for the region. He said while he has a critic role within the Conservative caucus, people in the riding still expect him to speak on their behalf in Ottawa.

“I was impressed with how specific the proposals were and the discussion we had,” Caputo said. “Moving forward, one of my goals is that we be incredibly precise in what communities need, what the province needs, maybe things the federal government needs to do I can champion in the House of Commons.”

In Caputo’s mind, there is no better place to live and work than Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola, whether it be in urban centres like Kamloops or in more rural areas where land is plentiful. He said the plan is to reconvene the Economic Council every few months to begin to formalize plans to help the area stand out over others that are also competing for investment.

At the next meeting, which could take place in June, Caputo said the hope is to also “bring in some key industry players” to the table. That could include businesses located in Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, which is represented by Conservative MP Mel Arnold.

“There’s so much room for development here,” Caputo said. “We’ve also got a great place to live. If you’re somebody that really likes recreation, you can be fishing in a different lake every day of the year. You can be skiing, you can be mountain biking, you can be doing all sorts of things.”

“This is a great place to work and I want to make it a great place to do business.”

by Victor Kaisar

‘There’s so much room for development’: Kamloops MP convenes inaugural Economic Council meeting

Our Community