(Image Credit: CFJC Today / Jeremy Russo)
Kamloops Votes 2026

Council candidate Rob Bertrand campaigns on crime, transparency and infrastructure

May 21, 2026 | 4:49 PM

KAMLOOPS — Among those announcing their intention for the fall election is Kamloops’ Notre Dame Tire’s general manager.


Rob Bertrand says concerns over public safety, transparency and city infrastructure pushed him to launch a council campaign focused on representing what he calls the city’s working-class voice.

“I’m a firm believer that city council is not supposed to be a political thing. It’s not. It’s kind of frowned upon to have career politicians within city council, because it’s regular people who are representing regular people. And I’m a regular person, right? I just I feel like I’m representing a good majority of people who are the labour, the workers, the laborers, kind of the blue-collar people of Kamloops, which sort of keeps the city running.” says Bertrand.

Bertrand says he’s not a career politician but a father and general manager who believes everyday people need stronger representation at city hall. Bertrand has lived in Kamloops for nearly 17 years and says many citizens feel concerns around safety, theft and homelessness.

Bertrand says one of his main priorities would be tackling street disorder and improving transparency at city hall.

“It starts from tracking metrics. It starts from logging calls. It starts from having an actual dashboard of where we’re at now, and then a measurable success of bringing that down,” added Bertrand. “That’s a huge aspect that I would want to be focusing on over the next four years, to bring those numbers down.”

While he acknowledges municipalities cannot solve crime and addiction on their own, Bertrand feels council can do more to manage the impacts and better communicate with residents. He also says the city should focus more heavily on core infrastructure and measurable public safety goals.