B.C. IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, but the last few years haven't been easy. Global instability finds ways of showing up and seeping into our local businesses and neighbourhoods. While conflict in Iran and the tariffs imposed by the United States sometimes feel abstract and far from home, they are having a profound effect ...

HAPPY MAY, KAMLOOPS! Spring has sprung at last - and summer is in the air! All across the city, fruit trees are blossoming, gardens are sprouting and the sun is shining, which can only mean one thing - it's almost time to kick off our 13th year of harvesting at the Gleaning Abundance Program (GAP)! Time sure flies when...

IF YOU'RE FROM A COMMUNITY with a small, local movie theatre, you know they are charming hubs of local culture. Whether you lined up for hours to see a brand-new film released, saw a screening of your favourite concert or attended a community event, you know these are special venues in our communities. When I ran into ...

STUDENTS GO TO SCHOOL and learn different things in different classes. Beyond knowledge and skills, school is intended to help students gain deep understandings about themselves and others as human beings. This sentiment appears in the introduction to the BC Social Studies curriculum: "Students will develop both a...

IN NOVEMBER, we launched Look West, our targeted plan to grow the economy and create good jobs for people in B.C. I know people and businesses throughout the province are feeling challenged right now as global conflicts and uncertainty continue to impact resource supply chains worldwide. That's why last week, Premier ...

(Ed. note: Residents near the Yacht Club on River Street recently received a letter from The Mustard Seed regarding the temporary winter shelter it operates there.)I RECENTLY RECEIVED YOUR LETTER re: the temporary winter shelter closure. It's nice to see we housed 136 persons, giving them safe, clean shelter and that y...

B.C. IS KNOWN FOR our sparkling coastlines, snowcapped mountain ranges and lush forests, which make us a world-class tourist destination. Last week was B.C. Tourism Week, which gave us the opportunity to celebrate all the people, businesses and destinations that welcome visitors and who help to create memorable experi...

ACROSS THE WORLD, global uncertainty is affecting people, nations, and communities, and I know how important it is to make sure that here in B.C., people can have good jobs that they rely on. By investing in local communities and fostering growth in key sectors, we're helping make sure that we can protect and grow B.C....

KAMLOOPS IS NOT FACING a simple labour shortage - it is facing a breakdown in workplace standards, and many young workers are quietly opting out.From what I've seen firsthand, the issue is not just about employers or wages. It's about the pace of workforce changes and the lack of integration into a shared set of expect...

AS COMMUNITIES ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA continue to grow, so does the importance of having strong, reliable emergency services that people can count on when it matters most. In critical moments, one of the most important connections people make is a call to 9-1-1. From April 12 to 18, we recognize Emergency Service Disp...

THERE IS A PARTICULAR KIND OF QUIET that settles over a room built for art. It's not silence, exactly. It's the hum of thinking, the scratch of pencil on paper, the low murmur of experimentation. It is the sound of children trying something new, failing safely, and trying again.At Kamloops School of the Arts (KSA), tha...

CONSIDER A SITUATION that can bring someone to the brink of homelessness: a 73-year-old widower learns he must move out of the basement suite he has rented for the past two years. He finds a studio apartment he can just barely afford on his Canada Pension Plan income, but after rent he is left with less than $80 for gr...

LAST WEEK, PREMIER DAVID EBY announced that we've connected over 600,000 people to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since 2023, with more than 4,000 people being matched every single week. Thanks to this work, B.C. now has one of the strongest physician communities in the country, with more family doctors practici...

KARLA PEARCE, I read your piece today about school safety after the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, and I wanted to reach out because what you wrote about true safety being human-centered, preventative and relational strongly reflects what a group of parents in Barriere have been trying to raise concerns about for months. At...

A VIDEO CONTAINING CLIPS from last week's city council meeting is drawing strong reaction on social media. Beyond the dismissive tone toward some residents, the claims made by councillors were reported by local media - but not fully examined.When councillors cited millions in AAP project delay costs, there should have ...

SMALL BUSINESSES and the hard-working people behind them are the foundation of our province. My parents ran a small business, and later I started my own, so I know that owning and operating a business is no easy feat. Unexpected challenges such as the threat of tariffs and uncertainty about the future only make it more...

BRITISH COLUMBIA IS AN AMAZING PLACE to work, start a family or retire. As our communities grow, it has become clear that we need more healthcare professionals to support people through every stage of life. That's why our government launched a campaign in March 2025 to recruit more doctors, nurses and allied health pro...

Kamloops' latest Food System Assessment shows a community and sector that is not only adapting to change but steadily building a more connected and resilient local food landscape. Releasing later this year, the 2025 report highlights strong progress across several areas of the food system and emphasizes the importance ...

KAMLOOPS RESIDENTS WHO SUPPORT A PAUSE on the PAC and Arena Multiplex can make their views known by emailing Council before its decision this Tuesday, March 24.At the March 10 Council meeting, the motion "Postpone/Delay Advancement of Major Capital Projects - Kamloops Centre for the Arts and Arena Multiplex" ...

FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, the well-being of children and youth has been more than a priority; it has been my purpose. As a parent and aunt to children with diverse support needs, I spent years advocating within systems before entering politics. My path to becoming Minister of Children and Family Development was sh...

YES, YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT. No more changing our clocks back and forth.Your voices have been heard and we couldn't agree more. Changing the clocks - especially our internal ones - is a hassle and we've taken that to heart.In 2019, the province asked British Columbians for their views and most people overwhelmingly suppo...

WE'RE CREATING A PATH for a prosperous future for British Columbians with a plan to secure $200 billion in new private sector investments in B.C.To support that plan, our government has announced a $400-million Strategic Investment Fund to ensure that if B.C.'s support is needed for the success of a project, people in ...

I AM WRITING REGARDING the recent article about Iran and the ongoing conflict. As an Iranian living in Kamloops, I appreciate that CFJC News is covering international events that affect our community. However, I am deeply concerned that the article presents a perspective that does not reflect the views of many Iranians...

DEAR MLAs MILOBAR AND STAMER,We are disappointed and angry to see you vote in support of hearing Tara Armstrong's proposed "Human Rights Code Repeal Act."We recognize your vote was not necessarily a vote in favour of the proposed bill, and we have heard you say this is an effort to avoid the politicization of...

EVERY DAY, BRITISH COLUMBIANS need to renew or replace their photo ID, including driver's licenses, BC Services Card, and BC ID, which involves making trips to their local ICBC office and at times, waiting in long lines. Last week, we introduced legislation that would allow people to renew their simple license and ID r...

HELLO CFJC AND JAMES PETERS, I am a viewer who feels compelled to let you know how bizarre, misplaced and borderline offensive I found Mr. Peters' "Two and Out" take today on the horror in Tumbler Ridge. I am not the kind of Canadian who sneers at the United States in self-satisfaction and imagines that our c...

OVER THE PAST YEAR, we've seen how strongly Canadians have stood together in the face of challenges, like global inflation and threats from Trump, and our patriotism is stronger than ever. We're making progress and creating more opportunities for people across B.C. and Canada. And right now, we have something we can al...

ABOUT ONE IN EVERY FIVE NEW VEHICLES sold in B.C. in 2025 was a zero-emission vehicle, such as an electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid. As EVs become an increasingly familiar sight on Kamloops roads, the city's charging infrastructure has evolved to keep up. The city now boasts 112 charging ports within 15 kilometer...