๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฐโ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ
City of Kamloops administration and Council are now blaming the 2024 Alternative Approval Process (AAP) court challenge for delays in borrowing approval for the Tranquille sewer upgrade and McMaster Way land purchase projects.
๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ.
In the summer of 2024, the City brought forward $275M in borrowing for arts and recreation projectsโa performing arts centre (PAC) and a Multiplexโthrough an AAP process rather than a referendum.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฐโ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐โ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ $๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญโincluding a new RCMP building, identified as a โ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐โ in 2023.
Arts and recreation projects were prioritized over critical infrastructure.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ข๐๐.
As for the McMaster and Tranquille delays, the City created its own bottleneck through how they structured the borrowing and sequencing.
These projects require AAP approval to move costs into long-term borrowingโbut the City tied the timing to the RCMP AAP, which has not yet moved forward due to the postal strike.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐:
Residents were asked to approve $275M in arts and recreation ๐๐๐๐๐
But were not told about $200M in infrastructure ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ.
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง:
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ $๐๐๐๐?
*The legal petition was filed October 22, 2024 and dismissed February 21, 2025โa four-month delay, not eight as claimed by Councillor Hall at the March 24, 2026 council meeting.
*The 2024 AAP legal challenge was brought forward by KCU co-organizer Kathrine Wunderlich on behalf of residents who believed the City should have used a referendum rather than an unfamiliar AAP reverse-voting process to seek approval for $275 million in borrowing for the PAC and Multiplex.
Kathrine has been open about her intention to run for Council in the October 2026 municipal election.
๐๐จ๐ญ๐:
As always, if the City of Kamloops believes any part of this information is factually incorrect, we welcome clarification by email.
More info and sources below.
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