$75,000 fence cut from Kamloops’s Canada 150 celebrations

KAMLOOPS – Plans for street hockey games, gardens and gear are going ahead for the city’s Canada 150 celebration, but the biggest ticket item was dropped from Kamloops's celebration budget.

A $75,000 fence at Stuart Woods school has been cut from the city’s Canada 150 supplementary budget by council, halving what the city set out for the nation’s birthday. The fence, a replacement of the chain link fence around the heritage site, was considered too expensive by councillors to be part of celebration’s budget as the city looks at a potential tax increase of over three per cent in the coming year.

Council also debated the worth of fireworks and tulips, but ultimately left administration with money to plan for both.

Coun. Donovan Cavers spoke against $7,500 for the flowers, believing the money could be spent better somewhere else, while Coun. Denis Walsh said the augmented fireworks budget was turning taxpayers money into smoke.

Coun. Pat Wallace voiced concerns that constant reductions to the city’s Canada 150 budget would leave Kamloops with a poor celebration of the nation’s birthday.

“I have a great fear that we’re going to jimmy this down to nothing,” she said. “I think we run the risk of ruining a great celebration.”

In the end the $145,500 supplementary budget was reduced to $70,500, including a bigger fireworks budget, the tulips, commemorative products, a block party and a light display at city hall.

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