New home for shelter animals in Kamloops nudges forwards

KAMLOOPS – Plans for a new animal shelter in Kamloops are moving forward.

The Kamloops shelter is looking at 2815 Tranquille Rd. as a future home and a request to rezone the plot of land near the airport is now going to public hearing.

B.C. SPCA CEO Craig Daniell has previously said the current Kamloops facility is inadequate.

“It’s old, outdated and too small for its means,” Daniell told iNFOnews.ca.

He said the site could be similar in size to a project in Nanaimo, which has a price tag of $3 million. Penticton and Kelowna recently got new B.C. SPCA facilities and Salmon Arm is on the list for a new one as well.

The current Kamloops office on Eighth Avenue may be sold to help fund the new project he noted.

The city’s report on the amendment says it’s a good site due to the proximity to the airport if animals are flown in.

Only the rezoning application is moving forward for now, city CAO David Trawin told councillors; a building permit for the shelter has not been applied for and would need to be approved before the shelter is built.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin at bkergin@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.