Kamloops cop shop referendum question splits city council

Don’t expect a referendum for a new Kamloops RCMP detachment on the ballot this October.

A decision for the long-delayed project will likely wait a few more months as Kamloops city council leans toward asking voters to approve a $160 million loan through a counter-petition in early 2027.

Council was split with a 5-4 vote.

Some councillors suggested the counter petition, or alternative approval process, is tainted and, potentially, confusing for Kamloops voters after $235 million in loans for a performance venue and an arena were approved two years ago.

“We don’t have enough runway right now to start explaining the (alternative approval process). We’ve explained it until we’re blue in the face. People still don’t get it — why we’re using it for these types of projects,” Coun. Bill Sarai said during the July 28 debate.

Council has long been aware of the need for a new police station and the topic has come up during previous council terms with the building now 26 years beyond its expected lifespan. This term, the topic was floated before the Build Kamloops proposals in 2024, but council only started casting votes on its design and financing in February 2025, only for the then-$150 million loan to be delayed again last fall.

BC RCMP has now threatened to build it and send city hall a bill afterward.

At the July 28 committee of the whole meeting, council heard the project is now estimated to cost $160 million and were given the options to either add it to the October election for a referendum or wait until early 2027 for an alternative approval process.

Coun. Sarai suggested Kamloops hasn’t used counter petitions for projects as large as the performing arts centre over the past several decades, adding that he suspected the public would largely vote in favour of a new police station. He, along with Coun. Katie Neustaeter, said the public backlash to previous counter petitions have put a sour taste in the mouths of voters.

Others, however, suggested a referendum would be too distracting.

“We don’t need to confuse what is an important election by throwing in another issue other than electing a good council,” Coun. Dale Bass said.

She voted for city council to wait until after the election, along with councillors Nancy Bepple, Margot Middleton, Kelly Hall and Mike O’Reilly.

“I think it would actually be better to focus the election on who is going to be our council than having something people might think is the election issue,” Coun. Bepple said.

While there was some discussion among councillors that a referendum carries a higher bar for voter approval than the counter petition, there was little talk about the risk that a new council could opt for a new plan following the October election.

All of city council agreed the project needed to go ahead, concerned that further delays could risk the bill growing higher or RCMP building something without consulting the city, then dropping the bill on local taxpayers.

The only detractor was Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson who continues to argue for the police station to be built on another property. Councillors haven’t bit on the suggestion and largely ignored it, likely because they already voted in 2025 on a design and location.

He, along with councillors Katie Neustaeter, Bill Sarai and Stephen Karpuk, lost the vote to pair a referendum with the coming election.

While the move toward an alternative approval process was adopted at committee of the whole on July 28, it will still be considered once more at a council meeting before it’s approved.