byron mccorkell

Kamloops extends pesticide ban to municipal property

KAMLOOPS - A ban on pesticide use on residential ornamental shrubs, flower beds and grass now extends to city parks and properties in Kamloops. In a split 5-4 vote yesterday, Dec. 15, council voted to extend the ban to include all civic properties and city parks. Council had already agreed to implement a residential ban, which will begin...

Kamloops looking to expand pesticide ban to city parks

KAMLOOPS - After passing a new bylaw banning the residential cosmetic use of pesticides, council will decide whether to take the bylaw one step further and ban the same use on city land. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, council will debate banning the cosmetic use of pesticides on municipal property, including parks like Riverside. A residential...

Kamloops permanently closes section of Rivers Trail

KAMLOOPS - A section of the Rivers Trail directly underneath the Yellowhead Bridge will be permanently closed. City staff recommended closing roughly 200 metres of trail because of erosion from water dripping off of the bridge. The current barricades and signage at the site of the washout are no longer sufficient and it has become...

Smoking ban for Kamloops parks and civic building properties approved

KAMLOOPS - Smokers enjoying a break in Riverside Park or outside City Hall will soon be required to butt out, though the mayor doesn't believe the new regulation will actually be enforceable. A smoking ban in parks was originally discussed by councillors in July but was tabled to give staff time to look into it. Council wanted...

Historical solar project moves ahead at newest Kamloops park

KAMLOOPS - The newly renovated West Highlands Park Community Centre will soon be home to the largest solar project in Kamloops history. Installation has begun on rooftop solar panels that will harvest 27,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, or the equivalent of the electricity used by two and a half average B.C. households. “Featuring a...

Westsyde Pool gets the dollars needed to repair leaky roof

KAMLOOPS - The good news is the funds have been made available to fix the Westsyde Pool, the bad news is the pool still won’t be open until September 2016. The funding for this project — just under $3 million —  was transferred from the Canada Games Pool repair budget. The funds were transferred because...

Two Kamloops councillors worry Parks Master Plan takes away too much green space

KAMLOOPS – The Kamloops Parks Master Plan was recently unveiled and but not everyone is excited about the upgrades. Coun. Arjun Singh and Coun. Denis Walsh worried the new infrastructure, mostly located in Riverside Park, would take away from the parks’ green spaces. The city looked at three parks along the Thompson River: Riverside, Waterfront...

Dog poo in parks ‘a bit of a tradition’

KAMLOOPS - Calling cards, doggie doo-doo, dog mess, dog kabobs… no matter what you call it the people of Kamloops are sick of seeing it in our city parks but there is little that can be done about it. Kamloops is considered a dog friendly city by many standards. We have several dedicated dog parks...

Kamloops to take a look at what kind of arts centre best suits the city

KAMLOOPS - Arts and culture has taken yet another leap forward thanks to approval of a study that will outline exactly what Kamloops needs in a performing arts centre. While the study into what a performing arts centre would need to look like in Kamloops was approved alongside the city budget earlier this year the...

Budget ramped up for John Tod centre

KAMLOOPS - The finishing touches are being installed as a crew hustles to complete the conversion of John Tod from a school to a community centre — and now a parking lot has been added to the 2014 to-do list. Work began on the $2.2 million conversion earlier this year but the city planned to...