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City Of Kamloops
Ribfest returns to Riverside Park this weekend
KAMLOOPS – Riverside Park will be filled with meat, music, cars and dragons this weekend as several different events take over downtown. Rotary Ribfest, which runs from Aug. 7 to 9, features six ribbers, or rib trucks, from across Canada with appetizing and amusing names like 'Smoke and Bones' and 'Boss Hog.' Not just an...
Kamloops city councillor denies conflict of interest accusation
KAMLOOPS – Coun. Arjun Singh has been accused of a conflict of interest following a recent vote on whether to impose a buffer between liquor vendors, something he strongly denies. Singh participated in a public hearing, July 28, to decide the fate of a motion that could have seen the city enact a one-kilometre buffer...
Keeping up with the Kamloops Kammute this week
KAMLOOPS - Here's what you will face on the commute in Kamloops this week. The southwest off ramp of the Overlanders Bridge remains closed to all traffic and southbound traffic is being rerouted to Seymour Street, according to the City of Kamloops. Heavy trucks are asked to avoid the Overlanders Bridge and use alternate routes....
Long walks on this Kamloops beach could end in a tetanus shot
KAMLOOPS – A leisurely stroll along the beach in Centennial Park ended in a two-person clean-up expedition for one Westsyde couple. Mark and Andrea Sandberg found hundreds of rusty nails along the beach. The discovery Tuesday night, July 28, prompted them to pick up as many nails as they could over the following two nights....
KGHM and anti-Ajax group being asked to help fund independent review
KAMLOOPS – An independent review of the Ajax Mine proposal is expected take place this fall and council has decided both KGHM and the Kamloops Area Preservation Association, a vocal opponent of the proposed mine, should help foot the bill. KGHM Ajax Mining is expected to submit its environmental application to the province by the end...
Fines for Kamloops residents refusing water meters
KAMLOOPS – The city is in the last stages of fitting every home in Kamloops with a water meter and those either refusing a meter or hooked to an illegal connection will soon be charged a fine. With 20,700 meters installed since 2011, the city says there are still about 150 left to do and...
No fines for Kamloops residents who throw out recyclables
KAMLOOPS – Residents who are unable, or unwilling, to store their recyclables will not be fined by the city for tossing them in the trash. While not encouraging this, the city will not be taking measures to fine offenders. Public Works Director Jen Fretz says the city’s position continues to be for residents to store...
How to fund the city’s Ajax Mine review
KAMLOOPS – Once the environmental application for the proposed Ajax Mine is submitted later this summer the city plans on seeking an independent review of the proposal, but it is unclear just how that review will be paid for. Staff is asking council for an additional $300,000 to hire SLR Consulting, a firm not believed...
Councillors for pesticide ban say public and business were appropriately consulted
KAMLOOPS – The decision by Kamloops councillors to approve a ban on pesticides in the city next year was a "foregone conclusion," one councillor says. The issue was all but decided because seven of nine councillors already debated the concept before elections last November, Coun. Donovan Cavers says. “I thought it was a foregone conclusion,”...
Kamloops road construction goes through the night
KAMLOOPS – Crews will be doing night work as construction continues on the Overlanders Bridge in Kamloops. The bridge will be reduced to a single lane between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., July 24, with traffic control personnel in place, according to a media release from the city. On Monday, the west off ramp at...
NBA star plays some one-on-one with local kids at Riverside
KAMLOOPS – Boston Celtics centre and Kamloops native Kelly Olynyk was in town today to shoot hoops with aspiring young basketball players on the courts at Riverside Park. While the skies were overcast and the wind was brisk, the kids didn’t seem to mind. About 100 showed up for the hour-long event held by the...
Finding ice time in Kamloops could be a challenge next season
KAMLOOPS - It’s hard to think about ice time during summer heat, but those who booked theirs in advance can consider themselves lucky; next season's peak skating times are now booked solid following a private arena’s closure. Jeff Putnam, the city’s civic facilities manager, says the city’s six sheets of ice continue to book up...
Slide the City could return to Kamloops next year
KAMLOOPS – Even after less than perfect execution, Slide the City could return next year. “We haven’t set our calendar for 2016 yet, but we’re definitely not brushing anybody off the table,” Rachel Thomas, an event director with Slide the City, says. Thomas acknowledges the event began an hour behind schedule. This led to major...
Expect some lane closures for the Kamloops Marathon this weekend
KAMLOOPS – The Kamloops Marathon this weekend will span roughly 42 kilometres and that means lane closures and probably some traffic tie-ups. Colleen Lepik, transportation coordinator with the city, says runners will use road shoulders and multi-use paths where possible Sunday, July 26. The majority of closures will be confined to sections of Halston Avenue...
Union says recycling strike could last longer; city not paying Emterra
KAMLOOPS - Locals should brace themselves for even lengthier delays in recycling service; five weeks after Emterra Environmental workers began their strike, seats are still empty at the bargaining table. Marty Gibbons, the Kamloops chapter president of the local United Steelworkers union that represents the workers, says staff are digging in its heels for the...
General Grants feeling the fall out from Emterra strike
KAMLOOPS – The recycling is piling up in Kamloops as the Emterra Environmental strike enters its fifth week. While people have been asked to store what they can, the balconies and garages of residents are no competition for the influx General Grants in Sahali is currently seeing. “I had 26 pallets, and they left four...
Businesses question how City of Kamloops handled pesticide ban
KAMLOOPS – Local lawn care businesses, directly affected by the new city pesticide ban, question the process which led to Kamloops city council’s decision. The City of Kamloops issued a ban on cosmetic pesticide use on Tuesday, July 14. As of January 1, 2016, pesticide use is no longer permitted on residential lawns, flower beds...
Westsyde water park set to open for holiday weekend
KAMLOOPS – If all goes to plan, kids in Westsyde could be splashing around in their very own water park within the next two and a half weeks. “I’m sure kids are waiting with baited breath!” Diane Kuchma says, past president of the Westsyde Community Development Society. Currently under construction in Centennial Park, Parks Supervisor...
Kamloops pesticide ban passes, will be implemented January 2016
KAMLOOPS – Next year residents of Kamloops will no longer be able to hire licensed applicators to spray their lawns or ornamental shrubs. A ban on cosmetic pesticide use was passed today, July 14, in city council to a round of applause from those who remained in council chambers for the decision. The proposed ban,...
Trailer park fire hydrants not up to snuff
KAMLOOPS - Nothing has changed in the Iron Mask Trailer Park since a fire claimed one mobile home on June 1, and it appears nothing will change. The home remains charred with its windows boarded up and various items strewn in front of it. A fire hydrant sits 30 feet away, but water pressure to...
Building permits remain status quo in June
KAMLOOPS – June saw little change over last year when it comes to building permits issued in the city. Housing starts in Kamloops were on an upswing during the first few months of 2015, but this past May they declined and now June they have plateaued. Single family housing permits issued were exactly the same...
City extends state of emergency after flash flooding
KAMLOOPS - The city applied to lengthen the state of emergency order on the Oak Dale trailer park area today, July 3, to give city workers more time to fix landscaping and drainage areas. The city declared the order after flash flooding ran through the trailer park on June 30. The water, which cascaded from...
What it costs and what Kamloops gets for hosting the B.C. Lions
KAMLOOPS – The B.C. Lions recently wrapped up their three-week training camp at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops for the sixth straight year. If you are counting, that’s roughly $250,000 the City of Kamloops has paid for the privilege of hosting the Canadian Football League team. According to financial reports, the city has paid $211,000 from...
Emterra workers walk off the job in Kamloops; recycling pickup stops
KAMLOOPS – After two weeks of failed of negotiations the workers at the Emterra recycling plant are officially on strike. Steelworkers Union boss Marty Gibbons says they are prepared for the long-haul, adding they will strike as long as it takes and one day longer than the employer. “We negotiated every possible angle we could,” Gibbons...