Kamloops council supports arts centre proposal; referendum on borrowing to be held in 2020

KAMLOOPS – “Right project, right place, right time.”

That mantra was repeated by several Kamloops councillors Tuesday (Nov. 5) as they voted their support for the Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society and its performing arts centre (PAC) proposal.

Now, Kamloops voters will have their say, as the issue of borrowing money for the construction of the centre will go back to referendum sometime in the new year.

Council’s support for both the proposal and the referendum was unanimous, with Councillor Denis Walsh abstaining due to owning property within 100 metres of the proposed site.

Expressions of support for the $70 million project, for which the City of Kamloops could be on the hook for up to $45 million, were forceful and virtually in unison.

“I don’t think this is just a performing arts centre that we put down somewhere. This is the right project in the right place,” said Councillor Mike O’Reilly.

“I have to say… how refreshing it is not to be the lonely voice for the arts on this council. It’s something that we’re all seeing from an economic development point of view, we’re seeing the jobs that it’s going to bring to Kamloops, we’re seeing the opportunity,” said Councillor Kathy Sinclair.

Council chose a referendum as a means of gauging support when it had the option of choosing a counter-petition process. Councillor Arjun Singh said surveying the public was important to him.

“We want to have a performing arts centre for all Kamloopsians, for everybody to be involved with. I really do support it going back to referendum because I think that it’s really important for us to put that in front of the community again. I think that is something that’s winnable.”

“I don’t want to preside over a council that said we spent $45 million because not enough people said we couldn’t,” said Mayor Ken Christian. “I want people to say, ‘We support a performing arts centre.’ We have that as part of our strategic plan as the elected council of the City of Kamloops.”

Though council has positioned itself as a proponent for the project, the referendum will be a major hurdle. In 2015, a referendum on borrowing up to $49 million for a $90 million-plus PAC was defeated with 54 per cent opposed.

In that instance, a PAC Not Yet group had formed to oppose the proposal, with former Kamloops councillor Nelly Dever as its figurehead.

Tuesday, Dever was back before council, this time singing a different tune.

Dever told council she and her cohorts support the 2019 proposal, mainly because the burden on the taxpayer is alleviated. City staff say council will not need to raise taxes to pay for PAC construction because debt for other projects, such as the Tournament Capital Centre, is coming off the books.

“The main reason for our PAC Not Yet group the first time around was, it was a taxation issue, said Dever. “It was presented as it was going to be held by the taxpayers from beginning to end. There was no private-public partnership, there was no responsibility put onto the fundraising groups. This time around, there is a much better balance.”

“I want to thank you today for coming forward,” Christian told Dever. “It is, I think, a tremendous statement that you, as the leader of the ‘Not Yet’ movement last time have come forward in support.”

Staff will come back to council in the coming weeks with a proposed referendum date. Once that is set, Councillor Dale Bass urged her colleagues to use the interim to give the PAC proposal a big push.

“I really would like to encourage us all to actually get out there and be the cheerleaders for this – just like Mayor (Mel) Rothenburger was for the Tournament Capital Centre,” said Bass. “We all believe in it, most of us said during the campaign we wanted it.”