CITY – Residents cite communications, street problems as big issues

Kamloops residents are generally more satisfied with life in their city than they are dissatisfied, but less satisfied than they used to be.

That seems to be the overall conclusion of the 2024 Citizen Satisfaction Survey, the results of which were released today (Jan. 17, 2025). Seventy-five per cent rated their quality of life as good or very good but it was less than in 2022. Satisfaction with communications and public engagement is down to 56 per cent from 71 per cent in 2022 and 83 per cent in 2019.

Sixty-five per cent felt they get good value for their tax dollars.

The study concluded that the two main areas of focus should be communications/ public engagement, and improvements to infrastructure.

“The survey highlights that resident satisfaction is not only based on services provided by the municipality,” a City statement says.

“When asked about the most important issue facing the community that should receive the greatest attention from local leaders, residents overwhelmingly identified non-municipal services, such as homelessness, crime and safety, and drugs.

“In addition, residents prioritized family doctors/health care for Council advocacy efforts, followed by mental health and addiction support.”

The survey, done both by phone and online, was conducted by Forum Research last fall. It had just under 2,000 responses, with a margin of error for the phone portion estimated at 4.9 per cent.

Here are the key findings:

Quality of Life:

• 75% of residents rate their quality of life as good or very good; however, this number has decreased since 2022.
• Middle-aged residents are more likely to report declining quality of life.
• Residents identified improvements in community amenities and infrastructure as positively impacting their quality of life.
• Residents continue to express dissatisfaction with services provided by other levels of government, with homelessness, crime, housing affordability, and drugs identified as worsening areas related to quality of life.
• Kamloops’ nice weather, along with residents’ access to amenities and green spaces, tops the list of what makes Kamloops a good place to live.
• Continuing a trend from 2022, most residents (80%) believe their community has become less safe over the past three years, with drugs/drug-related crime and homelessness identified as the biggest issues related to crime or safety.

Communication and Community Engagement:

• Satisfaction with communication and public engagement has declined to 56% from 71% in 2022 and 83% in 2019. Older residents reported higher levels of satisfaction than middle-aged residents.
• 48% of residents contacted the City within the past 12 months, mostly by telephone.
• When contacting the City, overall satisfaction returned to pre-COVID levels (76%), with residents providing high ratings for staff’s courteousness, knowledge, and helpfulness. Since 2019, satisfaction also increased in the speed and timeliness of service and staff’s ability to resolve the issue.
• The most popular way to obtain City information is from the Kamloops.ca website, which received an 83% satisfaction rating.
• The most preferred way to receive information is by subscribing to a City newsletter; however, this is currently only used by 6% of residents.

Fiscal Responsibility:

• 65% of residents feel they receive good value for their tax dollars, comparable to other Canadian municipalities.
• There has been an increase in the percentage of residents who would prefer to cut services to maintain or reduce the tax rate (42%), resulting in a relatively even split with those who would support a tax increase to maintain or enhance services (44%).
• When facing a need to increase revenue, the majority prefer collecting user fees only or in conjunction with tax increases. Only 5% of residents support an increase in taxes only.
• Three-quarters of residents support increased taxes or user fees to maintain city infrastructure or increase community safety resources.
• 70% of residents are satisfied with the City’s environmental leadership, and more than half of residents oppose increased taxes or user fees to support municipal policies that reduce the effects of climate change.

City Services:

• Satisfaction with most services and aspects of the City remained consistent with 2022, except for notable declines in satisfaction with communication and public engagement and with alternative forms of transportation, with only 56% of residents expressing satisfaction with either aspect.
• Satisfaction with infrastructure improvements (sidewalks, street lighting, road repairs) is 64%, steady compared to 2022.
• Residents remain very satisfied with programs and services for recreation and sport and the availability of green spaces for recreation and enjoyment. Both areas received over 90% satisfaction.