ARMCHAIR ARCHIVES – Kamloops should be proud of being a cow town

NOTE: The column that follows was first published Feb. 17, 1988 in the Kamloops Daily News. Although Skalbania’s idea of running bulls down Victoria Street never came to pass, the Cattle Drives of the ‘90s did herd a couple of dozen cows part way one summer — somehow it didn’t end in a complete disaster. We did have a cowboy festival in later years, though. Ken Hardie, also mentioned in this column, currently serves as the Liberal MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells. And, does anyone remember the annual Kamloops Daily News Christmas Story Competition?

KAMLOOPS, according to Vancouver entrepreneur Nelson Skalbania, should be proud of being a cow town.

Skalbania, who wants to turn the old courthouse (which he calls “sexy”) into an Italian restaurant, was here this week with some advice on how to get the city moving. He gave a speech to the chamber of commerce that sounded a lot like he’d scribbled out a few lines on some scrap paper while he was eating lunch, but it was mildly entertaining and provocative anyway.

He first recounted a few of his “best” and “worst” real-estate flips. In the good ones, he made millions with a few hours’ work; in the bad ones he lost it. Interesting stuff if you enjoy hearing people brag about their money, but then he got to talking about Kamloops.

This is a city, said Skalbania, that is up for sale, cheap. He hoisted a map of the downtown area that showed a score of major properties that could be scooped up at what he calls “dirt” prices by anyone with an interest and a few million dollars.

Once few properties were for sale, value would start to go up. By re-developing them gradually, the owners could turn a tidy profit and change the entire image of the city.

Skalbania thinks, in effect, that Kamloops should be proud to be a western hick town and build on that; it should bring back a western-theme summer celebration, and as the highlight run bulls down main street, as they do in Spain.

As catchy as the idea sounds, we will never run bulls down main street. One can just imagine a large Hereford thrashing Ray Fuoco’s book store, or running amok through the 406. Not really a family event.

Phil Gaglardi wouldn’t allow it unless they ran in both directions and didn’t take up any parking spots, anyway.

It’s the kind of whimsy that entrepreneurs like Skalbania indulge in before jetting off to someplace else to make another deal, but for a few minutes he had people getting excited about their city again.

The real lesson in Skalbania’s speech was that before a city can help itself, it has to come up with some ideas.

Preferably, I’d say, not ones that include turning our historic courthouse into a combination museum-Italian restaurant and bar. Maybe he could be talked into a wild-west saloon.

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Ken Hardie, formerly a local radio jock now toiling as media relations manager for IckyBicky in Vancouver, keeps pretty close tabs on what we editorial writers say about his employer.

In response to a recent editorial about the increase in car insurance rates, Ron sent along some newspaper clippings about what’s happening to the poor folks in Ontario and California, where some major private companies are refusing to sell auto insurance at all.

Ontario drivers face premium-rate increases averaging 35 to 40 per cent next year if an independent consultants’ report is adopted. And, Co-operators General Insurance, Canada’s largest supplier, will stop writing new business in metro Toronto because it pays out $1.50 for every $1 it takes in from policies.

In Los Angeles, several major insurance companies will get out of the auto-insurance business next April and another major company has done the same in Boston.

The reason, again, is that they can’t make money on it, and the result is that car owners in those areas are left to go in search of insurance anywhere they can get it, at any price. Or, worse yet, driving without insurance.

Hardie’s point seems to be that we in B.C. should consider ourselves lucky because ICBC insures  all comers.

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To end the suspense, the winners in the 10^th annual Kamloops Daily News Christmas Story Competition have been chosen. Twenty awards will be presented this year at a 5 p.m. gathering Tuesday in the Canadian Room at the Canadian Inn.

I won’t spoil anything by spilling the beans on who won which prizes, but here are the folks who are in the top 20, in no particular order: Joanne Warren, Nikki Veness, Jeanne Ross, Brian Young, Rod Andrew, Leslie Friesen, Shelley Campbell, Rob Atkin, Nancy Howard, Joanne Mazzotta, Glenn Fieber, Patricia Hamilton, Rosanne Beauchesne, John McLean, Celia Armour, Jenny Newberry, Bob Adams, Laurie Biel, Rhonda Blewett, Bea Beckett.

Phone calls are going out to all of the above, but we haven’t been able to get in touch with all of you yet . . . so if you’re one of the 20, come along Tuesday to receive your certificate and cash award.

All the entries this year were great.

Mel Rothenburger has been writing about Kamloops since 1970. He is a former mayor of Kamloops, former school board chair, former editor of The Kamloops Daily News, and a former director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He was awarded the Jack Webster Foundation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011 and was a 2019 Commentator of the Year finalist in the Webster Awards. His editorials have been published and heard on CFJC Today and CBC Kamloops. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.