EDITORIAL – A convention centre for Kamloops? Is now the time?

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

IT WAS ONLY a matter of time before the idea of a Kamloops convention centre came up again, and that time has arrived. Whether or not it’s the right time remains to be seen.

Tourism Kamloops presented City council with a new proposal Tuesday (March31, 2026) and got the reaction it was hoping for — enthusiastic support.

Tourism Kamloops CEO Erik Fisher told the council during a Committee of the Whole meeting that the centre could be built for $89 million plus land costs, and that funding could be obtained from senior governments and a public-private partnership as well as local taxpayers.

No location has been identified but Fisher said it would be ideal if the centre is built downtown, where it would complement the soon-to-be-constructed performing arts centre.

The vision is for an 18,000-square-foot building, with operating costs at an estimated $450,000.

Councillors raised a few questions about parking (an aspect yet to be considered) and maintenance costs, with Nancy Bepple saying it would be important to keep the centre in tip-top shape. “They start to look old quickly,” she said of other such facilities she’s seen.

Coun. Katie Neustaeter was effusive in her praise of the proposal, saying there’s never been a better time than now. “I’m sure everyone around this room and beyond has had people say to them,” ‘How does Kamloops not have a convention centre’,” she said. “’How is that possible?’”

Well, Kamloops doesn’t have a convention centre because previous plans have fallen apart due either to construction challenges, finances or the failure to make a business case. The Kamloops convention centre idea has come and gone several times. In the 1990s, one was proposed for Riverside Park, and later across the street as part of what is now the Sandman Hotel. In 2018, then-Tourism Kamloops CEO Beverley DeSantis tried it on, saying the city was losing a lot of business without one, but her exhortation went nowhere.

Study after study has been done on the costs and benefits of convention centres. They lose a ton of money, are hugely expensive to operate, and there’s intense competition among cities for convention business.

Based on the subsidies required by other convention centres, the $450,000 annual operating cost estimated in the study done for Tourism Kamloops sounds extremely optimistic.

The Penticton Trade & Convention Centre has had a checkered history, requiring a major facelift a few years ago and operates only with a substantial municipal subsidy. It’s been costing local taxpayers more than $1 million a year for the past several years to keep it running.

On the other hand, it generates significant economic impact. In 2024, it was estimated at $98 million.

And that’s the trade-off with convention centres. On the one hand, they’re white elephants. On the other, they’re white elephants that bring in a lot of money for local businesses.

According to Fisher, for every buck spent on construction and operation of a Kamloops convention centre, $18.42 would come back. Besides which, it would create 412 construction jobs and $31 million for the local economy during construction. The Vancouver convention centre, he said, brings in $59 for every dollar spent. We should keep in mind that the Vancouver facility cost $883.2 million to build in 2009 (almost double the estimate) and is subsidized annually by several million.

Since it would take several years before a Kamloops centre becomes a serious possibility, current cost estimates are really only educated guesses. But maybe things have changed since the earlier proposals and maybe a convention centre here would be a bargain at the price.

That would be great, but Tourism Kamloops and City council have a big challenge ahead in proving it.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, writes for the Kamloops Chronicle and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and was a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.