FEATURED COMMENT – Referendum would have been cheaper than AAP

Council’s excuse for using an AAP to get voters’ “approval” for the PAC and rinks was that an AAP is much cheaper than a referendum.

How can council now justify sending the RCMP loan request to AAP next year when holding a referendum at the same time as this fall’s election would be much cheaper than a separate AAP, especially as time is now of the essence?

The unnecessary delay occurred because in 2023 the councillors abandoned the RCMP issue in favour of the PAC and rinks. Throughout the entire previous term, a new RCMP building had been a major topic of discussion for the Mayor’s Standing Committee on Development, which the councillors disbanded to spite the new mayor, creating Build Kamloops in its place.

It’s worth noting that Mike O’Reilly was chair of the Development Committee and then chair of Build Kamloops, so the looming RCMP need was well known. Perhaps City admin also needs to take some of the blame. They’re supposed to ensure continuity and advise council on major issues–what happened in this case?

As for further delaying the decision: Do the councillors all secretly believe, as Coun. Bepple said out loud, that voters would be confused (read: are too stupid) to understand that they have a referendum question to answer at the same time that they elect a new council? Or are they just passing the buck after what appears to be their grievous mishandling of the issue?

Since council has now handed the problem off to the next council, then perhaps that (hopefully all new) council can consult with the public and revisit other options before we tear down a 35-year-old building, which seems wasteful and unthrifty.

BRONWEN SCOTT