City council

EDITORIAL – Getting to zero will test City council’s mettle on budget

August 26, 2020 // 0 Comments

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. WHAT’S THIS, TAX CUTS at City Hall? You heard it right. Kamloops City council voted Tuesday to keep next year’s budget increase as close [Continue]

EDITORIAL – Outdoor skating rink is a great idea, pandemic or not

August 12, 2020 // 1 Comment

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. WHAT ON EARTH is the City thinking, spending almost $5.8 million on an outdoor skating rink, in these times of a struggling economy amid the [Continue]

EDITORIAL – Enviro report shows need for big shift in Kamloops thinking

July 15, 2020 // 3 Comments

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. IMAGINE A CITY built for the environment, where people walk and cycle and drive around in electric vehicles and live in energy efficient [Continue]

BEPPLE – Boards need more diversity to reflect the many faces of Kamloops

June 17, 2020 // 3 Comments

PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU stated this week that systemic racism will be eliminated from federal government institutions and agencies. The question is how? What I [Continue]

EDITORIAL – Council’s budget redo solves shortfall but offers little tax relief

April 22, 2020 // 1 Comment

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. KAMLOOPS RESIDENTS won’t be getting the big tax cut many had likely been hoping for but, all things considered, City council has taken a [Continue]

ROTHENBURGER – When municipal politicians think they’re worth too much

January 25, 2020 // 2 Comments

HOW MUCH IS a municipal politician worth? A common answer among taxpayers is likely to be, less than they’re getting. It’s a serious question, though, and a [Continue]

ROTHENBURGER – Loosening reins on committee meetings a good step

January 22, 2020 // 1 Comment

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. KAMLOOPS CITY COUNCIL took a tentative step toward greater transparency and engagement Tuesday (Jan. 21, 2020). At a committee of the whole [Continue]

ROTHENBURGER – Five important things Kamloops must get done in 2020

December 28, 2019 // 4 Comments

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS have never been much of a thing with me. I tend to make them as easy as possible in order to avoid failure. In 2020, for example, I will vow to pay [Continue]

EDITORIAL – Time to stop shifting city taxes onto shoulders of homeowners

December 4, 2019 // 2 Comments

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. NOBODY WOULD DENY the importance of heavy industry to the economy of Kamloops but when it comes to taxes, who comes first — homeowners or [Continue]

BEPPLE – Neighbourhoods need to be for people, not for vehicles

November 6, 2019 // 2 Comments

MOST PUBLIC HEARINGS for proposed land use rezonings at the City of Kamloops proceed with little notice or concern of the public. It takes a matter of controversy and [Continue]

BEPPLE – Government is like sweeping a floor: take care of the edges first

September 4, 2019 // 2 Comments

MY GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS SAID, when you’re sweeping a floor, you should sweep the edges and the corners first. Leave the large centre until last. She would tell me take care [Continue]

ROTHENBURGER: Busking bylaw was a solution looking for a problem

June 1, 2019 // 1 Comment

It was an attempt to increase the quality of busking, but what about the quality of panhandling? THE ‘STREET PERFORMANCE’ issue appears to finally be put to rest and [Continue]

EDITORIAL – Afternoon council meetings win the day over evenings

May 13, 2019 // 1 Comment

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. THE IDEA OF HOLDING regular Kamloops City council meetings in the evening instead of afternoon was worth looking at but a staff report on [Continue]

EDITORIAL – Sad fact is that the answer to opioid crisis continues to elude us

April 10, 2019 // 3 Comments

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger. FRUSTRATION WITH what seems like the losing battle against opioid addiction was obvious Tuesday when Interior Health representatives talked [Continue]