Category: Opinion

Having 51 candidates stepping up to run for mayor, council, and school trustee is both an incredible win for local democracy and a daunting challenge for voters. Putting your name forward takes immense energy, time, and courage, and I have deep appreciation for every person who took that leap. The flip side, however, is that…

Too many are running in this civic election, and not enough. The ‘too many’ is the roster seeking to be the next mayor of Kamloops or one of eight councillors; the ‘not enough’ is the dearth of candidates in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. Dealing with the latter first, only two of 10 electoral areas are…

Housing column gets it right Dear Editor: In September’s issue, Radhika Tabrez’s article, “What is the cost of NOT building?”, is an excellent academic piece, offering easy-to-read summaries of the studies, statistics, and recommendations surrounding a highly complex issue. I applaud her work in an area that is anything but simple. Her discussion of people who…

I’ve never met an elected official who wakes up in the morning thinking “how can I make my community worse today”. Just given the law of probabilities, I assume elected officials who do ask themselves this dark question must exist somewhere. But they also must be extremely few and far between. I’ve met hundreds of…

Wait, what? Have you finally lost it, Mel? A big turnout?’ Well, no, I haven’t. There’s always much fretting about low turnouts in our civic elections and, given past results, it’s not unfounded, but current conditions suggest 2026 will be different. True, most civic elections in Kamloops attract only about 30 percent of eligible voters.…

Imagine a trafficless Victoria Street Editor: Regarding Mel Rothenburger’s comments about the Seymour Street and Lansdown Street one ways. I may have an idea that could end the discussion. Making Seymour a two-way street again would create an imbalance of traffic lanes and create more congestion on Seymour.  I would propose turning Victoria Street from Second to Sixth…

Over coffee recently with a strong candidate running for city council, this candidate shared his opinion that the next council term will be a “clean up on Aisle 6” term, trying to bring stability and civility back into council chambers after a uniquely chaotic four years for our civic leadership. Despite the dysfunction, as I’ve…

Bringing two-way traffic back to Seymour Street has been a dream for at least a couple of decades. Every few years, traffic planners present a new report to City council that includes it as an option. Each time, they’re sent on their way with a “thank-you very much.” And nothing is done. In 1979, turning…

Samaritans help local woman Dear Editor: On June 30 at 7:30 p.m., I was in a car accident in the intersection of Tranquille Rd, Fortune Dr., and 8th St. I was alone and terrified when the two cars hit and my car was instantly full of smoke. I thought it was on fire. Right away there…

The East Kamloops water main break — which cut off water to a large swath of the city — is arguably the most serious failure of municipal service delivery Kamloops has seen in a very long time. Council often gets criticized for problems that largely belong to other orders of government — the housing and…