Progress 2015

STATE OF THE CITY

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS IN

KAMLOOPS

“At Domtar, sustainability is an integral part of our activities.

It guides our business and manufacturing practices throughout the life cycle of our paper and pulp, from the forest to our mills and all the way to our customers across North America and around the globe.”

—John Williams, President and

Chief Executive Officer

2 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Report On The City

Kamloops is making Progress It is 2015, the year of the goat (or sheep) according to the Chinese zodiac.

So, it is appropriate that the City of Kamloops has been using goats to tackle noxious weeds in various city parks for the past few years.

Consider the ultimate organic weed control to be ahead of its time.

Planning ahead is key to success and various organizations in Kamloops are doing just that, as is evident in the wealth of stories contained within Progress 2015, Kamloops This Week’s annual examination of where we are and where we are going as a community.

If one was to leaf through past editions of Progress, the photos therein act as a time capsule of sorts, with many images void of the plethora of development that has risen in the intervening years.

From the remarkable transformation on the Tranquille Market, to the explosion of homes in upper Aberdeen, to the growth in Pineview Valley and Batchelor Heights, to the addition of significant structures in the downtown core — the Sandman Signature Hotel being one; the fast-rising Royal Inland Hospital clinical-services building being another.

But, progress in Progress means much more than taking stock of walls and foundations.

More importantly, progress in Progress is measured by the intangibles — the decisions that take our institutions and organizations into the future.

The City of Kamloops is focused on connecting more with residents as it attempts to educate and inform (page 7), while acknowledging the shortterm pain that precedes long-term gain in two major construction projects this year (page 78).

Real-estate numbers are trending upwards, with sales at the start of 2015 surpassing 2014 numbers (page 14) as North Kamloops, Westsyde and Brocklehurst expected to continue the growth experienced last year.

Venture Kamloops, the city’s economicdevelopment arm, has undertaken a major labour survey that will produce data from 600 interviews (page 4).

On the education front, the Kamloops-Thompson school district continues to battle demands from Victoria for more savings while dealing with an enrolment decline that may soon stabilize (page 72).

At Thompson Rivers University, they are talking more and more about a university village (page 61) to complement an institution president Alan Shaver calls “an overnight success 40 years in the making.”

Down at the Kamloops RCMP detachment, Supt.

Brad Mueller has been streamlining operations since his arrival in 2013, while working to keep a declining crime rate falling (page 48).

And, in the political world, MP Cathy McLeod (page 11) and MLAs Terry Lake (page 30) and Todd Stone (page 44) have weighed in, letting ] readers know where they see Kamloops, British Columbia and Canada heading as the year rolls toward 2016.

There is more, much more, from a status update on our arts scene (page 25) to the passion with which Kamloops embraces sports (page 62); from the viewpoint of the North Shore Business Improvement Association (page 46) to the philosophy of its downtown cousin, the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association (page 54); from a look at the city’s fire department (page 50) to the burgeoning River City wine industry (page 70).

Progress is all about moving forward and taking the wisdom of the past into the future.

We are glad to have you along as we step further into 2015 and explore where Kamloops was, where Kamloops is and where Kamloops is going.

3 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015 3 Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015

Report On on Economic The City Development

Business heart of the Hub City businesses have been expanding.”

Venture Kamloops is funded by the City of Kamloops, which will give the organization just over $585,000 this year. Kamloops city council sets some of the organization’s priorities through its strategic plans and a panel that includes the mayor, Kamloops’ convergence of roads, rails and rivers sometimes earns it the nickname two councillors and some members of the city’s senior staff selects the nine-member Hub City. In 2015, Venture Kamloops community board that directly oversees wants to ensure the city is earning the the organization. label.

However, Venture Kamloops doesn’t “One of the things we always tell behave exactly as a city department and people when we’re talking about Venture Kamloops works with companies throughout the often works as a go-between if companies Kamloops is we’ve got both major world, free of charge, to help expand or relocate them to the experience communication difficulties railways, we’ve got highway access City of Kamloops. with the city’s development services and going east-west and north-south in engineering office.

The organization’s process of attraction consists of email the province,” executive director Jim “I think that many people have this messages, telephone calls, site and familiarization tours, trade shows Anderson said. vision of economic development as we sit and personal introductions to local business and community leaders.

“We have all this logistical and up here on the second floor of this brick Lead generation is one of Venture Kamloops’ biggest keys in transportation advantage, but do we take building and just work the phones all day,” finding the right businesses to complement the Tournament advantage of it?”

Anderson said. “But, in reality, it needs to Capital’s economy.

To that end, the city’s economichave a much more structured, systematic development organization is setting up approach to making sure the city is a good interviews with the city’s distributors, environment for business.” truckers and logistics experts to Other work on Venture Kamloops’ plate for 2015 includes encouraging developers determine what the city can do to expand those business arms — and to look for ways to look at new industrial parks in the city’s southwest and a major survey of the local to improve the climate for those already in the industry. labour force.

Anderson said the investigation is part of Venture Kamloops’ goal of building on Anderson said the survey, which will draw data from more than 600 locallyindustries where the city already has a natural advantage. conducted interviews, will give potential employers a better picture of Kamloops “We can’t invent stuff, we can’t convince people of things that aren’t really here, so than what is available from other levels of government, which often roll the city’s we have to play to our strengths,” he said. employment numbers in with those of Kelowna and Vernon.

For the past few years, the organization has put a similar focus on mining-services “We’ve heard for a long time there’s a labour shortage, but we don’t have anything companies. to quantify that,” Anderson said. “It’s a question that always comes up and, if there’s an “Kamloops is a place where the mining activity is very robust and the opportunity idea you can’t get labour, that’s a deterrent to potential investors.” to contract to major projects is here in Kamloops,” Anderson said.

Work on the survey is underway, with results set to be released in the fall.

“So, we’ve played to our strengths there and done a good job in attracting and

By Andrea Klassen KTW STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com

Did you know?

Kamloops This This Week Week PROGRESS PROGRESS 2015 2015 44 Kamloops

Report On The City

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

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Report On The City Mayor Peter Milobar and former Kamloops Chamber of Commerce president Aleece Laird headed downtown for a Chamber walkabout — a chance for local business owners to speak one-on-one with city councillors and chamber board members about business issues.

KTW file photo

Evolving engagement

By Andrea Klassen KTW STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com When Mayor Peter Milobar was first elected to office as a Kamloops city councillor 13 years ago, phone calls from residents were few and far between and emails rare.

These days, he’ll get 10 to 15 messages from the public per day.

“It’s just exponentially exploded,” Milobar said.

“So, we’re evolving.”

While the city’s budget meetings have made news for their low turnouts, both Milobar and city CAO David Trawin told KTW that’s not a sign of an uncaring population — but a sign that traditional public meetings aren’t always the best choice in modern times.

“I think most people, if you make

them go outside their regular work schedule or day, they’re not going to make it,” said Trawin.

“What we’ve tried to do, for example, is more stuff in the mall.”

Events at malls were a big component of the city’s last round of public consultation for its Official Community Plan update, as well as its urban agricultural plan.

In both cases, Trawin said the city not only had good turnouts, but was able to get feedback from residents who aren’t familiar faces at evening open houses and budget sessions.

Trawin said the city is also looking at putting up more passive displays of information around the city, as it’s done with plans for the Overlanders Bridge rehabilitations, which are posted at the front of City Hall and have attracted a number of interested residents who sometimes choose to take pictures of

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the designs on their phones to study at home.

Neighbourhood associations are another set of groups the city wants to work with more closely to identify local issues and get feedback on projects planned for their areas.

“I guess the mantra is fish where the fish are,” said Trawin. “Don’t try to get the fish to come to you.”

There’s also the grocery store factor — or the sports field, hockey rink or wherever else councillors and city staff spend their free time, Milobar said.

“Both councillors and staff are engaged in the community, we live here day in and day out, so you’re hearing stuff from people 365 days a year, from your own family to friends to people you just bump into at a grocery store,” he said.

“There’s a clinging to the concept that the public budget meeting is the

be-all, end-all and that’s the only thing to judge people’s awareness, or what’s going on in the community, or interest or engagement based on that night or those couple of nights. But it contrasts to the real world where we’re getting contacted by email and Facebook and Twitter constantly.”

Both Milobar and Trawin said city spending is the issue that tends to be top of mind for residents. This year, that will tie into another major public project: A performing arts centre the city hopes to hold a referendum on building some time this fall.

Once a consultant’s report is made public this spring, Milobar said the city will take more comment from residents to see what they think of the idea, and what tweaks might need to be made, before asking the public to vote on whether they’d like to see the project go ahead.

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Hit the ground running

Upcoming Chamber events

By Adam Williams KTW STAFF REPORTER adam@kamloopsthisweek.com

New strategic plan in hand, Kamloops Chamber of Commerce president Steve Earl is set for a year revolving around communication.

Earl, who took office on March 13, said one of his goals for the year is to make sure the Chamber is constantly connecting with its members to ensure their needs are met.

“An area that we talked about is, how do we make sure what we’re doing is really what our membership is looking for?” he said.

The answer, Earl said, will stem from being in constant contact with all of the Chamber’s 800-plus member businesses, ensuring what the organizations goals align with those they’re to serve.

The Chamber of Commerce revolves around three pillars of service: advocacy to all levels of government, money saving benefits (discounts on fuel, hotels, merchant services like point-of-sale machines) and networking and educational opportunities.

In that regard, Earl said he hopes to be able to continue building up from all of the groundworks laid by past presidents.

“We’re really well positioned,” he said.

The Chamber has a lot of momentum at the moment, following an extensive rebranding, a move to a new office space in recent years and the perennial success of its awards dinner.

But, the organization’s services extend beyond its members.

The better the Chamber does its job, the more vibrant the business community available to Kamloopsians.

And, regardless of the size of the

Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, past president, Aleece Laird (left) and executive director Deb McClelland helped give the Chamber momentum.

KTW File Photo

Did you know?

The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce is more than 100 years old.

It was founded in 1896, then called the Inland Board of Trade. The first president was a man named James McIntosh, who was known as “The King of Kamloops.”

The organization has undergone a number of name changes and rebrandings since then, becoming the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce (formerly the Greater Kamloops Chamber of Commerce) in 2013.

It purchased its own office space, at 615 Victoria Street, that same year. business, Earl has made it the organization’s goal to be of service.

“One of the areas that we talk about, too, as a focus when we look at members, is to make sure we have a focus on all levels,” said Earl, who

8 Week PROGRESS 2015 8 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

is also the general manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Kamloops.

“Whether you’re a small business, medium business or a large business, [ensuring] that were addressing the needs and concerns of all our members.”

• April 1 – Chamber Social hosted

by City of Kamloops, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Parkside Lounge at Interior Savings Centre • May 6 – Chamber Social hosted

by Y Dream Home, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Y Dream Home • May 7 – Chamber Luncheon celebrating BC Mining Week, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Thompson Rivers University’s Grand Hall, 900 McGill Rd. • May 8 – Leadercast Kamloops, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Coast Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre, 1250 Rogers Way • May 13 – Business Excellence Awards Nominations Open • May 29 – Chamber Quarterly Luncheon with Guest Speaker Darrell Jones, President of Overwaitea Food Group, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., location TBA • June 3 – Chamber Social hosted

by Privato Vineyard and Winery, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the winery, 5505 Westsyde Rd. • June 30 – Business Excellence Awards Nominations Close • July 8 – Chamber Social hosted

by Kamloops Innovation, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Kamloops Innovation, 348 Tranquille Rd. • August 5 – Chamber Social hosted by Kamloops Curling Club, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the club, 700 Victoria St. • Sept. 2 – Chamber Social hosted at Hotel 540, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hotel 540, 540 Victoria St. • Sept. 9 – Business Excellence Awards Finalists Announcement • Oct. 7 – Chamber Social hosted

by Sandman Signature, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sandman Signature, 225 Lorne St. • Oct. 18 to Oct. 24 – Small Business Week • Oct. 24 – Business Excellence Awards Gala Dinner, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Coast Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre, 1250 Rogers Way • Nov. 4 – Chamber Social hosted

by Stereo Warehouse, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Stereo Warehouse, 198 West Victoria St. • Dec. 2 – Chamber Social, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Dec. 11 – Corporate Christmas Luncheon, noon to 2 p.m.

Report On The City

Working Towards Sustainability Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations

On the Path to Sustainability In 2010, the City of Kamloops Sustainable

Economic sustainability would focus on building

The City’s busiest facility, the Tournament Capital

Kamloops Plan (SKP) was approved and set the

on our reputation as Canada’s Tournament Capital,

Centre, is currently Working Towards Zero Waste

stage for attaining true Environmental, Social and

facilitating a culturally and economically diverse

to divert 90% of their waste from the landfill.

Economic sustainability.

community, and promoting interesting, unique, and livable neighbourhoods.

At the time of the Plan’s development, Kamloops was already known as a great place to live. Access to great outdoor and indoor recreation, a growing university, diverse employment opportunities, and a small town atmosphere with some big city amenities helped to create an attractive place for both businesses and residents.

The list of achievements is long but there is much more to be done. Public interest and participation

Five years later, the City has made strides towards achieving the sustainability goals identified in the Plan.

on important initiatives is growing and the City is working to ensure the public is being heard. The City hosts forums on community planning, the budget and current initiatives such as urban forest management and the food and urban agriculture plan. Community associations and interest groups

Since 2010, the City reduced peak summer

are on the rise, there is more engagement and

demands for water by 28%.

the public wants to be part of the process.

local level, the community needed to address a

Community garden plots have increased by

To learn more about the Sustainable Kamloops

number of things including water consumption

40% to 315 plots, and provide an opportunity for

Plan and the measures of success that the City is

levels that were one of the highest in Canada on a

people to grow more of their food locally.

working towards, please visit

Like other communities, Kamloops was dealing with a host of local, regional, and global issues. At a

per capita basis and developing a transportation

www.kamloops.ca/sustainable.

infrastructure that would serve a growing

New bike lanes and pedestrian paths have been

population in challenging topography.

installed throughout the City to support alternative modes of travel and to promote an

To address social sustainability, Kamloops would

active lifestyle.

need to look at issues of homelessness, street crime, mental health, addictions, and transient

City owned properties now host six Electric

populations. On the environmental front, reducing

Vehicle Charging stations providing confidence

solid waste to increase the life of the landfill and

and certainty to the public to purchase zero

improving air quality became areas of concern.

emission vehicles to reduce their carbon footprint.

9 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

2014

KAMLOOPS

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People who attended public skates: es: 12,305 Trees in city parks and boulevards: vardss: 14,500 Total length of Kamloops’ trails: ls: 80 0 km Hours spent on city sports fields: ds: 24,338 2 00 Flowers planted in 2014: 54,000 Visits to Kenna Cartwright Park: k: 10 105,766 05,766 Visits to the TCC: 903,506 illion Total trips on public transit: 3.4 mi million Total HandyDART trips: 105,299 New business licences: 598 Businesses closed: 590 Parking tickets: 18,968 Parking tickets revenue: $219,950 Total parking revenue (meters, lots, s, etc): $1 $1.7 million Dogs impounded: 295 Kamloops Fire Rescue calls: 7,349 KFR medical calls: 3,657 KFR false alarms: 447 KFR elevator rescues: 13 KFR bomb threats: 6 Kamloops RCMP average daily prisoner count: 9.4 Total number of prisoners in 2014: 3,421 Kilometres of road swept, by lane: 1,410 Hours H spent repairing potholes: 5,600 Tonnes of waste dumped: 49,000 T Tonnes of material recycled: 10,000 T Number of fire hydrants: 2,309 N Litres L of water treated: 20.1 billion Length L of city’s water pipes: 614 km Regional Wildfires: 352 R H Hectares burned: 4,116

Report On The City

Government in time of instability This year is an important one for Kamloops and for Canada as a whole.

We face growing economic instability as a result of declining oil prices and increasing security threats to Canadians and their communities.

In spite of difficulties this imposes, our government will return to a balanced budget this year. We have accomplished this while avoiding cuts to major transfers to persons or to the provinces.

What we have done is reduced government departmental spending for three straight years — a trend that has not been observed in decades.

Before the recession,

CATHY MCLEOD, MP our government paid down $37 billion in debt, bringing Canada’s debt to its lowest level in 25 years.

Our fiscal responsibility and aggressive debt reduction placed Canada is the best possible position to weather the recession, and it is a plan that we will stick to now that we are returning to balanced budgets.

In regards to our

nation’s security, our government is working to provide Canadian law enforcement and national security agencies with the required tools and flexibility to keep pace with evolving threats and to better protect us here at home.

Legislatively we have ensured there are checks and balances to respect the rights of Canadians while securing our country’s institutions.

Whether it’s through numerous pieces of legislation, policy initiatives or increased funding, our government will continue to take all appropriate action to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests.

Here at home there are also a number of initiatives our government has been working on that will be important to our community in the upcoming year.

B.C. has recently been declared Canada’s leader in economic growth this year by the Conference Board of Canada and we continue to look at ways to improve this.

For example, the Minister of International Trade visited Kamloops this year to discuss Canada’s Global Markets Action Plan and its impact on our city.

We have worked to eliminate tariffs and provide preferential market access for B.C.

exports, including through the conclusion of negotiations of the Canada-European Union Trade Agreement and the conclusion of Canada’s first free-trade agreement in Asia, the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Healthcare has been another important issue here in Kamloops.

I was pleased to recently be named the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, a role which is a good fit with my professional background in health care.

During one of my first speeches, I addressed the Resident Doctors of Canada and encouraged them to consider a

practice in smaller communities across Canada.

As summer draws near, I look forward to the upcoming activities and festivals in Kamloops.

Last summer I was pleased to be among the top five busiest MPs in terms of government funding for various projects.

As we look to year ahead, both across the country and here at home, I am confident our government is protecting Kamloops and providing it with the support it needs to remain a vibrant and growing community.

Cathy McLeod is Conservative MP for KamloopsThompson-Cariboo.

EVOLVING ALONGSIDE KAMLOOPS

FOR OVER 50 YEARS

From the rough and tumble days of Tod Mountain to becoming Canada’s second largest ski area, we’re thrilled to remain the mountain playground for British Columbia’s friendliest city!

Photos: Adam Stein, Kelly Funk, Steve Riffel, Royce Sihlis

11 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015

Report on On Economic The City Development

Chief Shane Gottfriedson of the Tk’emlups Indian Band stands in his regalia on the TIB Powwow grounds.

KTW file photo

Busy year for TIB ahead of band elections

By Andrea Klassen KTW STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com While councillors in the city of Kamloops are just getting into the swing of their terms, it’s a different story on the Tk’emlups Indian Band (TIB) reserve, where Chief Shane Gottfriedson and his council are a year away from band elections.

It’s a packed last year, too, as the TIB looks to move forward on everything from a housing expansion to a commercial development that could someday host Kamloops’ second convention centre.

“We’ve grown a lot,” said Gottfriedson, now in his 12th year as chief.

“We’re not just a small mom-andpop, rinky-dink band office. I think we’re a multi-faceted corporation that looks at business, that looks at the social and economic conditions of our community.”

Of the band’s various projects is a redevelopment of the Chief Louis Centre, which is home to the TIB administrative offices and local school.

The band has already produced a conceptual design for the land, focusing on the portion of the reserve

straddling Highway 5 below Shuswap Road.

“We’ve got a lot of riverfront property that is attractive for commercial and possibly residential use, so we’d like to be able to attract the businesses that aren’t in Kamloops to bring more diversity for people,” Gottfriedson said.

The master plan for the centre includes shopping and office space on both sides of the highway, an expanded school field, artist studios, upgraded band offices and a riverfront hotel and convention centre. The latter the band hopes to build itself, with investment partners.

“There’s only one convention centre and that’s at the Coast,” Gottfriedson said. “I think Kamloops is big enough to have two groups and give it more of a competitive advantage.”

A feasibility study on the hotel project is underway, and much of the rest of the project is waiting on interested businesses. While the band has had talks with both American and local investors, so far nothing concrete has emerged.

“We’re open. It’s ready to go tomorrow if the right person came along,” Gottfriedson said.

A project to expand housing on the

12 Week PROGRESS 2015 12 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

reserve may be another year or two off, but is also moving along, Gottfriedson said, with plans drawn up by the council calling for a mix of rental and ownership projects.

The band also wants to improve on-reserve life by encouraging residents to walk and run with new walkways and streetlights.

“The traffic volumes now, with Kamloops growing and lots of traffic on the reserve, it’s a time now where we need to look at safety measures for our people who are living active lifestyles,” Gottfriedson said.

Rounding out the year are a facelift of the reserve’s historic St. Joseph’s Church and cosmetic improvements to the former residential school which now serves as band offices, and other community buildings.

The band is also working with the City of Kamloops on a redevelopment of the Tournament Capital Ranch.

Gottfriedson said the band plans to build a full-service RV park to complement the new exhibition grounds and destination water park the city is hoping to build at the site. As part of the plan, the city is looking at renaming the park from Softball City to a traditional name recognizing the Tk’emlups presence in the area.

TIB to hold vote on Ajax Another project will loom large for Tk’emlups Indian Band members this year: the proposed Ajax copper and gold mine.

Chief Shane Gottfriedson said the band is moving ahead with its plan to hold a community vote on the mine by hosting a series of community meetings on the project.

Staff from Ajax proponent KGHM have met with the band and Gottfriedson said turnout was impressive.

“They were asking the tough questions, and I’m actually very happy about the level of questions and concerns our people had for the land and the environment,” he said. “Our people are very educated, very forward-thinking.”

The band plans to bring in other experts as well, beyond KGHM staff, before a vote on whether to lend support to the project located south of Aberdeen.

“Our process is we’ve got to give our people as much information as possible,” Gottfriedson said.

Report On The City Join the TRU Sports Task Force!

CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF GROWTH AND SUCCESS The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack celebrates its 10th year in Canada West and CIS play in 2015-16. The WolfPack have enjoyed a lot of success and national recognition as they put the capper on year number nine.

After years of improving, the ‘Pack basketball teams both made the playoffs again in 2014-15. The women’s program under the direction of Canada West coach of the year Scott Reeves captured the “Explorer Division” title going 18-2. Three members of that team were honored by being named league all-stars. Jorri Duxbury (Salmon Arm, BC) was a second team selection, Taiysa Worsfold (Kamloops, BC) was chosen for the third all-star team while Michelle Bos (Surrey, BC) was a Canada West Rookie of the Year (third time in school history) and named to the CIS All Rookie team (the second time in school history that its happened).

The men’s program, coached by Scott Clark finished third in the “Explorer Division” in the regular season and qualified for a second straight playoffs.”

For the first time in school history: both teams hosted Canada West playoff series. The WolfPack men swept Winnipeg in a ‘play in’ series. They went three games in the quarterfinal series before bowing out in Saskatchewan.

The WolfPack women hosted Victoria and lost in three games: all of them being close and one: game two which was won by TRU went to overtime.

TRU’s volleyball program made some noise both on a league stage but also nationally. Brad Gunter (Courtenay, BC) was named a CIS All-Canadian for the second straight year. This was a major accomplishment because he missed most of the first half of the season with an injury. He was also named the Sport BC “University Athlete of the Year”. He helped the ‘Pack make the Canada West playoffs for a second year by winning eight matches in a row.

Iuliia Pakhomenko (Donetsk, Ukraine) became the first TRU women’s player to be named a CIS all-star. She was named to the second team. Under the direction of Chad Grimm, the WolfPack women ended a 44 match winless streak and notched 10 victories. The future for the program is extremely bright.

Soccer, Cross Country and the new swim program all moved into Canada West. Soccer had some growing pains while cross country and swimming had some success in their inaugural campaign.

The TRU Baseball program continues to be strong. They went to Spring Training in Arizona in February and had their best showing ever as they went .500 against tough U.S. competition. They search for their fourth Canadian Collegiate Baseball Conference championship beginning in mid-March with their home opener set for March 28 th against Okanagan College.

All TRU student/athletes continue to make inroads in the community.

Kamloops has responded by continuing to increase the WolfPack’s home game attendance at the TCC, Hillside and Norbrock Stadiums.

To check out the WolfPack and learn where to purchase tickets, visit

www.gowolfpack.tru.ca.

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250.377.6116 gowolfpack.tru.ca 13 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Leilani Vanderydt wants to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a builder. Her family was among the large group that recently gathered to kick off the start of Kamloops’ latest Habitat For Humanity home now underway in Westsyde.

KTW file photo

Market momentum

Real estate expected to be better this year

By Adam Williams KTW STAFF REPORTER adam@kamloopsthisweek.com Last year may have been slow for the Kamloops real-estate market, but early indications are 2015 will be a more positive season.

“We didn’t have the best year last year,” said Ingrid Pfeiffer, president of the Kamloops and District Real Estate Association.

In part because of poor weather, the Kamloops and area real-estate market started off 2014 slow.

“But, the sales momentum from the second half of 2014 seems to have continued into the new year.”

Pfeiffer said the Tournament

More information: • Outgoing president — Ingrid Pfeiffer • Incoming president — Cyndi Crossley • January 2015 sales — 119 units • Average sale price January 2015 — $331,000, up 12 per cent from 2014 • 391 new listings in January 2015 • Total value of all properties sold — $43.4 million, up 11.5 per cent from 2014

Capital had 119 residential sales in January of 2015, an improvement of 3.5 per cent over January of 2014.

And, though the median price of sales was on the higher end this January, Pfeiffer said Kamloops is still a relatively friendly market for first-time homeowners, with the preponderance of sales coming in the

14 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

$280,000 to $320,000 range.

“It’s going to be important to see what happens in the next few months,” she said.

“Maybe some advanced buying, with the great interest rates, and the lower oil price is maybe a benefit for the consumer.

“But, it’s really hard because it has

all just happened. As I said, the next few months will give a better sign of what’s exactly going on.”

The Kamloops communities of North Kamloops, Westsyde and Brocklehurst all saw growth in 2014, Pfeiffer said, a trend that shows Kamloops home-buyers are looking to purchase in areas where they’re able to get more for their dollar.

More of the same is expected in the future, though, as the outgoing president said, predictions are just that.

“It’s really hard to say because it has just been one month, January,” Pfeiffer said.

“The good thing is, we’re starting off right — in a positive way.”

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PROGRESS 2015

Report on On Economic The City Development

Passengers line up and prepare to head through security at the Kamloops Airport.

KTW file photo

Airport continuing decade of growth

By Cam Fortems KTW STAFF REPORTER cam@kamloopsthisweek.com Kamloops Airport has seen a doubling in passengers in 10 years, along with an additional major carrier and new destination added last month.

That growth, said airport manager Fred Legace, has continued with a hitch felt only in 2010 and 2011, the aftermath of the Great Recession, when passenger numbers dipped slightly. Otherwise growth in passengers and the aircraft to fly them has continued unabated over the past decade.

The growth a decade ago came from a recovering economy, while competitive factors took over beginning in 2008, when new arrival WestJet brought lower fares to Fulton Field.

“Fare levels really started dropping and that encouraged more passengers.”

A decade ago, the airport was home to Air Canada’s regional service Jazz, as well as Central Mountain Air with its flight to Prince George.

Those air carriers transported about 152,000 passengers coming and going to Kamloops Airport.

In 2014, the number of passengers reached 313,000.

“We’ve seen the situation with Air Canada and WestJet become a peaceful co-existence,” said Legace.

“Their fares are not markedly different. The next thing to compete on is the schedule. People want to 16 Week PROGRESS 2015 16 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

fly when it’s convenient for them.”

The two carriers are competing on schedule, with Air Canada’s regional service offering four flights daily and WestJet another two. Central Mountain Air retains its daily service to Prince George.

Another major change from 2004 is the composition of passenger traffic. Legace estimates that, 10 years ago, business travel made up 60 per cent of passengers. Today, tourists and the “visiting friends and relatives” segment makes up the 60 per cent of the pie.

Legace credits work of Tourism Kamloops and its marketing focus, particularly on the golf side.

“They’ve got a co-ordinated message and they’re getting out to the right places.”

In order to continue its double-digit growth pattern, Kamloops Airport is constantly seeking new carriers and flights. The City of Kamloops wants more flights along with more use of industrial land at Fulton Field owned by municipal taxpayers.

Ken Christian, the city councillor who is president of Kamloops Airport Authority Society, said the airport lands are sometimes overlooked in discussion of city assets. Under an agreement with YVR Vantage Airports Ltd., the city gets half of airport net income, which it sets aside for capital improvements.

One of them — a proposed $7-million runway repaving — is looming. That major project will require federal funding and extension of the airport

improvement fee paid by passengers. That money is current going to terminal upgrades. Kamloops Airport was also required to get “back in the fire game,” Christian said, after originally servicing the airport from the nearby Brock firehall.

On the revenue side, a recent lease was signed with Executive Flight Centre, which provides fuelling and other services. Christian said the city has improved utility services so it can offer more leases on airport lands. Potential customers include avionics and aircraft painting firms.

“We really should be marketing that aspect.”

While the growth on the passenger side is enviable, Fulton Field is experiencing new turbulence in the form of declining oil prices and corresponding loss of jobs in Northern Alberta’s tar sands. Until two months ago, a charter flight left Fulton Field once a week to take workers to the Kearl Lake project.

Kamloops Airport also saw a drop in passenger numbers in the first month of the year, something attributed to layoffs in the oil patch.

That decline happened simultaneous to the start of WestJet’s long-planned daily flight to Edmonton, a service in part intended to cater to fly-in, fly-out camp workers.

But, Legace believes, growing ski and golf business can take up slack created by loss of flights by oil workers to Alberta’s capital.

Report On The City

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17 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Glen Grant has seen many changes to the BC Wildlife Park since he began at the park 18 years ago. This year, the park celebrates its 50th anniversary.

KTW file photo

50 years of park life

By Jessica Wallace KTW STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com Glen Grant remembers the first Wildlights festival.

The inaugural winter light experience at the BC Wildlife Park coincided with the general manager’s first year working at the park.

It was lit up by about 100,000 lights that year and powered by diesel generators.

“We used old, seven-watt lightbulbs which were energy guzzlers,” Grant said.

Eighteen years later, about 600,000 LED lights line the park trails, make for creative animal-themed displays and entertain more than 16,000 visitors along with an interactive laser show.

It has become an annual event for the park, drawing visitors to the east end of the Tournament Capital during the slower winter months.

This past season, the park pulled in about $180,000 — a good season, Grant said, and money it relies on as part of its approximately $1.5-million annual operating budget.

“Our special events actually bring in about 30 per cent of our annual attendance,” Grant said, noting Easter and Halloween activities also contribute to that number.

Added to the list of special events this year, the 18 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

park is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The doors open by donation — the way the park formerly charged for admission — on March 29, to mark the milestone.

Education, activities and more kick off a busy season at the park, which usually begins around Spring Break.

Also this year, Clover the Kermode bear moves into his newly completed home — a $750,000 project partially funded by the City of Kamloops, complete with a denning building, fencing, hot wires, two pools and a river.

The rare black bear, also known as a Spirit Bear, came to the park in October 2012, after he became habituated to humans and attempts to relocate him in the wild failed.

The bear would have typically been destroyed if not for its blonde coat.

Clover awakes from hibernation in mid- to lateMarch and will find his new home in the park around that time.

“The biggest challenge was getting the money,” Grant said.

The city chipped in $250,000 in 2014, with another $150,000 in 2015 from city reserves received from the provincial government’s gambling revenues.

The rest of the funding for the project comes from private and corporate funding.

Clover will live in the 2.5-acre habitat alone for now, with the long-term goal being to introduce other black bears into the pen.

Late last year, the park also received two Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep — one male, from the Calgary Zoo, and one female, from the Valley Zoo in Edmonton.

The park was already home to two female California Bighorn Sheep but Grant said the Rocky Mountain breed was desired to better represent animals native to the area.

He is hoping to see baby bighorns running around the park later this year.

“They’ll be in a mating program to build up a herd,” Grant said.

“We’d like to get the herd up to about eight.”

That will take a few years, he said, but meantime, the park’s grizzly bears — Dawson and Knute — will be four years of age this year.

Grant said they are acting like healthy teenagers.

“They’re growing like crazy,” he said, noting the male is 400 pounds and should grow to be 700 or 800 pounds.

They are “doing an awful lot of digging,” Grant said, and have been moving tree stumps and boulders.

“They’re starting to learn how strong they are.”

The park is at 9077 Dallas Dr. For more information, go online to bczoo.org.

Report On The City

Making the responsible and sustainable choice.

RiverFresh is a delicious rare find making a big splash in Kamloops by providing the only locally caught salmon products in the region.

RiverFresh holds the only commercial salmon fisheries license in Kamloops mloops Lake and the Thompson River. We work closely with local First Nations communities to plan our fishing where we selectively harvest sockeye and chinook salmon. Only the strongest returning salmon stocks are targeted leaving the weaker ones alone to complete their life cycle. Endangered coho and rainbow trout are released unharmed and live. RiverFresh strives to provide locally harvested products that raise the bar for conservation, sustainability, traceability and quality.

After selectively harvesting the salmon they are immediately iced and transported in refrigerated trucks to federally inspected processing facilities where they are made into fillets, steaks and several smoked and candied products. Most of our products are quick frozen, vacuum packed with bones removed for your convenience and safety, and all RiverFresh products are Ocean Wise certified. Other ready-to-serve products available include smoked salmon sealed in convenient gold foil travel pouches which preserve the freshness and flavours.

Travel pouches are shelf stable for five years, require no refrigeration until opened and can be shipped almost anywhere in the world. The local Secwepemc coyote legends and authentic art work on each package make them ideal as gifts for friends and family.

RiverFresh Wild BC Salmon products are available year round at great prices in Kamloops at our retail store, 680 Athabasca Street West near the Red Bridge and at the Kamloops Farmers’ Market. Support Local, support RiverFresh Wild BC Salmon!

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19 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015

Report On on Economic The City Development

It’s expected to be a busy year of construction in the Tournament Capital, with projects on the go all over the city.

An active year ahead

By Adam Williams KTW STAFF REPORTER adam@kamloopsthisweek.com Matt McCurrach and the Central Interior chapter of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association are expecting builders and tradespeople to be busy throughout Kamloops in 2015.

McCurrach, the president of the Interior chapter of the CHBA and operations manager of Homex Development Corportation, said there will be a lot of projects on the go, in all areas of the Tournament Capital.

“It’s going to be a fairly active year,” he said. “It has been forecast for a few years now by CMHC [Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation] that this would be a busy year and, judging by the amount of permits that went into the City at the end of last year, I think that’s going to come true.

“You’re going to see, probably, a variety again of multi-family and single-family builds, in all areas of the city.”

He noted that while lots of multi-family dwellings are starting up, or are about to start, single-family homes are still popping up in communities like 20 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week Week PROGRESS PROGRESS 2015 2015 20

KTW file photo

Major projects for companies around Kamloops • Granite Developments – A 73-unit single-family-home subdivision going up in Pineview; a single family house in Juniper Ridge; a multi-unit site (40 duplexes) in Juniper Ridge on Qu’Appelle Blvd.

• A&T Developments – Two single-family homes on Emerald Drive in Juniper Ridge, finishing Coldwater Terrace (a bare-land strata development, mostly single-family homes, 10 on the go for this year) • Fulcrum Developments – Multi-family dwellings, 1325 Aberdeen Drive • Orchard Walk – Senior housing, 193 units in total; Phase 103, ready in 18 months • Homex Development Corp. – Ora Bella, a 30-unit townhouse development, Hidden Trails in Dufferin • Craftsman Ventures – 17 multi-family homes, The Villa, Van Horne; 16 lots, Stone Ridge, Benchlands • DW Builders – 24 multi-family homes, Pacific Ridge Estate, Aberdeen • Lanes End Homes Ltd. – 14 townhouses, Spring Hill

Juniper, Pineview, Batchelor and Westsyde.

Builders are on the positive end of what was a mild winter, which McCurrach said has allowed the momentum of the second-half of 2014 to continue through to 2015.

He added that, traditionally, if crews are busy during winter, they’re expected to continue to be so through the spring, summer and fall seasons.

“People are further ahead today than they should have been and a lot of that’s due to the

weather,” McCurrach said.

Also on the radar for McCurrach and the CHBA in 2015 are changes to B.C.’s building code, which came info effect with the new year.

He said the organization is still diving into the new guidelines laid out in the code and how it will impact builders and consumers. It is expected the changes will increase costs for builders and, in turn, consumers, as homes will require more materials and labour to be built to code.

Report On The City

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for been nominated essman who has sin to bu e y nu cit nti a co n, ll so David Kamloops Kia wi Owned by Steve awards, the new g No s nin es joi sin , bu . ne s Ju les rou in hic en d services ve and won nume scheduled to op rship that sells an ess initiatives Kamloops Kia is more than a deale e and other busin be b Tir Ti The brand new n dia na solutions Ca a renovated Street in North r clients, offering Limits Fitness, s turned Eighth blem-solver for ou h. ha pro hig at a th too y ain bit nc rem a ra ll ts vib your paymen Kamloops Kia wi in adding to the or small or when shopping area. big se er too div is a r o ca int ur yo when Kamloops rvice, re me smiles and se enough to ensu ll remain small w and old, the sa wi that ne a rs, Ki ise lue ec me ps va pr sto oo d so cu ml an l Ka ll offer ation, selection ention to detai Staff at the new Kamloops Kia wi service, with att st and y of comfort, innov d tru wa ze on ali the ilt on in rs bu re pe ily mo continued but so much do form a fam employees truly customers and added features. d iPa an to e stomer loung respect. cable TV in our cu re willl stomers’ pets to ily — the new sto fam d de ten ex From treats for cu ’s Kia or service. iPads for use by you visit for sales desk with multiple ay from home as aw me ho ur yo certainly be

The right parts at the right price with the right t and all at the right place — Kamloops Kia. The service department will be larger and stateof-the-art in technology, with eight bays and techs using the the latest

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21 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report on On Economic The City Development

Living festival life

By Jessica Wallace KTW STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com

Festivals bring life to the city during slow season, encourage repeat visitors and keep residents in our backyard, according to Tourism Kamloops.

The Cowboy Festival in March celebrated its 19th year in the Tournament Capital.

The four-day event, which features live performances, workshops and activities all with a Cowboy theme, draws in an average 4,000 to 5,000 people each year.

“The biggest percentage of our audience comes from Alberta,” said Marc McMillan, festival chairman and B.C. Cowboy Heritage Society president.

This year, the festival welcomed the return of a popular harmonica workshop, but McMillan said the festival is not just for those looking for country music and cowboy boots.

The event is geared at families, with proceeds donated to promote and preserve cowboy heritage in B.C. “Any funds that are made go toward the B.C. Cowboy Hall of Fame,” McMillan said.

Another winter festival found success this year, selling out faster than previous years.

The Sun Peak’s Winter Okanagan Wine Festival highlights various food and wine events throughout the village for 10 days, with a focus on B.C. wines.

This year’s events included a grilled cheese sandwich wine pairing and

Ribfest will hit Riverside Park again this summer, from Aug. 7 to Aug. 9 .

KTW file photo

its flagship event, a progressive wine tasting.

Brandi Schier, media-relations specialist for Tourism Sun Peaks, said

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this year’s festival sold 95 per cent out to all 20 events.

“We also had a couple of brand new events that were among the first events

to sell out which shows our guests’ appetite for new and exciting cuisine and wine pairings,” Shier said.

During summer months, TheatreBC draws thespians and audiences from throughout the province with Destination MainStage.

More than 60 clubs compete for a chance to perform at Sagebrush Theatre for the annual provincial theatre festival, which lands in the River City from July 4 to July 11.

Also returning to the stage this summer, is the annual theatre festival in Prince Charles Park, X Fest.

Artist directors Heather Cant and Melissa Thomas bring the Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and the Shakespeare Show to the park during its 10th anniversary.

It takes place from July 13 to Aug. 1.

Rounding out the festival lineup this summer are the Kamloopa Powwow, which takes place from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3, and Ribfest, from Aug. 7 to Aug. 9, which will likely see an increased partnership with Hot Night in the City this year and a dragon boat festival.

“We’re trying to give them an expanded entertainment option,” said Bryce Herman, sub-chair of Ribfest.

The event supports the Kamloops Daybreak Rotary club and Herman expects to see similar numbers to last year’s event — around 60,000 unique visitors.

Tourism Kamloops said events like these, which occur throughout the summer, not only draw people into the city but also encourage Kamloops residents to stay.

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Report On The City

Celebrating 100 YEARS

OF GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Our History Proudly local, for a century, We are celebrating our 100th birthday this March.

Born out of a small single store operation a century ago, the Overwaitea Food Group (OFG) has grown to become Canada’s largest western-based food store chain.

Our solid reputation for Unique service excellence and innovation can be traced back to the early days. In March of 1915, the first OFG store opened on Columbia Street in New Westminster, BC. The competitive concept was simple: give customers more for their money.

A winning combination of local value, personalized service and inventive merchandising techniques delighted customers with value-added extras like receiving 18 ounces of tea for the price of 16, a practice that earned the store its name, the “OverWeight-Tea” store.

Now a century later, The Overwaitea Food Group, Save On Foods and Coopers Foods stays true to our roots by keeping close to customers and community, leading the way in the West with innovation and local value - that’s the OFG tradition.

e Unique Customer Servicng

LARRY BERTONCINI Larry Bertoncini has 10 years experience as a franchise operator for Coopers Foods and 20 years as a owner/operator.

outrageously positive shoppi We want our customers to have an r our stores. experience every single time they ente each Positive Attitudes and the belief that CUSTOMER FIRST is based on nce. erie exp r’s ome cust the to rence one of us can and must make a diffe

T service involves recognizing and Giving UNIQUE CUSTOMER FIRS to expectations and sincerely trying understanding changing customer exceed to g bein l goa the s of service provide the highest possible standard rs’ expectations. customers

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Bill has 35 years of service with Overwaitea Food Group, working in 4 locations and 2 communities.

Dan has 38 years of service with the Overwaitea Food Group, all over the mainland and on Vancouver Island.

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Lisa has 26 years of service with Overwaitea Food Group, working in 15 locations and many communities.

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

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Advice. Finance. Results.

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Whether you’re looking to start a new business, buy an existing one, or expand; Community Futures Thompson Country (CFTC) knows that it’s not always apples to apples. They recognize that not all business ideas are the same and that is why they specialize in taking a grassroots hand ds-o approach to supporting their clients. hands-on success of your business requires professional advice and their The suc su does more than just provide capital through its loans program. staff do recent A recen n Western Economic Diversification (2014) report said that your business is more likely to succeed with Community Futures than without busines assistance! assistan

David Arsenault General Manager

•

Employment Growth – Community Futures assisted firms grew by an average of 9.5% Em annually compared to 4.2% for non-assisted firms. ann

•

Business Survival Rate – Community Futures assisted firms were 76% more likely to B survive after 5 years following start-up compared to 60% for non-assisted comparable firms.

•

Revenue Growth – Community Futures assisted firm’s outperformed comparable firms in terms of sales growth.

As a leader in Small Business Loans and Community Economic Development, Community Futures has built a solid reputation in turning business ideas into business successes.

Contact Community Futures and make sense of your apples and oranges!

Great ideas can be tomorrow’s new businesses, contact us at:

Community Futures Thompson Country 230 - 301 Victoria St. Kamloops, BC, V2C 2A3 250.828.8772 or 1.877.335.2950 info@communityfutures.net www.communityfutures.net Supported by Western Economic Diversification Canada

Diversification de l’économie de l’Ouest Canada

Growing communities one idea at a time #230 - 301 Victoria St. Kamloops, BC V2C 2A3 Phone: 250-828-8772 Toll-free: 1-877-335-2950

info@communityfutures.net • www.communityfutures.net

24 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Report on Economic Development Report On The City

Celebrating the arts

2015 a milestone year for the arts community

By Jessica Wallace KTW STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com It’s a year of milestones for the Kamloops arts community.

Western Canada Theatre (WCT) is turning 40 and will pay tribute to those who have gone through the organization in the last four decades — teachers, students, staff and others — throughout its 2015-2016 season.

It kicks off at the end of March and will again feature five main-stage shows, two Pavilion Theatre shows, the HighWire Festival and two family shows.

Meanwhile, another theatre group, Project X Theatre, is celebrating 10 years of summer theatre in the city.

Since 2006, it has drawn more than 17,000 people to X Fest, the group’s annual theatre festival held in Prince Charles Park.

This year, artistic producers Melissa Thomas and Heather Cant bring two family-friendly productions, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and The Shakespeare Show, to the park from July 13 to Aug. 1.

Kamloops Symphony Orchestra will be celebrating a different kind of anniversary — that of its staff.

General manager Kathy Humphreys and music director Bruce Dunn have each worked for the organization for 25 years.

While the community highlights these milestones, other groups continue to celebrate arts and culture in the Tournament Capital year-round.

Music will return to city green spaces this summer with help, again,

from Henry Small.

Music in the Park’s free nightly performances by local, national and international musicians take place at the Rotary Bandshell beginning on Canada Day through to the end of August.

It plays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Across the river, music will also return to McDonald Park on Fridays to round out the program.

Meanwhile, in downtown Kamloops, the Kamloops Museum and Archives is buzzing with activity this year.

Its newspaper digitization project — which sees historical newspapers in the TNRD restored and archived — will go online this summer.

Museum supervisor Julia Cyr is also hoping for upgrades within the museum, such as a new permanent gallery, mixed-media technology, as well as improvements to the exterior of the building, which is located at the corner of Second Avenue and Seymour Street.

The museum will continue to feature its spring and fall exhibits, as well as summer walking tours.

“There’s a lot happening,” Cyr said.

Down the road, the Kamloops Art Gallery will continue with programming tailored to its exhibits throughout the year but, with a specific focus on engaging youth.

“We’re doing well at making programs that appeal to children and appeal to adults,” said the gallery’s education and public programs co-ordinator Emily Hope. “We haven’t yet figured out how to to create a program that’s interesting to youth.”

Upcoming exhibits at the gallery

Peter Hide’s After Rome was a joint venture betwen a number of arts groups.

KTW file photo

include: Ideas and Things from March 28 to June 13, a mixed-medium exhibit featuring the work of five artists and based on every day objects and, later in the year, an exhibit called Custom Made, focused on contemporary First Nations artwork.

The festival circuit will bring the Kamloops Cowboy Festival from March 12 to March 15, Theatre BC’s Destination MainStage festival from July 4 to July 11, the Kamloopa Powwow from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3 and Ribfest from Aug. 7 to Aug. 9.

25 Week PROGRESS 2015 25 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

“All you could want!” …great reviews like this make the Best Western PLUS Kamloops Hotel’s General Manager Tim Rodgers and his team happy, because it’s what they aim to do every day: ensure each guest has a great experience and returns again.

“Before staying with us, our guests do their research,” say Rodgers. “They’re on hotel rating websites seeing what others say. So when our guests share their positive experience, that’s our reward. It means we’ve done our job.”

The accommodation industry is one of the most competitive industries, the Best Western PLUS Kamloops continues to make upgrades to a property built only a few years ago. “We’re expanding our breakfast room and have successfully added both new HD channels to our TV lineup and individual WiFi to each room.” The hotel also continues to win both industry awards and accolades from happy guests.

“We compete for guests and are constantly striving to be one of the best,” says Rodgers. “It’s great to have our guests tell us that we are.”

Each Best Western® hotel is independently owned and operated. ©2015 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved.

660 Columbia St. West, Kamloops, BC

877.302.7878

877.302.7878 bestwesternkamloops.ca Each Best Western® hotel is independently owned and operated. ©2015 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved.

149

$

95

Includes accommodation at the Include Best Weste Western Hotel, 2 adult and 2 child admission packages and Continental breakfast Ends June 31, 2015

B.C. WILDLIFE PARK

2015 special events

March 29th April 3 ,4, 5, 6 April 4 May 10th May 16, 17, 18 June 21st June 27th August 3rd August 29th October 23, 24, 25, 30 December 11th to January 3rd

The British Columbia Wildlife Park continues its tradition of offering its guests a variety of “special” wildlife oriented experiences during 2015. Daily guests will learn about BC’s varied and untamed wildlife through regularly scheduled animal encounters. Be entertained by some very famous and new to the Park entertainers including Bobs and Lolo, Vancouver Aquarium’s AquaVan and Uncle Chris the Clown, our Magician Clinton W. Gray and Tadaa Lady during this year’s extensive special events schedule.

The whole family is sure to discover that with regards to wildlife “It’s all happening at the BC Wildlife Park!”

50th Anniversary Community Appreciation Day Easter Eggs-citement Event Vancouver Aquarium AquaVan Mother's Day Victoria Day Weekend Prostate Cancer Run End of School - Special Animal Encounter Day BC Bears Day & Teddy Bear Picnic The Great Summer Finale Boo at the Zoo Wildlights Festival

Uncle Chris the Clown Uncle Chris the Clown Clinton W. Gray & Uncle Chris the Clown The Ta Daa Lady & Nylon Zoo Bobs and Lolo Uncle Chris the Clown Uncle Chris the Clown

The British Columbia Wildlife Park is located 15 minutes east of Kamloops (exit 390 & 391 on the Trans Canada Highway) For more information please phone 250.573.3242 or visit our website at: www.bczoo.org

26 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Action for t • The “Wildest” Birth he kids! day Parties • Kids Camps throu gho • Home Hardware Fa ut the year m • Wildlife Express M ily Farm iniature Train • Free Flying birds of Prey daily show • Splash Park • Zippity Zoo Zone Playground For more informat contact 250-573-3 ion please email bookings@24b2 ext 226 or czoo.org

Report On The City

KAMLOOPS 2015 marks Tourism Kamloops’ 10th Anniversary!

OUR MANDATE

ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

We lead all external tourism marketing of Kamloops as a destination on behalf of the City of Kamloops, Kamloops accommodation industry, and tourism stakeholders.

We work in partnership with all relevant stakeholders to lead strategic and results based tourism marketing initiatives with the goal of increasing tourism revenues, extending overnight stays and providing an exceptional tourism experience.

We continue to seek new engagement opportunities in the community to support our stakeholders, and our Visitor Centre team does a remarkable job welcoming visitors to our beautiful city. Engagement initiatives for 2015 include:

OUR STRATEGIC VISION 2014 - 2017 •

Increasing visitation to the city focusing on overnight stays.

•

Increasing average length of stay and daily expenditures.

•

Remaining a healthy and competitive tourism destination.

•

Collaborating with industry partners to realize opportunities and integrate strategies.

•

Endeavoring to be the destination of choice for targeted visitors.

•

Communicating with all partners to understand the value of tourism.

•

Leading in delivering innovative and accessible visitor services for Kamloops.

•

City-Wide Event Services Support: Visitor Centre team supports local events by providing off-site visitor services at various events like Ribfest and Overlander Days which continues in 2015 and beyond.

•

Sport Tourism Partnerships: Continued support for the City’s “Canada’s Tournament Capital” brand. Our sport tourism engagement strategy focuses on linking sport organizers to the hospitality industry to deliver an exceptional sport tourism experience to visiting athletes and their families. Priority remains on encouraging return visits to Kamloops at a future date.

•

Meetings Market Support: Last year, meetings hosted in our city represented $17,198,800 in revenues to the Kamloops economy from estimated visitor expenditures. The numbers continue to increase, as does our focus on supporting and connecting meeting organizers to the hospitality industry to assist in the delivery of an outstanding delegate experience.

LEE MORRIS

MONICA DICKINSON

LISA STRACHAN

ANN EPPINGER

GARY ALDUS

Chief Executive Officer

Destination Marketing Manager Communications

Manager - Trade, Meeting + Sport

Visitor Centre Manager

Destination Marketing Manager

1290 West Trans Canada Hwy, Kamloops 250-372-8000 | tourismkamloops.com

#EXPLOREKAMLOOPS

27 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 2015 PROGRESS

Report On on The Economic Report City Development understand these adjustments take time. But, we’d like to see a longer-term debate strongly toward “aWe competitive tax rate.”

— Bonny Skene, Domtar Corp. spokeswoman

Heavy industry gunning for better taxes

By Cam Fortems KTW STAFF REPORTER cam@kamloopsthisweek.com The loss of Arclin from Kamloops will only worsen a longstanding beef from the city’s heavy industry taxpayers.

Arclin Performance Applied announced earlier this month it will close its plant, laying off seven employees. That employee base is a fraction of the number at its peak.

Arclin’s contribution of about $120,000 in city taxes is tiny in comparison to Domtar Corp.’s $6-million bill. But, loss of the operation will only

exacerbate what industrial users say are punitively high taxes in Kamloops.

Bonny Skene, a spokeswoman with Domtar, said the three remaining heavy-industrial firms are paying a share of the tax load in Kamloops that is too high.

While city council froze the industrial rate in 2014 and will likely do so this year, the tax class wants a tax break. That frozen rate prevented an extra $250,000 share on industrial users last year.

The users have provided information to the city showing its industrial tax rate is double the provincial average. Together, Domtar, Tolko Industries Ltd and Lafarge Canada are home to nearly 700 direct jobs.

“Kamloops stands out as the exception — that’s what we need to address,” Skene said.

Kamloops council’s solution was to annex New Afton mine, placing it inside city limits and adding another heavy hitter to the municipality’s industrial tax class. But, the proposal has become bogged down by opposition from Tk’emlups and Skeetchestn Indian bands.

Even if successful, the tax lift to the city would be phased-in; the three corporations want relief now.

Domtar pays 90 per cent of the share.

“We understand these adjustments take time,” Skene said. “[But] we’d like to see a longer-term debate strongly toward a competitive tax rate.”

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Their friendly staff are up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies in flooring, and they are able to answer any questions you may have. In store, they offer great customer service and strive to be approachable and friendly. Let them help you achieve your expectations as you tackle your new build or renovation project.

Since 1999, they have installed over 1,000,000 square feet of flooring in Kamloops and the surrounding area — that’s the equivalent of almost 20 football fields!

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Ninety percent of the products that they carry are made right here in North America. They are sponsors of The Sunshine Foundation: Dreams for Kids, and have supported many community causes including Royal Inland Hospital, Western Canada Theatre, and New Life Mission to name a few.

Marcel proudly states, “Our city is the Tournament Capital of Canada.

Our University, Thompson River University, is second to none. Great golf courses, hot summers, and most of all, fantastic people who you can just walk up to and have a conversation with. The community is honestly one of the most amazing things we have ever been a part of and we’re proud to live and work here.”

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28 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015 28 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Report on Economic Development Report On The City

City council’s decision to annex New Afton mine, its remnants pictured, has become bogged down by opposition from the Tk’emlups and Skeetchestn Indian bands.

KTW file photo

We’re committed to quality work on time delivery • Structural Steel • Platework • Miscellaneous Metal • Hoppers • Conveyors

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• Metal Preparation & Painting • Modular Fabrication • Roto Blasting • Constructability Reviews • Plasma Cutting

We Process in Kamloops for Immediate Service

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405 Mount Paul Way - Kamloops 250-374-1074 • Toll Free 1-800-316-1074 29 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Significant projects completed It is always a pleasure to contribute to KTW’s Progress each year, although I can scarcely believe another year has gone by.

Someone once told me that life was like a roll of toilet paper — the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!

It has been a very eventful year throughout the world with falling oil prices that impact our national economic picture and a falling Canadian dollar that has a mixed effect on our economy but is generally positive for the natural resource industry that is very important to Kamloops.

Provincially, as we produce little oil, the

TERRY LAKE, MLA

low world price means savings for business, government and families in the form of lower fuel costs.

It may have a slight dampening effect on decisions around potential liquefied natural gas investment in B.C., but I am very confident this industry will indeed develop as energy prices have a

history of returning to their higher levels.

In Kamloops, we have seen some significant and very important investments come to completion, in the example of the NorKam Trades and Training Centre and a substantial start on the Royal Inland Hospital Clinical Services building.

We have our first cohort of six young family practice residents training in Kamloops and we hope they will consider practising in our region upon graduation.

The unique distributed learning model of physician training at UBC has demonstrated that doctors trained outside

of the Lower Mainland often choose to stay in the area, alleviating the challenge of physician supply in more rural areas.

The KamloopsThompson Division of Family Practice GP4Me program is another initiative to help meet the demand for primary care services in our region.

The division is doing excellent work in their effort to assist physicians in office management and in connecting to patients so they can provide continuity of care.

The new agreement between the government and the Doctors of BC will also help

connect primary care to hospital care and provide an opportunity to recruit and retain needed specialists like anesthetists and dermatologists.

Of course, another provincial process affecting Kamloopsians is the pending application

by KGHM for the Ajax mine near the southwest corner of our city.

The Environmental Assessment Office has been active in informing the community about the process by staging EA 101 events and responding to community concerns about the process.

While I know there are differing views on the potential positive and

negative impacts on the community and region, I believe we need to allow the process to gather as much information as possible before coming to any conclusions.

After nearly six years as an MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, including four as a member of cabinet, it remains a privilege to serve our communities and I look forward to another year of progress in our region of British Columbia.

Terry Lake is MLA for Kamloops North Thompson and provincial health minister.

Kamloops Residents’ Program 2015 Residents’ Rate $69 + GST 2015 Memberships from $1800 Black Iron Restaurant Specials One of the Top 30 Venues in Canada - Golf Digest 2015 One of Canada’s Top 10 Best Golf Destinations - GolfAdvisor 2014 Top 100 Golf Courses in Canada - Score Golf 2014

Visit Website to Book Online or Call 250-434-7373 Tobiano Golf Course | 38 Holloway Drive, Kamloops, BC, V1S 0B3 TobianoGolf.com 30 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Report On The City

TERRY LOWE: 30 YEARS OF INTEGRITY A lot has changed over the last 30 years, but what hasn’t changed is a local car dealer’s passion for the business. When Terry Lowe moved to Kamloops in 1985 to join the Eveready Motor Group, he was the youngest employee on staff. Thirty years later he is far from the youngest, yet he still enjoys how unique and challenging the automotive industry is.

The bulk of those years were spent building and growing the Saturn brand of vehicles. Unfortunately, when General Motors was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2008, the decision was made to eliminate the Saturn network in North America and the Saturn era came to a close in November 2009.

The Saturn brand was instrumental in changing the way vehicles were bought and sold in Canada. It was the first time in history a car dealer developed a “no hassle-no haggle” sales approach, along with a simple philosophy of “treating people the way you would want to be treated.” Saturn managed to take away the adversarial component to car buying, something that was embraced by thousands of local Saturn owners over the years.

These values aligned with Lowe’s personal beliefs and enabled his business to flourish — and many of those lessons have been brought to his current Volkswagen dealership. Volkswagen of Kamloops recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in its return to the Kamloops market. With many of the current VW models winning worldwide awards — and VW achieving the No. 2 spot in the world for vehicle manufacturing — the outlook has never been better for the local VW store.

Lowe is also involved in local fundraising initiatives, the largest being the VW Turtle River Race, with 2014 being a milestone year for the event as it surpassed the $250,000 mark in funds raised for local kids’ programs in the community. The 14th annual turtle race will be held on Sept. 20 and tickets will go on sale soon.

Both of Lowe’s children are now working at the dealership, with his son being the youngest member of the staff. It looks as though a little déjà vu will keep the Lowe family tradition well on its way to serving the community for another 30 years.

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31 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report Report on On the TheCity City

As the sun sets on another day in Kamloops, its rays reflect off a downtown crane continuing work on the Royal Inland Hospital’s expansion project.

KTW file photo

Expectations rise with new RIH facility

By Dale Bass KTW STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com If Kris Kristjanson could sit down with a prospective doctor, he knows what he would say.

First, the health-services director with Royal Inland Hospital would tell the prospect that the facility has everything it needs to meet the needs of a doctor.

“I’d also say RIH is big but not too big and it’s small enough to still be personal, where people know each other and co-operate and collaborate with each other,” Kristjanson said.

“It’s not so big you get lost in the maze.”

Kristjanson knows of what he speaks. Starting his career as a registered nurse in Ontario, he remembers working in a hospital in Southern Ontario that covers 1.9-million square feet, a building where visitors are warned that, if they don’t pick the right parking lot and adjacent entryway, it may be a problem finding where you need to go.

Kristjanson would also point out some of the many reasons RIH is recognized in the Interior, including its 32 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015 32 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Royal Inland Hospital, by the numbers Acute Beds – 245 Employees (full time, part time and casual) – 1,800 Physicians – 275 Ambulatory Care Visits – 60,565 Exams, CT – 20,164 Exams, MRI – 4,839 Newborns – 1,162 Surgeries – 23,614 Unscheduled visits to the Emergency Department – 61,895 Meals provided per year – 268,275 Teaspoons washed per year – 362,685 . . . laid end to end, this would cover a distance of 57 kilometres or, as a reference point, Kamloops to Sun Peaks Bananas served per year – 32,760, or 6605 kilograms = 6.6 metric tons = the weight of an adult elephant strong neonatal program, a trauma program that, he said, is the third-busiest in the province and the helicopter and landing area that not only can receive patients but also send them on to other facilities if the need is there.

And, finally, he’d mention the building that he has been watching rise up higher and higher on the north lawn of the hospital, the $80-million clinical-services building, will be “a centrepiece” for RIH.

ReportOn on The the City Report

A schematic showing what Royal Inland Hospital will look like once construction is finished on its new parkade, clinical-services building and other possible expansions.

He acknowledged that, even adding 350 parking stalls to the six-storey structure, is not going to solve that perennial complaint about no place to park, but it will go a long way to alleviate it.

The structure will also move the front entrance to the hospital closer to Columbia Street and the nearby on-street parking people often have to use when visiting RIH — although those who still want to take the stairs up to the original building’s entry will continue to have that option.

The building will include space for the University of British Columbia medical school and clinical-education program in the city, outpatient services including intravenous therapy, lab work, the community respiratory therapy program and presurgical screening.

It will also have a theatre Kristjanson is particularly delighted to see because, in addition to being available for the hospital staff and medical students to use for workshops and other events, it could be used to engage the public with presentations from time to time.

The structure will be linked to the main building by a walkway that opens onto the second floor.

Kristjanson said talks are ongoing about how to use some of the space, mainly on the second floor, that will become available when the various departments move into the new building, which is expected to be completed by the spring of 2016.

Kristjanson is also looking forward to the day — and he hopes it’s in the not-too-distant future — when he could tell prospective physicians and surgeons considering a move to Kamloops about another key component of the hospital’s master plan — a new surgical and patient-care tower that would be built at the east end of the hospital facility.

A different lifestyle working at RIH Kris Kristjanson clearly remembers his first day on the job at Royal Inland Hospital.

It happened about eight years ago.

His wife, also in the medical profession, was on a different shift and, when her husband walked in the door, she looked at him surprised and asked “What are you doing home so early?”

He wasn’t early — he was just living in Kamloops, a community he and his wife chose when they decided to leave Ontario.

“It used to be I would leave work late and get home even later. But here, things aren’t that far away.”

It’s just one of the reasons why the family is still in the River City years after the six they figured they’d give to the community before looking for other new opportunities in their professions.

Kristjanson, a registered nurse with an array of other degrees and certifications, is responsible for a number of clinical services at RIH, including mental health, pediatrics, maternal care (including labour and the neonatal intensive-care unit), rehabilitation care and the pediatric and adult psychology wards in the hospital.

“When we first moved here, we set a target on what the move would be like,” Kristjanson said. “Our son was going into Grade 7 and we figured we’d come for six years, he’d finish high school and then we’d see where we might go next.”

And, Kristjanson said, his son wasn’t too thrilled with the move to begin with.

But now, he added, his child is a student at Thompson Rivers University, he discovered quite quickly the joys of skiing, snowboarding and all the other lifestyle benefits of the city and Kristjanson can see his family staying in Kamloops.

“And, in that time, I’ve seen remarkable changes at RIH. There’s so much more we haven’t talked about,” he said.

“We have more than 200 doctors on a list who have privileges to work here. We have amazing community services at Lansdowne [Village mall], with a lot of out-patient services. The community nurses are based there.

“And then there’s King Street [mentalhealth clinic] and Hillside Centre, which isn’t technically part of the hospital but we all work together. We’re all tied together.”

33 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Working in the Community of Kamloops New Afton has been recently recognized for the following awards: •

2014 Towards Sustainable Mining Performance Award – Level A Ranking for Biodiversity

• 2014 Towards Sustainable Mining Performance Award – Level AA Ranking in Aboriginal & Community Outreach •

2014 Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC) Leadership Award

• 2014 Mine Rescue Best Underground Coordinator at the Provincial Mine Rescue Competition • 2014 Chief Inspector of Mines Recognition • 2014 Safest Large Underground mine in BC with over 240,000 hours worked for the second consecutive year

New Gold’s New Afton Mine would like to thank its employees, the community of Kamloops and our First Nations partners for the support we received during 2014. The mine completed its second full year of commercial production and we had an outstanding year setting new records and achieving our goals.

A key success to look back on was our achievement of the ISO 50001 Certification for Energy Management Systems Standard. New Afton is the first mine in North America to achieve this accomplishment.

New Afton is committed to a safe and productive 2015 as a proud member of the Kamloops community.

In 2014 New Afton sponsored over 50 events in Kamloops and the neighboring communities!

New Afton welcomes your feedback Call us at 250.377.2100 or email us at info@newgold.com

www.newgold.com

34 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Report On The City

2015 Economic Impact Report Trending in right direction benefits region KAMLOOPS AIRPORT CONTRIBUTES TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY The Direct, Indirect and Induced economic contribution is: • $38.9 million to Gross Domestic Product • 610 person years employment generating $27.8 million in household income • $8.3 million in taxes to all levels of government • Tech speak: Direct inputs are from the businesses and agencies operating at the airport. Indirect impacts are those from supplying goods and services to the businesses and agencies operating at the airport. Induced impacts are from the economic activity driven by the spending of people directly or indirectly engaged at the airport.

• An analogy is that the direct job is the person who loads the bags on to the airplane at the airport. An indirect job is the mechanic

at the garage who maintains the baggage loading equipment.

An induced job is the server at the coffee shop who job is supported by the baggage loader and the mechanic buying a coffee and a doughnut.

KAMLOOPS AIRPORT CREATES JOBS • Kamloops Airport creates 610 direct, indirect and induced person years of employment. Travelers arriving by air create another 250 person years of employment in the food and accommodation sectors.

• Drilling down, Kamloops Airport: • Represents 0.6% of the regional economy • Employs 1.1% of the labour force • Pays about 1.2% of the total employment income.

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2015 Economic Imp Trending in right direc CONTRIBUTIONS TO GOVERNMENT • The airport contributes $8.3 million in taxes each year to all levels of government • Federal Taxes of $5.5 million • Provincial Taxes of $2.2 million • Municipal Taxes of $800 thousand

PEOPLE ARE FLYING MORE • Up to 13 flights departing throughout the day • Connections to the world through Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton or Prince George • Lower fares bring more people from cars to airplanes

THIS YEAR COMING UP

Proud business partner of the Kamloops Airport.

Congratulations on your 75 year milestone!

36 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

• We are working to improve the airport • Runway rehabilitation to extend service life • Runway sweeper replacement to ensure reliable service • Flight Information Display for better customer service

Your Full Service Travel Agency!

pact Report ction benefits region RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

• Vacation Packages • Cruises • Coach Tours • Exotic Destinations • Long Stay Vacations & much more!

• Kamloops Airport is focused on safe, secure and efficient operations while delivering an exceptional customer experience.

• Increased the number of jobs at the airport by 34% • Increased the number of full time jobs from 73% to 77% • Increased the number of travelers by 80%

Visit us on Facebook: Maritime Travel - Kamloops Columbia Square - 500 Notre Dame Drive [across from Boston Pizza] 778-471-5619 • kamloops@maritimetravel.ca

37 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Copa for Kids

Become a Junior Aviator!

Kamloops June 7 2015

250-376-9069 COPA For Kids aviation program provides a motivational aviation experience, initiating young people to the science of flight.

Future pilots Erik and Paige Hembling and Ila Campbell proudly show off their certificates after their flight with Kamloops Flying Club president Blake Farren. The trio was among many kids who enjoyed a free ride in the sky through the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association’s COPA for Kids event. Allen Douglas/KTW

www.copaforkids.org p

Over 40 Stores And Services For Your Shopping Convenience • Animall House • Ardene • Back to Health Centre • Best West Realty • Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza • Cash Stop Loans • Canadian Hearing Care • CIBC • Chopped Leaf • Dollar Tree • EasyHome • Extra Foods

• Fabutan Tanning Salons Fi Choice Ch i Haircutters H i • First • Government Liquor Store • H & R Block • Hair Express • Headhunters Shampoo • Interior Savings Insurance • Kool School • Lushwear • Mark's Work Wearhouse • Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt • McGoos Smokes 'N Stuff • Northills Dental Centre • Northills Lottery Centre • Papa John’s Pizza • Ruth Saunders Optometrist

• Sandwich Tree S i Information I f i Centre C • Seniors • Serene Fish & Chips • Shaw Cable • Shoppers Drug Mart • Source By Circuit City • Spice of India • Starbucks • Suzanne's • TD Canada Trust • Tom Harris Cellular • Tower Barber Shop • Treasures • Twin Phoenix • Water On The Run • YMCA

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38 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Report On The City

THE LIONS HERE The B.C. Lions’ second home is Kamloops as the CFL club has essentially made the city its permanent training-camp base.

The Lions are under contract to hold camp at Hillside Stadium through 2017 — and that deal may be extended.

This year’s camp will be held at the beginning of June and will include Fanfest, in which fans can meet and talk with the Lions.

The City of Kamloops estimates a $350,000 annual economic impact by hosting the Leos.

KTW file photo

JUDY BASSO Events & Mentoring I have just celebrated 25 amazing years in business!

B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay signs Melony Hunter’s T-shirt during the 2012 Fanfest at Hillside Stadium, an annual event that has become extremely popular.

Providing our customers with service “above and beyond” is the number one priority at Domenic’s Marine Ltd. For over 30 years, we have demonstrated excellence in exceeding our customer’s expectations.

We have all the latest specialty tools & equipment with knowledgeable technicians on duty six days a week to help serve you better and get you back on the water faster.

Recently I have answered a calling. I am strongly drawn to help seasoned, heart centered, entrepreneurs who are bored, stuck and whose profits have plateaued, make more money in their businesses and fall in love with their work again!

I do this by helping them clear their blocks to prosperity and by teaching them longlasting happiness habits so they can harness the power of positive energy and manifest a bigger life than they had ever dreamed possible. Not only to do they make more money, but the effects of their new found happiness ripples throughout the rest of their lives creating better relationships, creating a larger sphere of influence affecting the greater good of so many, greater work-life balance and more joy on a day-to-day basis.

Come visit our showrooms to see the 2015 lineup of Lund and Lowe fishing boats, as well as Mercury Engines.

The new Pontoon Gallery is now open!

I am still also producing memorable and unique special events.

My focus is now exclusively on corporate events, fundraisers and galas.

Call for aspiring writers and authors!

High End Events I’m producing and publishing a book comprised of inspirational stories. This true-story collection illustrates & Retreat Planner to the reader the rippling effect one’s influence has. How your actions or suggestions touches lives in many different Certified Prosperity Guide ways - often rippling out for many years to come. Check the Phone: 250.851.5247 website to see how your story of influence may be included! Email: JBassoEvents@gmail.com

Remember - you do have an influence and it makes a difference!

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Make More Money, Having Fun!

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461 Dene Dr. • Domenicsmarine.com 39 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Boogie the Bridge is one of Kamloops’ signature events and it wouldn’t occur without committed volunteers.

KTW file photo

Fresh energy at Volunteer Kamloops

By Jessica Wallace KTW STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com Sean Simpson has seen a shift at Volunteer Kamloops.

The president of the organization is stepping down this year — the year of the organization’s 30th anniversary — to allow for “fresh energy,” and said things have changed since he began volunteering for the non-profit seven years ago.

“We’re more geared toward making more of an impact with each person that we deal with rather than just being a hub, a general liasion,” he said.

That means interviewing people and working with them directly to build up their skills, whether that be presentation skills, people skills or others.

The change in focus comes with the growth of technology.

Non-profit organizations have largely taken to seeking out their own volunteers, something made easier with websites and social media.

And, for those who know what sort of volunteering they’d like to do, it’s never been easier to search out opportunities online.

“That’s the big change in the last five or six years,” Simpson said.

While the organization once had a database of about 1,800 volunteers, Simpson said it now has 40 Week PROGRESS 2015 40 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

30 years of volunteering Volunteer Kamloops has been in the River City for 30 years. To mark the milestone, it is highlighting its members throughout the year with a volunteer of the month.

Find profiles on each volunteer in Kamloops This Week at the end of each month this year.

Meantime, here are some things you should know about the organization: • The organization moved from its former location at 635 Victoria St., to its home at 705 Seymour St. about three years ago.

• While the organization was once a hub for volunteers and organizations in Kamloops, it has moved to a more hands-on focus, working

somewhere between 400 and 500.

It has allowed staff to spend more time with people who really need a hand — someone who may have lost their job, have emotional, physical or cultural barriers or who “are down on their luck.”

“Those are really the people who need it [Volunteer Kamloops],” Simpson said.

to help volunteers build skills and get out in the community.

• Between 400 and 500 volunteers come through the doors at Volunteer Kamloops.

• Volunteer Kamloops offers a variety of programs including : restorative justice, working with people who have mental health illnesses, working with those looking to build skills, those with cultural barriers, youth and more.

• Non-profit organizations that need a hand, can work with Volunteer Kamloops to find the right people.

• Find weekly volunteer listings online at volunteerkamloops.org.

“That’s a niche that’s been left behind by technology.”

Volunteer Kamloops continues to offer the services it has been known for including its Link program, which facilitates volunteers and organizations, and its FOCUS program, a partnership with Interior Health Authority that sees people with mental health illness placed in volunteer position.

Report On The City

on’s s p m o h T h t r o N e h T hip s n io p m a h C le o H P remier 9 e! s r u o C f l o G h t g n e L

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Stay in the RV park any three consecutive days between Mon - Thurs and receive 6 nine hole rounds with a seat on a cart for $200. Over $50 in savings!

www.chinookcovegolf.com 41 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

KAMLOOPS ABORIGINAL 1972

Dedicated towards empowering Aboriginal

Teepee Village- Stuart Wood School

Solstice Tea Party

RBC Day of Caring

The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society is a team of creative and responsive professionals dedicated towards empowering Aboriginal people to achieve their fullest potential. The logo represents native and non-native people working together to improve the quality of life for Aboriginal people. The four feathers represent the colors of all the Nations from around the world.

PARKCREST PROGRAMS

Family Preservation and Youth Service ProgramThe family preservation team consists of 2 Family Support Workers, Family Preservation Worker, Outreach Worker and a Youth Worker. They provide culturally appropriate prevention services to Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal children, youth and their families. Services include and not limited to: Family Court Advocacy, Individual Counseling, Parenting workshops, in-home visits, supervised visits etc. Our Youth worker works with all youth and especially youth at risk. She also provides cultural, recreational and educational services.

The Youth Movie night has been very successful and runs every Thursday evening from 5:30-7:30.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The ECD program team consists of 1 Family Support Workers, 1 part time Outreach Worker and 1 Cultural Support worker. The workers provide support to families whose children are 0-6 years old. Services include: Early Childhood Development, ECE individual counseling, group work, provide in home and office visits, clothing exchange, special event days, ECE workshops, attachment coaching, early literacy, speech and language. The Cultural support worker provides:

cultural support through, smudging, prayers, traditional events and ceremonies, After-school drumming for children 6-12 years old.

ROOTS PROGRAM

The Roots practitioner works directly with HEALTHY BEGINNINGS PROGRAM Aboriginal children in care with the Ministry for The Healthy Beginnings Support Worker will work Children & Family development and Secwepemc directly with Aboriginal Child & Family Service. and Non Aboriginal Services provided: “Our Parkcrest programs have been very families whose children Children in care are consistent with meeting the needs of our families. are 0-6 years old. provided with a strong We have had many successes in our programs for Healthy Development foundation based example: The Family Preservation team has had is addressed on on their cultural, numerous children returned back to their parents an individual and spiritual, mental and with the needed family support services put into group basis. Social emotional traditional place. The Roots program has made numerous Support Networks are teachings; a culturally cultural connections for children in care. The Early addressed primary specific plan will be Childhood Development team has been successful through groups. developed, as well as a in early interventions with regards to children 0-6 Services include and family genogram and years old being properly diagnosed by medical not limited to: Prenatal a cultural package. professionals. The Healthy Beginnings program (Prenatal nutrition, Children’s reunification has had many Moms with healthy pregnancies and healthy lifestyle, stages with family, extended healthy births. ‘’ of labor), Post natal family and community support (Baby care and will be explored. breastfeeding support, After care for Mom, Dad and family), (Parent and SERVICING THE WHOLE COMMUNITY Tot Play group is a weekly drop in group for parents All community members welcome. KAFS is a and children 0-6 years old), (Infant Massage is a 5 member of homes free council on homelessness week program to learn how to massage your baby) and City of Kamloops Diversity Committee.

Thank you to RBC for the School Back Pack Initiative. Over 150 children benefited from your generosity. Not only were back packs provided, they were also filled with school supplies that are not normally affordable for these individuals.

2355 PARKCREST AVENUE - KAMLOOPS 42 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

and (Merritt Moms is a Prenatal and Postnatal program offered at the Conayt Friendship Centre.

Thank You Domtar for the 1st Book Initiative. This idea provided over $1,500 in indigenous books and financial learning interactive games. These tools help build knowledge that help guide children in their key learning years

250.376.1617

VISIT US AT:

Report On The City

FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY people to achieve their fullest potential.

March 9, 2015: 31 diverse community leaders joined Reconciliation Canada and the KAFS in a “First” conversation on reconciliation in Kamloops, moving forward as a City, postresidential schools with the effects of the schools on the survivors and our community. We all look forward to continuing the conversation and creating positive and lasting change.

Registered Charity No. 12995 5126

2015

100 Conversations

All our programs and service’s offered at the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society are welcoming, inclusive and confidential.

We provide service to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from 0 years to the Elderly.

We encourage everyone to drop into both locations, meet our friendly staff and learn more about our programs.

SOCIAL PROGRAMS

Offers a wide range of services to our youth and Elders. One of these activities includes monthly Elders luncheons which is a social gathering of family and friends.

EDUCATION AND CULTURAL DEPARTMENT

AFFORDABLE RECREATION COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM

ARCH (Affordable Recreation for Community Health) is a program that allows low income families to participate in all of the Kamloops Parks and Recreation Activities .

LIFE SKILLS & HOUSING PROGRAM

Our Cultural Coordinator provides culturally appropriate services that promote and ensure positive educational experiences for aboriginal students.

Cost free workshops are offered and the program also performs advocacy work in the community and assists those who need help with forms and procedures regarding housing issues and I.D.’s.

STATISTICS 2014 Funded Programs Family Preservation ECD CAPC Roots Family Resource Toolbox Addiction Education HPS Girls Groups

Clients 10654 991 1728 179 1160 32 350 2000 862 240

Clients POS 11463 1230 2500 1551 1259 96 420 2648 1479 7920

Total Program Stats

18196

47363

Self Funded Clients Friday Lunch 3807 Elders Programs 986 Shower & Laundry 2987 Status Applications 52 ARCH 352 Access Pro Bono 58 Total Drop-In Stats 8242 # of Volunteers 307 # of Volunteer Hours 601 # of Board Volunteers 6 # of Board Volunteer Hours 145

GIRL’S GROUP PROGRAM

Aboriginal Girls Groups are designed for girls 9-13 years of age who are of First Nations, Inuit and/or Metis descent.

Build relationships between girls and adult females, including female Elders, in order to nurture and reinforce femaleness as a positive identity. Funding 16 groups in partnership with SD73, TRU, First Nation Education Council.

THE ALCOHOL AND DRUG PROGRAM

Services from the alcohol and drug counselor include counseling, referral to treatment centers, in-house referrals, information and support and prevention workshops.

“BB” moved to Kamloops alone from Alberta and quickly accessed services from Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society. After connecting with the community, employment was obtained and adequate housing was secured. Soon after “BBs” mom and daughter were all reunited and living in their new home. “BB” is now at a point in life where entertaining the thought of higher education at TRU is a reality. Working toward a better future and employment opportunities was all BB hoped for. We wish BB all the successes earned and through all the hard work , it is deservedly so.

The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society provides a number of unfunded programs; Friday lunch, Elders monthly lunch, shower & laundry service for the homeless and at risk. Donations graciously accepted.

RBC Day of Caring. The staff at RBC graciously donated their time and efforts to help spruce up a classroom and drop-in area on the main floor of our building.

Thank you

KAFS.CA

Thank you Interior Savings Insurance Kamloops. 11 staff donated their time and efforts to freshen up the upstairs of the centre with a fresh coat of paint in the offices and hallway.

125 PALM STREET - KAMLOOPS - 250.376.1296 43 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Kamloops envy of B.C. cities One of the privileges of representing KamloopsSouth Thompson is the opportunity to boast our region’s accomplishments far and wide, including in Kamloops This Week’s annual Progress.

We are fortunate to be mostly insulated against the negative world events, so that means the Kamloops region has been able to continue on a prosperous path and the provincial government has been a partner in contributing to the successes.

As minister of transportation and infrastructure, I take pride in completed and ongoing projects to make our highways safer.

Kamloops is the envy

TODD STONE, MLA of B.C. cities of similar size for our highways network and I am proud to continue the legacy of Kamloops’ own Phil Gaglardi, who was highways minister for most of W.A.C. Bennett’s 20 years as premier.

Work begins this spring on the second and final phase of the Pritchard to Hoffman’s Bluff project, which will widen three kilometres of Highway 1 to four lanes from two.

This project, to be completed by the fall of 2016, is part of the government’s commitment to invest $650 million over 10 years into Highway 1 between Kamloops and the Alberta border, which will create about 3,300 direct jobs over the life of the project.

On Highway 5A south of Kamloops, a new Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement pullout further improves safety for all motorists along this corridor alongside other projects, such as resurfacing, LED curve warning signs and the installation of concrete roadside barriers and centre-line rumble strips.

Health care in Kamloops continues to be

a top priority.

Construction continues on Royal Inland Hospital’s new $79.8-million Clinical Services Building, which will provide several outpatient services, teaching space for the UBC medical school program and will create a new lecture theatre.

Kamloops has always been a great place to call home and our government is committed to making it even better.

For example, last September, we announced $11.3 million for construction financing for low- to moderate-income housing and provided $2.1 million in long-term financing for 20 new, affordable housing units.

As Canada’s

Tournament Capital, Kamloops has a rich tradition of hosting events large and small that give our economy a tremendous shot in the arm.

Over the past year, we have hosted many top-flight athletic events including the 2014 Tim Hortons Brier and the recent Special Olympics B.C. Winter Games and, next April, we welcome the 2016 IIHF women’s world hockey championship.

Our own athletes continue to make us proud in a variety of sports, the most recent example being shot putter Dylan Armstrong, who last month received his longawaited Olympic bronze medal from the 2008 Games.

In Beijing that year, Armstrong finished one centimetre behind the bronze medallist from Belarus, who was later handed a lifetime ban for doping.

As a home-grown world-class athlete, Armstrong is the embodiment of the Kamloops spirit — a cando attitude and a relentless determination to get the job done.

It is the spirit of the people of Kamloops that gives this city and region a bright future.

Todd Stone is MLA for Kamloops South Thompson and provincial transportation minister.

MMUNITY TO BUILD A CHAMPION! IT TAKES A CO ONG DYLAN ARMSTR RECEIVES HIS

OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDAL!

The community of Kamloops celebrated when Dylan Armstrong, in an official presentation for his outstanding performance, received his Bronze Medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics!

Sportsmanship, patience and hard work pay off in the end.

“It was wor th the wait!” - Dylan Armstrong Congratulations to all our PacificSport BC Interior Athletes and Mission staff who represented Team BC in Prince George at the 2015 Canada Winter Games!

Sara Spence • Emily Suchy • Leia Hoot • Megan Hanks • Emily Schmidt Dakota O’Donovan • Sullivan Fagan • Cierra Fisher • Brendan Semchuk Eric Spence • Katrina Hohensee • Catherine Lipsett • Brook Hay • Kairo Mair Carolynn Boomer • Kevin Bogetti Smith • Dave Freeze 44 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

Photo by the Canadian Olympic Committee

WWW.PACIFICSPORTINTERIORBC.COM

WWW.TOURNAMENTCAPITAL.COM

Report On The City

MAKING A SPLASH The Tournament Capital Centre (TCC) is arguably the most complete recreational facility in British Columbia, boasting an Olympic-size pool, a smaller pool, two hot tubs, a steam room, a sauna, numerous change rooms, a 200-metre indoor track, various basketball courts, a table-tennis room, two gyms, classrooms, the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame and much more.

The TCC also includes the 1,800-seat Hillside Stadium and its FIFA-certified artificial turf field, eightlane, 400-metre outdoor track, dedicated jumps/throw area and two grass fields.

In 2014, the centre brought in $3.056 million — enough to cover more than 80 per cent of the costs of running the centre, while welcoming 903,500 visitors.

KTW file photo

Little Sofia Ganstal was a mere 10 months old when she first jumped into the Canada Games Pool with mom Jennifer Takahashi back in 2009.

Chances are the now-seven-year-old has conquered the slide and diving boards at one of B.C.’s best recreation facilities.

Cathy McLeod, MP HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS: There is a Significant Need for Nurses and Care Aids in British Columbia!

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979 Victoria Street Kamloops BC V2C 2C1 Phone: 205-851-4991 cathy.mcleod.c1@parl.gc.ca

cathymcleod.ca 45 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015 45 Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report on On Economic The City Development

Bridging improvements Project top of mind for NSBIA

By Adam Williams KTW STAFF REPORTER adam@kamloopsthisweek.com

The North Shore Business Improvement Association is looking at how it can smooth the Overlanders Bridge remediation project.

KTW file photo 46 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

In three of the last four years, traffic crossing the Overlanders Bridge has been disrupted.

That includes this summer as the main thoroughfare to Kamloops’ North Shore will again see construction delays, this time with a $9-million, fivemonth remediation project.

It’s a situation that is shaping a year of plans for the North Shore Business Improvement Association (NSBIA).

“Our No. 1 priority this year is working with our businesses, the community and the City of Kamloops around the Overlanders Bridge remediation project,” said NSBIA executive director Steven Puhallo.

“Context is really important when it comes to that issue — three of the last four years will see massive consumertraffic and commuter-traffic disruption on that main pathway into the North Shore. So, businesses are quite worried about it.”

In the summer of 2012, a truck clipped the overpass as it was passing beneath it, resulting in significant damage and major travel delays for those heading to the North Shore.

Last year, it was lighting and sidewalk improvements that slowed travel across the river.

Puhallo said the City of Kamloops has done a good job keeping the NSBIA informed about this new project thus far and he hopes that will continue throughout the summer.

The NSBIA has told the city it’s looking for three things from the project: for the lines of communication to be kept open, for the city to accelerate the project if it can be done without impacting the taxpayer and for the project to be finished on time.

Upcoming events: • Overlanders Day 2015 — Aug. 15, McDonald Park • NSBIA, B.C. Interior Community Services charity golf tournament — Date and location to be determined • Christmas open house and tree light up — Dec. 10, 115 Tranquille Road

In the meantime, the NSBIA will continue to push its “Buy local” and “We are the North Shore” marketing campaigns.

“We want to really encourage people to rediscover their North Shore businesses and to stay away from the traffic congestion that’s probably going to happen during that time,” the executive director said.

Puhallo said residents should be able to find all they need on the North Shore, a community that is a far cry from the area of even 10 years ago.

A long-time resident of the community, Puhallo said his children will be the fifth generation of his family to live in the area.

He has positive feelings about what the future holds for them.

“It has changed dramatically,” he said. “When Zellers pulled out of Northhills Centre, that really created a cultural scar on the community — people felt let down and it [the North Shore] went into a period of decline.

“It’s come about-face 180 degrees.

The RCMP tell us crime is down over 40 per cent overall on the North Shore.

We have great street lighting. We have good, flat, walkable areas. Businesses are really doing well.

“The North Shore of today compared to the North Shore of 10 years ago, aren’t comparable.”

Report On The City

If running is your therapy You already know the value of a great pair of running shoes A complete range of Men’s, Women’s & Kids Footwear, Apparel & Accessories!

Fitting Orthotics - Widths from 2A - 6E All weather active clothing ~ Technical gear ~ Special orders welcome!

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We believe in the recycling of running shoes so bring in your old shoes and we will donate them to local charities.

Runners Sole 2015 Sponsored Events May 3rd Kamloops Spring Sprint Triathlon – SS/Sprint/Standard May 24th IRA#6 Blackwell Dairy 15km June 28th Kamloops Kids of Steel Triathlon July 1st Get Happy Event - Get Canadian July 26th Kamloops Marathon – 3/8/21.1(IRA#8)/42.2km August 15th Get Happy Event - Get Retro September 6th Walk in the Park Trail Run 18/36/54km September 6th Pavilion Triathlon September 12th Dirty Feet Trail 50km/Relay – CDN Champs – Sun Peaks September 12th Get Happy Event - Get Corked September 13th Dirty Feet King/Queen Mountain 5/10/16km – Sun Peaks September 27th TNF#4 Dirty Feet Trail Run – Kenna Park 5/10/21.1km October 4th Harper Mountain Oktoberfest MTB & Run 5/8.5km October 30th Get Happy Event - Get Spooked November 1st Do the Course at Sun Rivers 1/5/10km

Like us on Facebook - www.runnerssole.com • 250.377.4055 74~1395 Hillside Dr. • Aberdeen Village (beside Milestones) 47 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015

Report on On Economic The City Development

Kamloops RCMP Supt. Brad Mueller is using 2015 to plan for the future — which will likely include the need for more officers.

Keeping bad guys at bay

By Tim Petruk KTW STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com Since he took over as the Tournament Capital’s top cop in 2013, Brad Mueller has seen Kamloops’ crime rate drop substantially — but he’s not done yet.

“I think we’ve done some great work in this detachment to continue working on a diminishing crime rate,” Mueller said.

“That’s despite some real resourcing issues we faced.”

In 2014, Mueller said, violent crime was down 19 per cent, property crime dropped eight per cent and other Criminal Code charges were down seven per cent.

“The accomplishments are obtained through the tremendous work our men and women do each day,” he said.

“They’re an extremely dedicated group.”

But, Mueller said, Kamloops needs more boots on 48 Week PROGRESS 2015 48 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

the ground to keep the downward trend moving.

“In order to achieve those accomplishments and maintain a real, proactive level of service, it takes resources,” he said.

“People ask the question, ‘Why do you need more resources if the crime rate is dropping?’ But, in order to be proactive, you need that day-to-day approach.

“The judicial system and the legal system has changed. It’s more complicated now. And, we need to keep up with the demands of the growing community.”

Mueller said he’s made some behind-the-scenes moves that have also streamlined the detachment from an administrative perspective.

“We’ve done a number of things internally and made some strides, and our municipal support staff have done a tremendous job,” he said.

“This year, we did some re-structuring. We expanded our ability to provide that municipal support to a more 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week model.”

Dave Eagles/KTW

Some changes have also been made on the policing side, Mueller said, with shuffling of investigators and duties between various units within the detachment — something that wasn’t always met with open arms.

“We did a review of all of our operational units and we made some minor adjustments,” he said.

“Some of it hasn’t been easy.

“We’ve met some adversity, but I firmly believe some adversity is good.

“I think, collectively, once you come through that adversity, you’re stronger as a team.”

Overall, Mueller said, things are looking up at the Kamloops detachment.

“I’m pleased with how we’ve moved forward,” he said.

“I feel people are engaged and enjoy coming to work.

“I’m happy with the way we’ve progressed. We’re not perfect and sometimes we make mistakes, but we’re very dedicated and, to me, it’s how we respond and move forward.”

Report On The City

CORK N LABEL WELCOMES New owners

Mike and Diane Bielby to the Cork N Label U-Brew!

Diane was born and raised in Kamloops. Diane was previously a Merchandiser for a large hardware store chain.

Mike was born in Whiterock and came to Kamloops when he was 16. Mike was a carpenter for a local company for more then 25 years.

They have four adult children and one grandchild.

“We are starting a new career together, as one would say, a new chapter in our lives.

Starting new in the U-Brew business has been a whole lot of fun, hard work and there is so much to learn. Our customers are truly amazing, super helpful, patient and a world of information.

We have two staff, John and Ashley, whom have been very supportive in this transition.�

We look forward to serving all your Kamloops U-Brew needs!

Come and see Mike & Diane today to find out about our unique wines & amazing specials.

1420 Hugh Allan Drive, Aberdeen - Kamloops

Ph: 250.851.8434 Fax: 250.581.8430

Visit us @ www.corknlabel.com 49 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015

Report on On Economic The City Development

Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Dale McLean says 2015 is all about planning for the future and developing a new strategic plan.

Fighting fire with strategy

By Tim Petruk KTW STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com This year is a busy one behind-the-scenes for Kamloops Fire Rescue.

“For 2015, one of our major priorities we’ve taken on is to update our strategic plan,” said KFR Chief Dale McLean.

“We want to make sure we’re in step with the growth of the city.”

Figuring out how to do that is no easy task for McLean, who oversees a department that in 2014 received 7,349 calls for service — that’s more than 20 per day, on average.

McLean said the strategic planning started at the ground floor, with surveys asking all KFR employees about what could be improved.

“We looked for them to connect back to us,” he said.

“We were looking for weaknesses we may have as an organization.

“So, we’ve finished that and we’re just in the process of compiling all of it. There’s a lot of 50 Week PROGRESS 2015 50 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

FOUR PILLARS As KFR’s chief, Dale McLean has instituted his “Four Pillars” among all employees.

They are safety of the public, excellence in service, public trust and teamwork.

“It’s pretty simple,” McLean said.

“Every time we make a decision out there, just ask yourself if you’re hitting on those four pillars. If you are, then you’re probably making a great decision.” commonalities, and we’ll prioritize within that.”

Next up for McLean is to hear from agencies outside KFR. “Our next step is we’re going to be engaging some of our external partners — RCMP, BC Ambulance, the people we run into on our calls,” he said, noting City of Kamloops municipal stakeholders will also be

DALE MCLEAN

KTW file photo

heard from.

“We’ll identify a lot of priorities going forward.”

McLean said the benefit of conducting such comprehensive research will come when he has to stand up in front of city council and ask for funding.

“That way, if we go after something, we’ll have the data to back it up — it’s not just

anecdotal,” he said.

“But, the days of just going up in front of council and saying, ‘We need a new firehall,’ those days are over.”

McLean, who came from Edmonton to take over as KFR’s chief in 2013, said he has enjoyed the Tournament Capital.

“It’s really a great community,” he said.

“It’s very community-minded and there’s a lot of community pride here.

“It’s a passionate place to be — quite different from a large, metropolitan city like Edmonton.”

Report On The City

Starting fresh after ‘half time’ Starting fresh after ‘half time’ Emsland & Associates Insurance Services celebrated its second anniversary earlier this year, but it has much deeper roots than its age would indicate. Christopher Emsland, who co-owns the business with his wife Holly, has been in the insurance industry for more than 20 years. He was introduced to the business by his mother, Theresa Emsland, in 1990.

On opening day, Emsland & Associates was a two-man shop, offering home, car and business insurance and specializing in transportation insurance for commercial transport such as long-haul trucking and logging. Theresa joined the brokerage a week later, and since then it has grown to seven staff members, most of whom have several years of experience as well.

Some of those staff members came from Christopher’s former brokerage, Simmons, Black & Emsland in Kamloops, B.C. He was a partner in that brokerage until 2010 when it was sold to Envision Financial.

“After that I took a three-year hiatus and travelled, built a house and had a really good break,” Christopher said. “I considered that my half time.”

You might think a couple who had just spent three years focused on each other and their family might get bored and be ready for a break from each other. That wasn’t the case for the Emslands. When “half time” was over, Emsland and his wife went into business together, opening up Emsland & Associates.

Holly said the time off was perfect because their kids Kevin, 17, Keegan, 15, and Kylie, 13 — were still young enough to enjoy doing things with their parents. It was also a good indicator the couple would be able to work together.

“We spent three years non-stop, every day together, and we were still happy. We knew we could work together and not dread going home together at the end of the day,” Holly said.

She said it was also good timing for her to get back into the working world after spending time at home raising their children. Holly had worked as a broker at Simmons, Black & Emsland for three years but was spending more time away with the kids than at work, so she decided to stay home for a while.

The decision to end their early retirement was easy, but starting their own brokerage from scratch was a learning process. They had to take on responsibilities they hadn’t had to deal with before — purchasing an ICBC license, applying for a business license, workers compensation, computer operating systems and many other matters.

On top of that, Christopher said people thought they were crazy to want to open up an independent brokerage now when others were being swallowed up by the big box companies.

However, two years later, the brokerage is going strong, and the Emslands believe it is due in part to their connection to the city and their history in the industry.

“Loyalty and trust are a big part of the success of our brokerage. Once we opened and had other staff join, we had 20 to 30 years’ worth of customer base that started coming back to us,” Holly said. “Kamloops is also a small enough town that there’s still an appreciation for owner operated small businesses.”

Or perhaps it’s the homemade cookies that Holly bakes fresh each week for customers that keeps them coming in. That’s just one of the personal touches the Emslands strive for.

Recognizing that people have busy lives, it’s rare for customers to have to sit and wait for service. Customers’ business is handled quickly and efficiently, but without making them feel rushed. The office is also designed to be a very open and social environment so that when someone comes in they can be greeted by all the staff.

“Our customers appreciate that familiarity,” Holly said. “They are remembered and not just a number.”

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The The City City Report on

Golf capital of Interior B.C. “The hottest market in Canadian golf.”

That is the slogan Golf Kamloops uses to advertise the area to scratch golfers, low handicaps and hackers across the nation.

Clearly, it’s a claim that’s up for debate, but the Tournament Capital is definitely in the conversation.

There are numbers that back up this claim, according to Golf Kamloops, as the organization noted 2010 saw double-digit increases in accommodation revenues, with Tourism Kamloops attributing that hike in part to the strength of Kamloops’ golf courses.

Five courses — Sun Rivers Golf Course, Kamloops Golf and Country Club (KGCC), Rivershore Estates and Golf Links, Talking Rock Golf Course and Tobiano Golf Course — make up the Golf Kamloops consortium.

Tobiano was ranked 25th by Golf Digest on its list of the top 25 courses in Canada in 2015-2016.

The KGCC recently underwent a complete overhaul and looks to be in outstanding shape heading into a new season.

Talking Rock, located on the shores of the Little Shuswap Lake about 40 minutes east of Kamloops, takes golfers through a mature forest, offering breathtaking views throughout.

Sun Rivers is one of only a few true desert courses in the nation, offering rolling hills, bent-grass fairways and views of the Thompson Valley.

Rivershore, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the godfather of modern course architecture, has a proven PGA pedigree, having hosted the Canadian Tour’s Western Championship, among other high-calibre events.

Go online to golfkamloops.com to read more about the courses, destination golf packages and accommodation.

The top-notch courses in the Kamloops area are not resting on their laurels, according to Golf Kamloops: “Whether it’s making those manicure tweaks that make a great round even better to undertaking a complete course rebuild, all the courses here seem to be making news that just keeps adding to Kamloops’ reputation as one of the top golf destinations in all of Canada.”

Did you know?

KTW file photo Tobiano was ranked 25th by Golf Digest on its list of the top 25 courses in Canada in 2015-2016.

52 52 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week Week PROGRESS PROGRESS 2015 2015

There are courses that do not belong to Golf Kamloops that bring tourists to town.

The Dunes at Kamloops and Eaglepoint Golf Resort are both full-size, high-quality destinations.

Lush fairways and well-kept greens are highlights at the Dunes, located in Westsyde, and Eaglepoint in Barnhartvale offers spectacular views, rolling terrain and elevation changes.

Sun Peaks Resort is home to B.C.’s highest-elevation course, an ideal location for summer golf, with mountain air providing cooler temperatures when blistering heat blankets the valley.

McArthur Island Golf Course, Pineridge Golf Course and Mt. Paul Golf Course are perfect locations for casual golfers to enjoy a day on the links.

Report On The City TELL US YOUR STORY Kamloops Immigrant mmigrant Services Multicultural Mural Projec Project 2014 The following poem was written by an elder who volunteered for the Mural Project. Her words express feelings among participants who developed their ideas into a reection on the wall.

Our painting means “We are all together We are all one.”

We love learning English and painting It is fun.

We are from all over the world like the sun.

We are different coloured owers But our creator is one.

The following pictures provide the project in progress with participants sharing culture and experience that formed an initial view followed by transition to the end result of the Mural.

Cultures at work

Surinder; iana; elder L to R: Dby the Coordinator and Co

The Draft painting formed an initial guideline for the Wall.

The nished Mural is approximately 150 feet long by 9 feet high bringing together the Aboriginal culture with Immigrant cultures into a colourful set of connections between the people and wildlife habitat of the region.

You can nd more information and pictures at our website: www.immigrantservices.ca Or contact Paul M. Lagace, CD Executive Director at Kamloops Immigrant Services executivedirector@kcris.ca or 778 470-6101 ext 101

53 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report on On Economic The City Development

‘It’s a gem’

By Tim Petruk KTW STAFF REPORTER tim@kamloopsthisweek.com

The Downtown Kamloops Merchants Market is one of the initiatives undertaken each summer by the KCBIA. It brings thousands of patrons to downtown streets for shopping and entertainment.

KTW file photo

Have you spent time in downtown Kamloops lately?

If not, Gay Pooler wants to talk to you.

“Downtown Kamloops is a great downtown, and a lot of people don’t realize it,” Pooler said.

“It’s a gem — so we’re always promoting people to come to downtown.”

Pooler promotes downtown Kamloops like it’s her job because it is.

As manager of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Area, Pooler is constantly pitching downtown Kamloops to would-be developers, merchants and residents.

“The KCBIA is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant and liveable downtown,” she said.

Highland Valley Copper We are focused on operating sustainably, ensuring the health and safety of our people, and building strong relationships with communities.

Safety is a core value at Teck, and our vision is to ensure that: “Everyone Goes Home Safe and Healthy Every Day.” Safety is personal 54 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

“We do quite a broad range of work, and we think downtown Kamloops is a great place.”

Pooler said the KCBIA has three areas of focus — business GAY POOLER development, safety/social and marketing.

Business development is about attracting and retaining businesses, safety/social includes the red-shirted CAP Team ambassadors and marketing is exactly what Pooler does every time she opens her mouth.

“It’s all about promoting downtown Kamloops as a great place to be — to live, shop and do business,” she said.

“It’s one of the nicest downtowns anywhere in Western Canada and we hear that all the time.”

Report on Economic Development Report On The City

“Downtown Kamloops is a great downtown, and a lot of people don’t realize it,” said KCBIA manager Gay Pooler. “It’s a gem.”

KTW file photo

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

KAMLOOPS BLAZER

sports leg

Success

Sustainable sport and community initi opportunity, growth and excellence.

Dreams

Driven

The Sports Legacy Fund is an investment in the sporting community of Kamloops and surrounding region by the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society and Blazers Sports Foundation. It has been established as a result of the 2007 sale of the WHL Kamloops Blazers Hockey franchise and by the commitment of the members of these organizations to sustainable sport initiatives through opportunity, growth and excellence.

The Society recognizes both financial and organizational support as valuable use of the income from the Legacy Fund. Wherever possible, financial support is accompanied by efforts to build the capacity and effectiveness of amateur sport organizations.

VISION Sustainable sport and community initiatives through opportunity, growth and excellence.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES Administration of the Kamloops Sports Legacy Fund is open, transparent and sustainable. This process includes a mechanism for community consultation to ensure that the administration of the fund continues to be aligned with the priorities of the citizens of the Kamloops Region.

Capital and ongoing funding is protected within the scope of decisions regarding annual funding allocations.

Kamloops Blazers Sports Society is a non-profit society and as such

acts with the utmost of financial accountability and integrity.

The Society recognizes both financial and organizational support as valuable use of the Legacy Fund.

Wherever possible, financial support is accompanied by support to build the capability and effectiveness of amateur sports and community organizations.

ABOUT US Organizational capacity is based on a sound governance foundation, the strength of leadership planning and appropriate succession strategies for organization membership and direction. This may be accomplished by board development training, customized training workshops and organization management.

Leadership development is key to

2015 SPORTS LEGACY FUND ALLOCATION:

Determination

Ambition 56 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

ORGANIZATION Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks Kamloops Blazers Academic Awards Kamloops Aquatic Club Kamloops Badminton Association Kamloops Bike Riders Association Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club Kamloops Cheerleading Society Kamloops Dragon Boat Club Kamloops Dragon Boat Festival Kamloops Fencing Club Kamloops Junior Football Association KMHA Coaches Conference Kamloops Pickleball Society Kamloops Riverside Lawn Bowling Club Kamloops Squash Association Kamloops Track and Field Club Kamloops Triathlon Club Kamloops Tsunami Summer Swim Club KidSport Kamloops Chapter Overlander Ski Club PacificSport Interior River City Squash Organization Special Olympics BC, Kamloops Committee Thompson Blazers Major Midget Hockey Team Tournament City Derby Dolls TRU Sports Task Force Wailua Outrigger Club

Total

GRANT $10,500.00 $1,200.00 $14,365.00 $5,900.00 $8,100.00 $11,800.00 $4,542.00 $6,000.00 $6,500.00 $5,094.00 $10,211.00 $5,000.00 $25,000.00 $1,600.00 $2,592.00 $6,018.00 $1,600.00 $6,134.00 $30,000.00 $12,000.00 $80,000.00 $1,410.00 $19,509.00 $5,000.00 $4,925.00 $25,000.00 $15,000.00

$325,000.00

DIRECTION OF FUNDING Coaching Development and Volunteer Support, Enhanced Instructor Training Team Academic Recognition Equipment - Swim Meet Electronics, Lifesaving Equipment Equipment - Shuttle Trainer Facility Development Lac Du Bois Trail Head Equipment - Paddles and Paddle Boards, Water Trampoline Equipment - Safety Mats Equipment - 1/2 Cost of New Dragon Boat Equipment and Facility Development - Dragon Boat Equipment and Storage Shed Equipment - Beginner Epee Fencing Kits Equipment - Gator for Hillside Stadium Coaching Development and Volunteer Support Facility Development - Contribution to 4 Additional Outdoor Pickleball Courts Facility Development - Completion of Storage Shed Coaching and Referee Development Equipment - Track and Field Equipment Upgrades and Replacement Coaching Development Equipment - Training Equipment Upgrade and Tent Registration and Equipment Support for Financially Disadvantaged Kids Facility Development - Potable Water System Stake Lake Coaching Development, Athlete Travel and Coaching Ancillary Support Equipment - Youth Squash Equipment and Footwear Equipment and Volunteer Support - 2015 Winter Games Program Enhancement Equipment - Safety and Score Keeping Equipment TRU Athletic Scholarships Equipment - Contribution to Trailer for Outrigger Transport

Report On The City

S SPORTS SOCIETY

gacy fund

Hope

iatives through membership sustainability as well as being directed to the coaches and officials essential for the success of the organization.

Community based volunteer support and cooperative efforts to sustain this much-needed resource are critical for the numerous events held annually in the City and Region. This can be accomplished by encouraging people to volunteer, increasing the capacity of organizations to attract new volunteers, enhancing the experience and recognizing the service.

Proceeds from the Legacy Fund are not intended to replace existing sources of income for sport organizations.

The opportunity for the leverage of Society funds and matching of grants significantly extends its capacity.

The Society recognizes both financial and organizational support as valuable use of the income from the Legacy Fund. Wherever possible, financial support is accompanied by efforts to build the capacity and effectiveness of amateur sport organizations.

KIDSPORT KAMLOOPS CHAPTER K i d S p o r t Kamloops is a chapter of the national not-forprofit organization that provides f i n a n c i a l assistance for sport registration fees and equipment to kids aged 18 and under.

The local chapter is a dedicated volunteer committee, which solely relies on donations to assist local financially disadvantaged youth.

The grant of $30,000 supports this work and

the community is encouraged to also step up and help out. During 2014, 163 kids participated in the program. More information regarding the operation of the chapter as well as a source for donations is available at www.kidsport. ca/kamloops.

KAMLOOPS AQUATIC CLUB The Kamloops Aquatic Club has received funding for the past four years. With the 2014 grant of $7,000 and the continued support, the club has been able to grow its precompetitive lesson program and see the competitive swimmers improve on their Provincial and National rankings. The Classics hosted the 2014 BC “AAA” Winter Provincial Swimming Championships. This was the first time that this competition has ever been staged outside of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Adding to the challenges of the meet was a change in the dates of the competition from March to January, as well as it being a full four-day meet; starting on Friday morning and finishing on Monday evening. Kamloops hosted 592 swimmers and by all accounts Swim BC, BC Swim Officials Association and most importantly the clubs attending the meet were impressed with the facility, hospitality and the competition.

The timing system is an integral component of the operations. For the first time in the 42 year history of the club, Kamloops had five swimmers racing at the Senior Nationals. At the Canadian Age Group Swimming Championships in Winnipeg, the Classic’s had 11 swimmers attend the meet, placing 18th overall in Canada out of 250 swim teams in attendance.

One of the highlights of this meet was the team winning eight individual gold medals.

The purchase of the two Finnis turn walls has given the club the flexibility to reconfigure the lane space and accommodate more swimmers in the pool, thus benefiting the lesson

and competitive programs. This fall, the lessons grew by 20% to 193 swimmers.

KAMLOOPS PICKLEBALL CLUB

Teamwork

The 2015 allotment includes a $25,000 grant to the Kamloops Pickleball Club as a partnership with the City to add 4 more courts to a site to be determined. Pickleball is currently North Americas fastest growing sport enjoyed by all age groups.

THE FUND IS INTENDED TO SUPPORT • The improvement of amateur sport facilities and sport activities.

• Funding the purchase of land, buildings and equipment.

• Funding for training, education and research pertaining to amateur sport.

• Funding for organizational capacity building, leadership development and volunteer support.

The Legacy Fund will support fledgling organizations establish themselves within the sport community on the understanding that oversight expectations and due diligence are increased until the organization is established and sustainable.

Smaller sport organizations, which are not incorporated under the BC Society Act, are encouraged to apply for funding and will not be restricted by the application requirements.

Inspiration

No Limits

CONTACT US Sports Legacy Fund Administration PO Box 934, Station Main Kamloops, BC V2C 5N4 250-828-6896 rsmillie@shaw.ca Email Bob Smillie, Executive Director of Kamloops Blazers Sports Society

Goals 57 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Small business, big future

By Cam Fortems KTW STAFF REPORTER cam@kamloopsthisweek.com While Community Futures has the ability to partner on big projects to help entrepreneurs, it is known for its work at the grassroots level.

In the case of Vickie Clarke and Del Black, it was literally at the grassroots level, when Community Futures Development Corp. of Central Interior First Nations assisted them with starting a landscaping company in Merritt.

According to information from Community Futures, the two first came to the federally-funded organization in 2010, looking for a loan to purchase a vehicle and equipment for a landscaping company.

Due to a personal bankruptcy, the organization was not able to provide funding but did chip in with budgeting and information on restoring credit.

Two years later, the pair came back to Community Futures with a functioning business and a large

contract pending. Community Futures approved a $10,000 loan as well as a matching $1,500 grant from the New Relationship Trust Fund.

A year later the couple borrowed another $11,000 and were again given a grant from the New Relationship Trust Fund.

The bond between the business and Community Futures allowed further loans and today the company is a going concern with solid credit and machinery to operate.

David Arsenault, general manager of Kamloops-

based Community Futures of Thompson Country, said the non-profit agency that assists small entrepreneurs has the ability to help mom-and-pop operations right up to partnering on $1-million deals.

“Some are real start-ups and need coaching and expertise to get going. Others are quite sophisticated and know what’s involved in being a small-business owner.”

Arsenault said a continual goal of Community Futures is getting prospective business owners to understand where his organization can assist, from loans to expertise.

“Demand is quite stable on the loan side,” he said.

“Traditionally it’s a million dollars a year. From our perspective it’s having the community understand what we do.”

Since 1987, Community Futures in this region has provided 650 business loans with a value of more than $16 million.

It estimates that activity has created more than 2,000 jobs.

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TOP 5 TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS Community Futures has provided several tips to small businesses to help ensure success.

The best business plan remains flexible with measurable and realistic goals — one thing constant is change.

Operating a business can lead to a lot of surprises, so along with a solid Plan A have a well thought out Plan B. Many entrepreneurs know what success looks like; they’re just unsure of how to achieve it.

We help our clients focus on realistic

revenue projections, expense management, and where they want their business to be one, two and three years later.

This is imperative so business owners are making the right decisions and investments early on to reach their goals.

Being under-capitalized at the beginning makes every day a struggle and could result in missed opportunities and goals.

Cash is king: being profitable only on paper doesn’t mean all is OK. What really counts

is what’s in the bank.

Cash flow is the biggest issue for new businesses. Stay on top of your receivables (customers who owe you money); business owners need to keep a close eye on money owed to them as well as money they owe.

Margins may be great but, if you are not collecting at the same rate you have to pay important expenses like payroll and taxes, it could be the end of your business.

Keep your friends close and your competition closer: studying

your competition is one of the best ways to learn how you can make your business better.

It’s an excellent way to learn from what they’re doing right, while avoiding what they might be doing wrong.

Rest assured that your customers are keeping a close eye on them, too.

Don’t stop believing and don’t stop learning: remember that old saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”?

It’s true and it applies to you and your business.

It takes time and

accountants.

Treat your employees like they’re your customers: your employees are your internal customers; be open to hearing their feedback.

Employees are stakeholders in your business, too.

Communication is critical; having team meetings and a written policy manual can be helpful, you want to make sure your employees understand what is expected of them and what you want in return.

Ongoing training is often overlooked by small businesses.

patience to get your brand/business name out there.

The rate of change in today’s world is crazy and you need to keep up somehow.

As a small business owner you are the business.

We tell our clients that an investment in themselves is an investment in the business.

Turning to an organization like Community Futures allows you to get support and feedback as you grow your business.

Also, consider other key experts such as lawyers and

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Report on Economic Development Report On The City

TRU progress

By Dale Bass KTW STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com By the end of this year, Alan Shaver expects to be hearing from developers interested in helping create a university village.

It’s a project Thompson Rivers University has been pursuing for more than two years, one that envisions using open space at the campus for any of a number of enhancements: Strata housing, student residences, retail shops, restaurants, professional offices, assembly spaces — any mixture of developments that not only add to the student-life experience but would also provide an income stream to the post-secondary institution.

TRU president Alan Shaver said the project experienced “a huge acceleration” when Finlay Sinclair was hired as president and chief executive officer of a community trust the university established to help propel the village idea forward.

That anticipation is indicative of the progress TRU has made as it grew from its beginnings as a college through the years it was a university college to becoming a full university a decade ago.

Village, programs, partnerships planned as university grows

“I talk to people who come back to campus and even those gone as short a time as three years look around and say ‘Oh my god’,” Shaver said. “And, when I travel, it’s not like, ‘Where is TRU,’ it’s, ‘I’ve heard of TRU’.

“It’s like the old joke, an overnight success 40 years in the making.”

Shaver said there are many reasons for the progress, but they all come back to a fundamental belief the university exists to serve people’s needs.

That manifests itself in many ways — creating knowledge and sharing it with students, remaining a vital component in the Kamloops landscape, partnering with others to help fuel student success and creating an international profile for the institution, something that also just continues to benefit the city, the region and their economic strength.

Shaver said one key partnership that will serve students is a contract with the University of Victoria that would see students in the two-year engineering program accepted into a third year at UVic. It’s one way to address student retention, he said, and also opens doors for the students — although there’s a long-term goal to see a full engineering

program brought to campus, much like the recent law-school creation.

Shaver’s also hopeful he’ll see a thumb’s up from the provincial government for a much-needed additional building for the school of trades and technology.

The existing building is almost 100 per cent over capacity — and, with the government’s focus on a linkage between education and trades, it’s an area Shaver sees continuing to grow.

Likewise, he’s hoping to see the province OK a new nursing and sciences building to replace the equally inadequate structure now being used.

There are many other aspects to life at TRU Shaver points to with optimism and pride — the sustainability program Jim Gudjonson heads up, the research Rod McCormick will be bringing to campus as the B.C. Regional Innovation Chair in Aboriginal Early Childhood Development, the future for the aboriginal education department under new director Paul Michel, the Generator Centre that has partnered with the Kamloops Innovation Centre to foster and develop start-up technology companies and the simple reality that there are still more opportunities, more things to discover, teach and learn, just waiting.

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PROGRESS 2015 Report on On Economic The City Development

Tackling it together

By Dale Bass KTW STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com In 2004 and 2005, the average perstudent payment from the provincial government to University College of the Cariboo (UCC) was $11,188.

By 2013, the full-fledged Thompson Rivers University that grew from UCC received an average $8,021 for each student.

The statistics, presented by Dylan Robinson, president of TRU’s students’ union (TRUSU), speak to the challenge the post-secondary institution and its student body face with a governmentlegislated mandate governing the

university, but less money from Victoria to do the work required.

That means increased costs to students, Robinson said, not only through tuition — limited again by the provincial government to no more than two per cent annually — but in increased student fees and ancillary costs.

It also means greater reliance on student loans to complete studies, he said, noting data shows the average Student Aid B.C. loan amount to a TRU student in the 2012-2013 school year was $10,193. That same research, he said, showed the average financial need of a student to be $12,664.

Many students find themselves also

turning to private lenders — banks and other financial institutions — so that, when they finally get that diploma, they also graduate with a significant debt load.

That reality has been part of a campaign not only at TRU, but at other post-secondary institutions.

Fund the Future is an awareness campaign on what TRUSU calls the impacts of underfunding postsecondary institutions. It’s from that campaign Robinson drew his data about funding per student and which also spells out the institutional responsibilities of TRU, as mandated by the government, are greater than any other post-secondary institution

in the province yet all but six of the 25 colleges and universities in B.C. receive more per-student funding than TRU. That kind of advocacy is essential for students, Robinson said, but TRUSU provides more than political involvement.

Robinson said the student union’s value comes from its advocacy, but also in the entertainment it organizes and promotes, its health and dental plans, providing a subsidized year-round bus pass — and simply being there for students.

“It’s easy to feel disenfranchised,” Robinson said.

“That’s why it’s important for students to come together.”

Chef David Tombs After many requests from our loyal fans and customers, we’ve decided to take the Terra dining experience on the road. Whether you are planning a wedding, birthday or retirement party or a business function, we can provide an affordable yet remarkable handcrafted menu that will surprise and delight your guests.

With our continuing emphasis on fresh, local and seasonal, we’ll customize a memorable culinary experience to perfectly suit your taste and budget. restaurantterra@gmail.com

Catering & Event Manager Kaitlin Methot I am so excited to be working with David and his fantastic team at Terra.

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I am delighted to be able to blend my experience in planning and special events with my love of fine cuisine.

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PROGRESS 2015 Report on On Economic The City Development

TRU FACTS AND FIGURES Nearly 50,000 people are alumni of Thompson Rivers University — a school that offers 319 programs, including 189 by distance learning.

TRU’s library boasts more than 219,000 print books, as well as 38,464 electronic editions, 293 serial print subscriptions, more than 24,000 electronic serials and about 13,000 videos — digital and film.

The university’s campus is on a 250-hectare plot of land in Kamloops, featuring 450 varieties of shrubs and trees.

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Creating Sustainable Futures: Capacity Building for Non-Profits At United Way, we know that investing in strong organizations and communities requires more than just funding. We work with our community partners to build and maintain the skills, infrastructure and resources needed to realize their mission. By supporting capacity building, we are addressing the health and sustainability shaping our community.

United Way is pleased to partner with The Stollery Charitable Foundation in 2015 to support the non-profit network and ensure it remains strong, supported and able to provide valuable programs and services to our community.

“United Way will do an excellent job supporting the growth and development of non-profits. They have the expertise to do this,” says Spencer Bryson, of the Stollery Charitable Foundation.

This initiative will support collaborations among organizations, capacity building for individual organizations, learning opportunities for staff and management, and leadership development for non-profit boards.

“This is a role that has been lacking in our community in terms of providing a resource for non-profit organizations. A community can be

defined by the vibrancy of its non-profit sector and it’s very important for United Way to be taking this step to support our organizations,” says Bob Hughes, Executive Director of ASK Wellness.

In February, United Way facilitated a tour of social enterprises in Vancouver for four local non-profit leaders as well as a representative from the City of Kamloops. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of these successful organizations and see a social enterprise in action. One memorable stop was the HAVE Café where homeless individuals are given the opportunity to train in a working kitchen.

80% of students receive placement in restaurants following this training.

“The social enterprise tour was extremely valuable on multiple fronts.

Our group from Kamloops ended up developing more of a relationship and we became a little think tank of ideas that will hopefully lead to some successes locally for social entrepreneurial ventures.” says Jen Casorso, Social and Community Development Supervisor with the City of Kamloops.

Learn more: www.unitedwaytnc.ca/capacity

Spencer and Janet Bryson (right) of the Stollery Charitable Foundation present a cheque to Danalee Baker and Brenda Aynsley of United Way for the Creating Sustainable Futures initiative.

65 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

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You don’t need to hop on a plane or book an exotic cruise to travel.

There are plenty of trips — ones that don’t require a week off from work — in our backyard.

• Hell’s Gate Airtram is one of the wonders of travelling through the Fraser Canyon.

The name was derived from the journal of one of the earliest explorers to navigate the area, Simon Fraser.

In 1808, he described the narrow passage as “a place where no human should venture, for surely these are the gates of Hell” and noted safe water transportation through the 115-foot-wide opening had proven impossible.

In 1971, Hells Gate and its fishways became a tourist attraction with the completion of the Hell’s Gate Airtram.

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the main building.

Visitors can hike down the mountain and cross into the village over the bridge or they can purchase a tram pass.

Trams leave every 10 minutes.

For more information, go online to hellsgateairtram.com or call (604)8679277. It is 35 minutes east of Hope on Highway 1.

• For unique landscapes, hike to the Pillar at Pillar Provincial Park.

This area was once a native spiritual site and is home to a 90-foot-tall creation of Mother Nature in the most amazing vista.

This two-hectare park 11 kilometres northwest of Falkland was formed to protect a unique sandstone conglomerate pillar that could quite easily be the setting for a dinosaur movie.

On top of the pillar balances a boulder that has been estimated to weigh about eight tonnes.

A marked trail brings you to the base of the pillar, which is a 20-minute hike from the lake.

To get there from Kamloops, drive east on Highway 1 and take the exit to Vernon. Take Highway 97 to Falkland and turn left, just before the pub, onto the Chase-Falkland road.

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Hell’s Gate Airtram has been an attraction in the Fraser Canyon since 1971.

The site also boasts food, observation decks and educational displays.

Follow the road for 11 kilometres, where you will pass Joyce Lake, after which you will see Pillar Lake.

There is free parking, picnic tables and outhouses.

• Big White offers something unique

to other ski mountains in the area — an ice tower.

Visitors can rent equipment and take a private ice-climbing lesson, all on a day trip from Kamloops.

The 18-metre ice tower was built using four telephone poles braced together and flooded with water until they froze to a thickness of one metre.

There is a beginner side and three other sides for more advanced climbers, with a choice of 19 different routes to the top. The tower attracts climbers of all ages.

If ice climbing isn’t for you, there are plenty of other activities in which to partake, such as roasting marshmallows around one of the many outdoor fire pits, ice skating on an outdoor rink, tubing in the tube park and going on a

horse-drawn sleigh ride.

• Numerous caves follow an old lava fault line in the area just southeast of Kamloops.

Some of them are easy to access, while others require climbing gear to enter.

The Bearcat Caves have become a popular place with geocachers who enjoy hiding caches in fissures calling it the ultimate climbing gym.

To get there, drive to Monte Lake and turn right onto Mill Road, following it over the railway tracks and across a small bridge until a fork in the road that says George Cr. Road.

Take a left and follow it for 16.8 kilometres until reaching another fork.

Take the left road before coming across a sign that reads Wood Meadow Road. Follow it until you see a large clearing with three roads.

Stay left and drive a few minutes to a road called Wood 200 Road. Drive for 3.8 kilometres until you reach a clearing with a log that reads Bearcat Caves/ Clowns.

Park there and walk across the clearing to your left and you will come across your first cave opening.

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City has deep sports history Kamloops was a sports town long before it rebranded itself the Tournament Capital at the turn of the century.

Among its most prominent teams are the Kamloops Blazers, the Kamloops Storm, the Kamloops Broncos and the various clubs that represent the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack.

The Blazers are in the midst of rebuilding after making runs at the WHL’s Western Conference title in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

Fans in Kamloops have been longing for a return to glory days of the 1990s, when the Blue and Orange won three Memorial Cups.

With head coach Don Hay back in the fold, local hockey fans are optimistic he can help turn the franchise’s fortunes around.

The Storm, who play in the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, have been among the league’s most consistent teams since coming to the city in 2005.

Kamloops reached the league final and lost in 2014 and, as of this publication’s press deadline, was on track to return to the championship series, with a shot at going all the way.

For years, the Broncos have struggled to find their footing in the B.C. Football Conference, but the junior football team appeared to turn a corner in 2014.

Kamloops posted its first winning record and came within three points of its first playoff victory.

The Broncos are expected to return a host of key starters and they are planning another drive to the playoffs in 2015.

At TRU, the WolfPack continue to build their stature as a legitimate force in Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

The men’s volleyball team has long been respected across the nation, but advances in the men’s and women’s basketball programs and a new head coach for the women’s volleyball team are making TRU a force to be reckoned with.

New to the Pack last season were CIS soccer teams, which moved up from the college ranks to compete with the best university teams in the country.

The WolfPack also recently debuted CIS swimming and cross-country running squads.

Did you know?

• Direct spending from 2014 tournaments in Kamloops was $12.7 million.

• Kamloops welcomed 26,802 sport participants to town for 109 events in 2014.

• There are more than 200 lakes within one hour of the city to satisfy every angler’s urge.

• Golf enthusiasts have their choice of 13 courses in the Kamloops area.

• Those lacing up their skates have a choice of five city-owned arenas stretching from Brocklehurst to Valleyview, along with the privately owned Ice Box Arena in the Mount Paul Industrial Park on the Tk’emlups Indian Band reserve.

• Water fans have two indoor and two outdoors pools in which to cool off.

• You can search for every city sports facility by going online here: https://ezregprodsvr.kamloops.ca/ezreg/Facilities/FacilitiesSearchWizard.asp.

68 68 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week Week PROGRESS PROGRESS 2015 2015

From the Kamloops Blazers (top), Kamloops Storm (left), Kamloops Broncos (below) and TRU’s teams (above), the city is well represented on the court, on the ice and on the field.

KTW file photos

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Wine trailblazing

By Jessica Klymchuk KTW STAFF REPORTER jklymchuk@kamloopsthisweek.com While the Kamloops wine industry has been growing for the last several years, it’s only recently that a brand has begun to develop for the region as a whole.

The Kamloops Wineries Association was created in fall of 2014, a partnership between the four local wineries — Harper’s Trail Winery, Sagewood Winery, Privato Vineyard and Winery and Monte Creek Ranch — and spearheaded by industry veteran director Trish Morelli.

The not-for-profit association is working to collectively market and promote the emerging wine region in the Thompson Valley and launch the Kamloops wine trail brand.

The B.C. wine industry generates $2 billion for the province and $476 million in tourism and tourism-related businesses, with $180 million generated in revenue from B.C. wine tourism.

“Those kind of economic impact numbers are what is staggering really, so to bring some of that home to Kamloops is a real benefit,” said Morelli, who has marketed B.C. wines for 25 years.

“It’s just time for us to get together as a group and collectively market the Kamloops wine region, give the region a bigger voice and put Kamloops on the B.C. wine map.”

Many people, even within the industry, are unaware Kamloops is home to wineries, Morelli said.

Sagewood winery forged the path for grape-growing locally when it

planted vineyards in 2005 and farms the oldest vineyards in the region.

Harper’s Trail followed suit in 2008, but was the first to make the investment to build an operating winery and tasting room.

Privato was the second to establish itself as an operating winery and harvested its first crush in 2010.

Monte Creek, the newest Kamloops winery, released its first vintage this year and will officially open its tasting room later in 2015.

The biggest misconception, owners agree, is that Kamloops isn’t suitable for winemaking because of the climate.

“I can remember back when winters were a lot cooler and a lot of the varieties we grow now wouldn’t have survived the winters we used to have. With climate change, things are changing here,” said Doug Wood, owner and winemaker at Sagewood Winery and longtime Kamloops resident.

Kamloops is ranked third in Canada for most growing-degree days, 166, and 2,000 hours of sunshine. With average 30-degree summer temperatures, warm days and cooler nights promote balance in the wines. The region is experiencing increasingly milder winters, although early frosts, like the one experienced in fall of 2014, can still damage vines.

Erik Fisher, general manager at Monte Creek, said ripening is not a big concern because of the favourable heat units, but they plant vines suitable for winter hardiness. Monte Creek is the only winery in town growing five unique varieties developed at the University of Minnesota and

70 Week PROGRESS 2015 70 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

KTW file photo

engineered to withstand winter temperatures down to -35C. “We like to think that once we prove their effectiveness that others will follow, especially in these kind of cool climate regions,” Fisher said, noting that Kelowna and anywhere north can be considered cool-climate viticulture.

Overall, there are parallels between the Okanagan and the Thompson Valley. Although Kamloops lacks the large moderating lake, the river helps create airflow and provides a bit of moderation, Fisher said.

Active airflows through the Thomspon Valley help regulate temperatures in the vineyards and reduce moisture on vines.

“If we have an early frost, they have the same cold snap in the Okanagan as well,” said Debbie Woodward, co-owner of Privato.

“We may get one or two degrees colder, but it’s not a whole lot different.

“People think it is, but it really isn’t.”

Kamloops shares similar heat units to Burgundy, France, Morelli and Woodward both noted. The average heat accumulation, which is used to compare regions and vine-growing conditions, is referred to as growing degree days. The degree day average in the Kamloops region is 1,280, while the Dijon, Burgundy area of France is 1,279.

Built on a bed of limestone, volcanic rock and clay, soils range from loam — a clay, silt and sand combination — to dominantly gravel.

According to the association, such soils offer good drainage, which controls moisture levels.

The cool climate wines are high in

brightness, acidity and balance, most like wines from Alsace and Burgundy.

Dominant grape plantings include pinot noir, cab franc, marechal foch and gamey noir for the reds. Among the dominant white grapes are chardonnay, riesling, pinot gris, gewürztraminer, kerner and marquette.

Morelli said much of the marketing will be dedicated to promoting the Kamloops “terroir,” a sense of place for a wine, referring to the overall geography, climate and conditions of the wine-growing region.

They will launch the public brand “The Kamloops wine trail” as an authentic and relaxed experience, free from the hustle and bustle, pomp and pretense of other regions.

“I think what is going to be neat is that intimate hands on experience,” Morelli said.

“Sitting with the owner and the winemaker is going to be more of the norm than the exception.”

“There is a sense of more wildness to it all. Sitting at the winery, overlooking the river and seeing the bighorn sheep and the cattle walking around the gates of the vineyard, it has a real sense of natural beauty — the wine trail less travelled.”

The Kamloops Wineries Association will be rolling out billboard advertising, a wine trail map and brochure this spring, as well as beginning to lobby the government to get wine trail signage erected. They are looking to develop the trail as a destination activity, bringing tourists into the city, where they can also experience the rest of what Kamloops has to offer.

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A white Christmas in Kamloops will 2014. likely remain nothi ng more than a dream in Environment Canada meteo rologist Doug front was foreca Lundquist said st to push into a weak the Kamloops was not likely area on Christmas Arctic to bring snow to the majority “I’m thinking of the Tournamen Eve, but perhaps above t Capital.

Aberdeen Mall tions in Sahali, and the highe they might get r elevaa little bit of snow the morning,” Lundquist told that might stick KTW. for “Down by the river, you migh a green Christmas. t not get anyth ing at all. It could ” be The forecast for Kamloops match see throughout much of the South es what Lundquist expects to ern “In Kelowna, up towards Joe Rich Interior.

Christmas],” he maybe [there said. will be snow on “But, down by the lake, it’s even because the lake less likely than is so in Kamloops The Weather Netwo warm.” rk’s list of Cana a white Christmas dian cities guara is a short one nteed to have Winnipeg, Thun — Edmonton, der Bay, Queb Regina, Saska ec City, Sague Yellowknife and nay, Whitehorse toon, Iqaluit. , The network says snow in Calgary, Ottaw on Christmas morning is likely a, Montreal and and possible in Vancouver, Lond Fredricton, Charlottetown. on, Toronto and Only Victoria and Halifax have no white Christmas, chance of a accor The last time Kaml ding to the list. oops had a brown was 2011, when Christmas the temperatu re hit 5.8 C on 25.

Dec. This year, Envir onme nt Canada is callin Christmas Day g for a high of 3 C and a low of -4 C. The Weather Netwo rk expects a high of -6 C, with a of 0 C and a low 30 per cent chanc e of precipitatio n.

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PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

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The future of SD73 Neighbourhood schools not realistic

By Dale Bass KTW STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com The architect who designed South Kamloops secondary school was also involved in construction of a duplicate of the school, built in the same year, in the Osoyoos region.

“It’s already been replaced,” said Kamloops-Thompson school board superintendent Karl deBruijn.

“It’s time for that kind of renewal here.”

The school was built in 1952 and, through the years, has been renovated often but is no longer suitable and needs to be replaced — a project that last year was estimated to cost $43 million.

It’s not the only one from that era still being used — Kay Bingham and A.E. Perry elementaries were built in the early 1950s, as well.

“These buildings were never designed for all the electronics we use today,” deBruijn said.

For example, one school had a plasma cutter donated but the building doesn’t have the electrical capacity to operate it.

Last year, 50 smartboards — valued at about $250,000 — sat in boxes rather than classrooms because, in part, older buildings lacked the wiring to operate them.

“The district has done a great job maintaining these old buildings but they’re still old buildings,” deBruijn said.

The former John Peterson secondary building, now home to Beattie School of the Arts secondary grades, also needs renovations to follow through on the district’s plans to consolidate both elementary and secondary grades of the fine-arts school at that location.

The other ongoing reality the district continues to deal with is declining enrolment.

Last year saw 118 more students starting kindergarten than the year before and 124 more students in grades 1 to 7.

At the secondary level, however, enrolment continues to decline but by fewer students last year. The district

had predicted a loss of 280 but the reality was just 164 fewer students in grades 8 to 12.

Fuelling that trend is the move away from large families. DeBruijn noted three SD73 administrators combined had enough siblings to fill one kindergarten class, an anomaly at a time when, as StatsCan has reported, the average family in 2011 had 1.9 children.

DeBruijn said the idea of a neighbourhood school is becoming idealistic and the time may be coming when there are fewer but larger schools.

While the neighbourhood school has its positive side — a playground nearby, kids can walk to school, a gymnasium that can be used for community events — often those same families that moved into an area to be near a school stay there long after their children have graduated and the flow of young families to populate the school is staunched.

“A full school is a more cost-effective school,” he said, noting some districts are moving to “a central-place model.”

DeBruijn said he envisions schools with 300 to 400 students, “small enough so you can know each child but big enough to have all the resources like a full-time librarian and support staff and a principal and vice-principal,” resources some district schools either do not have or must share with other small schools.

That model would add to the transportation costs of a bus fleet that now travels 9,000 kilometres, daily transporting 4,000 students to and from school.

The district has been through downsizing in the past and dealt with angry parents and caregivers fighting for their schools that ultimately close.

He understands the passion.

“I’ve never heard a parent come out to one of those meetings who didn’t say, ‘I love my school’, ” he said.

“But, then their kids start to go to the new school and they make friends and meet the teachers and you know what? They start to love their school.

“The face of the district has to change.”

Report On The City Report on Economic Development

A call to the classroom Karl deBruijn reflects on 37 years in education, how he got to now

By Dale Bass KTW STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com There was a time Karl deBruijn thought he’d become a social worker.

He knows this because it says so in his Kam High yearbook — but the prediction didn’t come through, thanks to deBruijn’s physical-education/guidance teacher back then and Bill Mercer, a social worker deBruijn knew.

The teacher “made us work,” deBruijn said.

“We had to do job-shadowing to look into careers.

I did mine with Bill Mercer and realized at the end of it I really didn’t want to go into social work.”

Instead, experiences deBruijn had as an air cadet, eventually becoming a lieutenant in the air force reserves, led him to the calling he has had for 37 years, as he taught cadets during the summer and discovered he loves teaching.

Even a request to forego the post-secondary education deBruijn’s father — who did not attend a university — encouraged his son to pursue didn’t

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sway him. Although working at the Super Valu grocery store was one of many ways he helped pay for his teaching education, joining the chain wasn’t an option.

Instead, after a long practicum and some substitute teaching at Lord Selkirk elementary in east Vancouver, deBruijn returned home to his first Kamloops classroom. He had a room full of students in grades 4 and 5 in rented space on the Tk’emlups Indian Band reserve because, at that time, the school had a name — Pineridge elementary — but no actual building.

DeBruijn said he became fully involved with his teaching, coaching sports teams after school, helping with extra-curricular activities.

“I got to know the kids as people. And I got to know their families. The greatest pleasure I had was working with the whole child and their families.”

Through his career, he touched on many aspects of education in the Kamloops-Thompson region, being in charge of McQueen Lake — where he put together plenty of work crews of parents, district staff, grandparents, anyone who wanted to help —

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He’s worked with students whose abilities — and interest in school — spanned a spectrum from keen to oblivious. He’s held positions in senior administration, taking on the job of superintendent last year when Terry Sullivan retired.

DeBruijn said he loves the work he has done out of the board offices but he misses being in the classroom, interacting with the students.

“I visit the schools often,” deBruijn said, “and sometimes I get in to a class and the teacher lets me do some teaching for a bit and I love it.”

And he has the unexpected delight often of walking down a street or attending an event and having an adult come up to him and say “Mr. deBruijn, you were my favourite teacher,” among other moments that continually remind him the lessons children learn in school have an impact on their lives.

“The wonderful thing is to see them as kids and then you see them older and and they’re people doing things and contributing to their community.

“I don’t know how anybody could not love what we do.”

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PROGRESS 2015 Report on OnThe The City City

Tranquille on the Lake It was once home to a sanitorium, then became famous as a ghost town.

Today, Tranquille is a vibrant lakeside oasis, featuring Tranquille Farm Fresh urban farming and its popular farmers’ market that runs from late spring to late October.

Tranquille also has a clever corn maze in the autumn and offers tours of the farm and tours of the old tunnels that connected sanitorium buildings back in the early 1900s.

For more on the revitalized gem that anchors the western border of Kamloops’ North Shore, go online to tranquillefarmfresh.com.

The Schieman family — dad Jeff, mom Kristie, son Nathan and daughter Olivia — enjoy a fall stroll through Tranquille’s famous corn maze.

KTW file photo

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HUGE FUN AT BIG LITTLE SCIENCE CENTRE

The Big Little Science Centre has been fascinating and educating kids and adults alike in Kamloops since 2000.

The centre is now located at 655 Holt St. on the North Shore, in the former Happyvale elementary building, and uses four classrooms and the gym to showcase all things science.

With more than 140 hands-on stations in the gym, visitors can undertake myriad experiments.

The four classrooms are used as basic teaching labs and are home to the popular Big Little Science Centre shows, which are featured Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Gordon Gore, a retired science teacher, created the centre and it continues to foster interest in the sciences today.

Go online to biglittlesciencecentre.org to learn more about the centre and to find a current schedule of events.

KTW file photo

Sara Martin sees more than double during a visit to the Big Little Science Centre.

CANADIAN HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION CENTRAL INTERIOR - Board of Directors 2014 - 2015

The CHBA-CI is celebrating their 50th year in Kamloops. Along with a very memorable evening with Ron Maclean, Kamloops This Week will be commemorating this momentous occasion with a special 50th anniversary supplement with stories, features and highlights of many of the loyal members of the CHBA CI Watch for it in your May 5th edition of Kamloops This Week.

President MATT MCCURRACH Homex Development Corp.

1st Vice President JASON GAGNON Greenvale Construction

2nd 2 nd Vice Presidentt CURTIS SCHLOSSER Granite Homes Inc.

Treasurer MARIO PIRODDI BDO Canada LLP

Secretary MARLENE ANDERSON Tri-AMM Developments Corp.

Director AL NORGAARD Norgaard Ready Mix Ltd.

Director BEV WASSENHUNTER BMO Bank of Montreal

Director ROB LEMIRE Valley First Insurance

Director KEN DUECK Dueck Construction

Director Director Dir rector RYAN KURZAC RON WRABEL Kamloops Home Hardware Wrabel Construction Ltd. Building Centre

Directorr TOM CALNE Fulcrum Development

Director RON POPOFF T.N.R.D.

Director KUNDAN BUBBAR City of Kamloops

Director HANK BANGMA TRU Carpentry Department

Staff ROSE CHOY Office Manager

Past P President resident BRIAN HAYASHI NexBuild Construction Corp.

Staff EMELEE DAMOCO Administrative Assistant

75 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

Mine lives to

Based on positive results from a new study, New Gold Inc. is looking to add at least five more years to its New Afton mine.

The Toronto-based company released its fourth quarter and year-end results showing both gold and copper production were up steeply at the mine on Kamloops’ western boundary.

New Afton produced more than 104,000 ounces of gold and nearly 85 million pounds of copper in 2014. The company also has operating mines in United States, Mexico and Australia.

New Afton employs 450 workers and mine life is set to expire in 2023.

But, more study of the mine’s C-zone beneath the current underground deposit shows promise for at least five more years, said spokesman Hannes Portmann.

The C-zone is about 500 metres below the current area of underground mining at the former open-pit copper mine that closed in the late 1990s.

Construction is now about 70 per cent complete on mill expansion.

“It should be commissioned in the middle of this year,” Portmann said.

“It gives us capacity to put more ore through the mill.”

Recoveries of copper and gold are also slated to increase with the mill expansion.

New Gold intends to start the permitting process for the C-zone this year, with a feasibility study done by the first quarter of next year. Full production could begin on the deep deposit in 2024.

In order to mine the new zone, New Gold is looking at a project to dewater and solidify the historic Afton tailings pond, now owned by KGHM-Ajax, due to possible subsidence of ground.

“That will be one of the big areas of study,” Portmann said.

• Meanwhile, Highland Valley Copper, one of the world’s largest openput mines and located near Logan Lake,

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be extended

will see its mine life extended to 2027, thanks to a new plan.

The mine, which produces copper and molybdenum concentrates, has a processing plant that uses autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding and flotation to produce metal in concentrate from the ore.

Concentrates are transported first by truck to Ashcroft, then by rail to a port in Vancouver for export overseas. The majority of concentrates are sold under longterm sales contracts to smelters in several countries.

Last year, the mill optimization project at Highland Valley significantly increased throughput and exceeded design capacity by approximately 10,000 tonnes per day.

The mine saw revenue of $943 million in 2014, an increase from $882 million in 2013, but a drop from $1.01 billion in 2012. Highland Valley had 121,500 tonnes of copper production last year and is expecting to mine up to 150,000 tonnes in 2015.

Molybdenum production in 2015 is expected to hit 4.5-million pounds contained in concentrate, compared to 5.2 million pounds in 2014.

• The proposed KGHM Ajax copper and gold mine south of Aberdeen remains in the planning stages, with proponent KGHM International expected to file its environmental assessment application to the federal and provincial governments this spring.

The company predicts annual production of 109-million pounds of copper and 99,000-ounces of gold, with a 60,000-tonne-per-day processing capacity.

The mine life is set at 20 years and KGHM estimates the project will create 500 full-time positions during its two-year construction period and in the following two decades the mine is in operation. Positions to be filled include technical and mining services to health and safety and administrative.

WELCOME TO SAGE HEALTH CENTRE Sage Health Centre is a private abstinence-based residential treatment facility that that offers an integrative treatment approach to women and men who are struggling with addictions.

Our home style facility is located on secluded private property in the heart of Kamloops, BC and is within walking distance of all amenities.

Our abstinence-based residential treatment program offers individuals, employee and family assistance programs and agency referrals— an affordable alternative to other comparable private residential treatment programs.

“When I went on sick leave for MS in the fall of 2008 my addiction sensed that my daily routine which I maintained for years was gone. It was then that I started drinking in the morning and within six months I was a totally broken individual. Sage Health Centre offered me a very unique program, they knew which direction to guide and assist me in “doing life” again without my drug of choice… If addiction is making your life unmanageable, you will honour yourself by attending Sage Health Centre.”

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77 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 On The The City City Report on

GETTING AROUND TOWN

KTW FILE PHOTO Kamloops commuters will have an interesting spring and summer as two major projects will impact movement around the city. The $10-million Overlanders Bridge resurfacing will mean delays travelling across the river, while the $3.8-million widening of Columbia Street at the same time will impact traffic going to and from downtown.

78 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

In the end, the millions of dollars in work should result in a (literally) smoother commute for Kamloops drivers.

But, as the saying goes, there no gain without some pain.

This spring, Kamloops’ main span, Overlanders Bridge, will be the focus of a $10-million construction project, with the main goal being to resurface the deck. If all goes according to plan, the notorious “bumps” will be a thing of the past once fall rolls around.

At this point, the city plans to provide weekly updates and has said construction will take place seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with two lanes open at all times.

In addition, a live bridge camera is being considered.

While the Overlanders gets a makeover, Columbia Street will be the focus of a $3.8-million widening project intended to help ease congestion via the addition of new dedicated left-turn lanes.

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79 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report on On The The City City

HOW WE RANK Hottest summer Coldest winter Coolest summer Mildest winter Coldest spring Coldest year-round Warmest year-round Most freezing days Fewest freezing days Most hot days (30°C+) Most cold days (<-20°C) Most hot and cold days Warmest spring Warmest fall Wettest city (rain/snow) Driest city Snowiest city Lowest snowfall Snowiest fall Snowiest spring Snowfall % of precip.

Rainiest city Most wet days Most very wet days Most dry days Most snow days Fewest snow days Most heavy snow days Most huge snowfall days Most freezing rain days Most blowing snow days Most thunderstorm days Fewest thunderstorm days Foggiest city (days) Fewest fog days Most smoke/haze days Sunniest year-round Least sunshine annually Sunniest winter Sunniest summer Sunniest spring Sunniest fall Most sunny days annually Fewest sunny days annually Most sunny days/cold months Mostsunnydays/warmmonths Most heating degree-days Most cooling degree-days Most growing degree-days Highest ave. pressure Lowest ave. pressure Greatest ave. pressure diff.

Most hours, low visibility Clearest skies year-round Cloudiest skies year-round Most clear skies in summer Windiest city year-round Windiest winter Windiest summer Most windy days Extreme wind chill Most high wind chill days Humidex days above 30° Most humid summer city Driest winter air Driest summer air

1 89 100 13 99 90 11 88 13 1 78 38 2 29 99 2 94 7 78 96 39 98 98 99 3 87 14 92 86 90 86 72 29 99 2 66 25 76 85 20 26 22 14 87 27 2 89 8 3 15 66 18 81 51 61 17 73 68 72 53 53 64 24 71 70 12

Kamloops is a weather winner Those who live in the Tournament Capital already know the weather is one of the many fringe benefits that come with calling Kamloops home.

And, the favourable climate has not gone unnoticed by the folks at Environment Canada, which has drawn up what it calls Weather Winners.

Using 30 years of weather data for Canada’s 100 largest cities, David Phillips, Environment Canada’s senior climatologist, has crunched the numbers, resulting in a plethora of facts that will provide further fodder for inter-city rivalries.

For example, Kamloops is king of the summers, laying claim to having the hottest summer in the entire country with an average temperature of 26.94 C. Our envious brethren in Kelowna limped in at fourth spot.

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Kamloops is also the second-driest city in Canada — only 279 millimetres of precipitation, behind Whitehorse — while Kelowna, the Thompson-Okanagan’s second city, is much soggier, sitting in ninth position.

The peculiarities of Canadian weather are evident throughout the data: Only a two-hour drive separates Canada’s second-driest city (Kamloops) and the country’s third-wettest burgh (Chilliwack).

More reasons to enjoy the remarkable River City: We are a comfortable 13th in mildest winters, a shovel-free 94th in snowiest cities and 14th in fewest snow days, a scene-setting 17th in clearest skies in the summer, a good-hair day 73rd in windiest cities and seventh in most days with light wind, a bountiful third in most growing-degree days, a sparkling 20th in sunniest summers and a T-shirt-wearing 11th-warmest city year-round.

Report On The City

81 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

PROGRESS 2015 Report On The City

A sustainable Sun Peaks Over 50 years after the founding members of Tod Mountain ski area first spied Crystal Bowl from horseback, hundreds of thousands of people now visit what is now the second-largest ski area in Canada every year.

Located 45 minutes northeast of Kamloops, what began as a locals’ only, rough and tumble ski area is now recognized around the world as Sun Peaks Resort, an award-winning, fourseason resort taglined Canada’s Alpine Village.

The resort’s journey contains many stories, including fires, bankruptcies and even the tragic death of one of its most well-known historical figures, Harry Burfield.

Today, the area is an exciting place to visit, to work and to live. It has become not only a world-class ski resort, but also a vibrant and growing year-round community.

After various owners throughout the last half-century, the early 1990s brought about lasting change.

A group of investors, led by the Japanese company Nippon Cable, were scouring Western Canada for an area to meet their vision.

Once the geographic potential became apparent, Sun Peaks Resort was born. Using the original chairlift as a starting point, designers envisioned three mountains with hundreds of ski and downhill bike runs surrounding a central pedestrian village.

Since that time, over $650 million in infrastructure has been built. The village’s master development plan is still relatively unchanged and remains resort’s guiding document.

In this past year, further steps were taken toward completion of the plan when the resort added over 500 acres of new ski terrain bringing the total to 4,270 skiable acres.

As the economy continues to rebound and as tourist visits continue to reach their pre-2008 numbers, additional growth and development is in the future, including new chairlifts and condo developments.

But, with all the focus on the resort’s big picture, the actual foundation of Sun Peaks — its people — can be overlooked.

Sun Peaks boasts more than 4,200 skiable acres, making it the second largest ski area in Canada.

Adam Stein photo

Throughout the decades, passionate people have chosen to call the area home and contributed by starting businesses which amount to around 40 shops, cafes and restaurants plus many others which are service based. Despite the planned nature of the village, authentic diversity shines through in the exceptional personal customer service and unique nature of the locally owned businesses.

In 2010, the first mountain resort municipality in Canada was incorporated in Sun Peaks to service these people and their families.

Very different from other resorts

82 Week PROGRESS 2015 82 Kamloops Kamloops This This Week PROGRESS 2015

in the Interior, this relatively new municipal government is guiding the community towards a sustainable future, focusing on providing residents with the tools and opportunities to live well year-round in a seasonally based economy.

To combat the traditional highs and lows of visitation, the municipality is working with resort and community partners to build the Sun Peaks summer experience.

The past three years have seen tremendous success. In 2012 and 2013, summer resort occupancy grew by 36 per cent and, in 2014, the resort

maintained those numbers.

The main driver of this growth has been a robust summer events program, anchored by two major, free outdoor concerts.

Throughout its history, Sun Peaks has never been satisfied with the status quo.

It’s this attitude and focus on the resort’s potential which drives the community to continue to grow and evolve.

That original area looked on by the founding members now holds even more promise than it did on that fateful day over half a century ago.

Report On The City

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Helping people improve the quality of their lives is Aaron Glover’s most important goal.

The owner of Glover’s Medicine Centre Pharmacy in Sahali says being able to create the right medication for individuals — medicines they might not be able to get at chain or big-box retail pharmacies is hugely rewarding.

“It’s about making someone feel better, giving them the ability to enjoy life more. I enjoy going to work.” Passion is important and I like to help.

Glover opened his store in 2005, after several years working at other local pharmacies. He has always wanted to run his own pharmacy, and has worked towards that goal since his graduation from UBC. in 1997.

As a compounding pharmacist, Glover says he is able to

manufacture unique preparations, suspensions, capsules, liquids, injectable medications and creams, all from scratch.

The ability to customize medicines, antibiotics and other drugs gives him the unique ability to help those who most need it.

Many times, doctors (and veterinarians - Glover’s lab also prepares medications for animals and vet clinics) call him with inquiries or prescriptions for medicines that requires unique amounts of specic drugs, or a special means of delivery.

“We take the raw ingredient and make up something from them.” he said, adding compounding is only required when drugs do not exist in ready made form already.

“We don’t reproduce something already out there.” he says.

“It’s personal, 90 percent of my customers I know by name.”

Such service is important these days as more drug companies curtail production of less popular medications. Changes to generic drug pricing schemes have reduced the protability of some drugs to the point that big manufacturers don’t make the same quantities.

As well, chain or big-box pharmacies often don’t carry the less popular medications and have no ability to concoct something special as needed.

Those pharmacists dispense manufactured drugs and medications only.

Glover says another key focus for his store is customer service and education. Its important for him to know his customers truly understand what they are taking, why they are taking it and how to take it properly.

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He says he gets to know his customers personally. “I know my customers by name. We give personal service that is unmatched.

If there is a problem we x it. It’s all about service.”

Glover says he is proud to live and work in Kamloops, and has long believed in the importance of community.

“A big part of my business is giving back to the community.” he said, adding he sponsors many teams and events, with new ones being added all the time.

“I do a ton of community stuff. I support the community, the community supports me.”

• Vaccinations • First Aid Products • Blister Packing • Free city wide delivery 83 Kamloops This Week PROGRESS 2015

15%

A L L OUT

INSTANT SAVINGS*

on the purchase of ALL qualifying KitchenAid® Major Appliances**

CLEARANCE EVENT APRIL 2 - 29, 2015

Best Performing Dishwasher Brand‡

KitchenAid® Standard-Depth French Door Refrigerator - 25 cu. ft.

KitchenAid® 30-Inch 5-Element Electric Freestanding Range

KitchenAid® 24-Inch 6-Cycle 5-Option Dishwasher

KBFS25ECMS

YKERS303BSS

KDTE104DSS

0000 2100

$

00

†

ExtendFresh™ Temperature Management System

Uses sensors in the refrigerator and freezer to help ensure all your ingredients remain at the appropriate temperature for optimum taste and texture.

0000 1317

$

00

†

Even-Heat™ True Convection

Produces flawless results. The unique bow-tie design and convection fan ensure the inside of the entire oven is heated to, and stays at, the perfect temperature.

$935

0000

00†

ProWash™ Cycle

Determines the appropriate cycle for washing dishes and makes real-time adjustments for the best cleaning performance. ‡ Combined wash and dry performance among leading premium brands.

Offer valid only at participating authorized KitchenAid® appliance dealers. Some restrictions apply.

See Sales Associate or visit KitchenAid.ca for details and list of qualifying models. * Before taxes. ** See Dealer for list of available qualifying appliances. In-store instant savings equal to 15% of retail purchase price (before taxes) on purchase of qualifying KitchenAid® major appliances will be deducted at time of purchase.

Purchase must be made between April 2, 2015 and April 29, 2015 from a participating authorized Canadian KitchenAid® appliance dealer. Open to Canadian residents only. Offer cannot be combined with any other KitchenAid® appliance offer.

This offer is not available to second channel, dealers, builders, or contractors. Offer excludes accessories and food waste disposers. † All qualifying models may not be available at all dealers. Dealer prices may vary. Dealer alone has sole discretion to set retail prices. ®/TM © 2015 KitchenAid. Used under license in Canada. All rights reserved.