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KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
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FEBRUARY 7, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 16
Here’s why recycling rules are changing ANDREA KLASSEN STAFF REPORTER andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
DALE BASS/KTW
Health Minister Terry Lake with a drawing of what Royal Inland Hospital is expected to look like once the $417-million patient-care tower (in green) is built on the east side of the facility. The NDP weighs in the plan in a story on page A5.
$417-MILLION RIH TOWER APPROVED DALE BASS STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
Calling it a huge day for him personally, Health Minister Terry Lake announced yesterday that the much-anticipated patientcare tower at Royal Inland Hospital has been given the green light by the provincial government.
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Officials confirmed what has previously been reported, that the tower will follow the recently completed $80-million clinical-services building and parkade. The $417-million tower will rise on the east side of the hospital in an area that is now a parking lot for doctors and other staff. It will climb to nine storeys and have 11 operating rooms, among other features.
A request for qualifications to identify potential contractors will go out in May — the month of the provincial election — with shovels expected in the ground in 2018. Estimated opening year is 2022. The business plan includes analysis of health-services needs and delivery options, the project’s scope and procurement plan.
See GLASS, A6
See RIH TOWER, A4
REVENUE IN STORE FOR SPCA
FAMILIAR NAME Man with criminal history charged in Feb. 2 shooting
Thrift store will share proceeds
A3
MOLD & ASBESTOS
It’s convenient for residents, but a spokesman for Multi Material BC said recycling glass via blue bin is too much of a hassle behind the scenes. “Glass can easily break during curbside collection and is then more difficult to sort from other recyclables. This leads to less glass and other materials being recycled,” said Allen Langdon, MMBC’s managing director, in an email to KTW. MMBC is an organization set up by paper and packaging manufacturers at the behest of the province to ensure their products are being recycled. In an agreement reached this week with the city, the organization will pay Kamloops about $1.1 million a year to continue collecting recyclables and cover the costs of sorting those products, about $800,000 annually. The agreement will take effect in April. However, in exchange for the cash (which comes from a fee added to paper and packaging at the time of purchase), the city must modify its program to MMBC’s standard, which means no glass and no soft plastics at the curb. (The new agreement will allow pizza boxes, empty aerosol cans and paper pet food bags to be placed in the blue bins, items that are now prohibited from being added to collected recyclables.) At present, Kamloops residents are permitted to add glass and soft plastics to the city-owned blue bins that are collected weekly.
A4
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