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DECEMBER 27, 2019 | Volume 32 No. 104
FRIDAY
FULTON CUP FINALS
KTW
We look at which senior and junior boys’ and girls’ high school teams emerged victorious at the annual city hoops championships A27
YOU CAN HELP KTW Christmas Cheer Fund aids four city charities A3
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? A look back at stories and newsmakers
Kira Crawford is making progress as she undergoes treatments targeting her cerebral palsy. Kira’s mom, Danica, is appreciative of the help from the community and said she is eager to pay it forward in the small ways she can right now — sharing Kira’s experience through social media and connecting with other families in similar situations.
STAFF REPORTER
sbrady@kamloopsthisweek.com
D
anica Crawford undertook a brave initiative in March of 2018. She asked for donations so her five-year-old daughter Kira, who has cerebral palsy, could undergo potentially life-altering treatments. The community responded.
Out of the Cold program finds new home for shelter A14
In 21 months, donors from Kamloops and beyond have given more than $62,000 to help Kira heal and, with support from her mother, family and the community, Kira has made progress. Now seven years old, Kira has undergone both of the therapies her mother planned to pursue when launching the campaign. First up was a procedure in July 2018 called selective percutaneous myofascial lengthening (SPML), a surgical treatment
intended to relieve spasticity in her legs. Cerebral palsy often causes problems with body movement, posture, speech, swallowing and muscle stiffness. “She gained a lot of core strength because that tension was relieved. So the rest of her body relaxed and she gained strength and stability,” Crawford said. See KIRA’S TREATMENTS, A12
Sunshine,then clouds High 4 C Low -1 C
Big ideas in city’s new Downtown Plan JESSICA WALLACE STAFF REPORTER jessica@kamloopsthisweek.com
Kira’s quest continues SEAN BRADY
INTO WARMTH
WEEKEND WEATHER:
Mayor Ken Christian looks at ideas and plans for downtown Kamloops and sees a place in which he would like to live. After months of consultation, feedback and revisions, city council has approved adoption of the new Downtown Plan. Included are big ideas: a performing-arts centre, a pedestrian plaza on Fourth Avenue, a public market and a review of one-way streets. There are also general goals to guide development, such as retaining views of valley and mountain landscapes, increasing pedestrian-friendliness, maximizing green space and encouraging underground parking. The overarching vision: “Downtown Kamloops is a vibrant, well-connected and welcoming place to play, live, work and play.” “When I read that report, that’s a place I want to live,” Christian told KTW. “It sounds really funky. It sounds good and I think that resonated with all of council.” Some previous council advisories are included in the final plan, such as specific references to making downtown more accessible and adding verbiage around “passive” space in Riverside Park. The hotly debated issue of commercializing the popular downtown green space reignited over discussion around a public market proposal for the park-
What do you think of ideas in the Downtown Plan? How do you see downtown developing? Send your thoughts to editor@kamloopsthisweek.com
ing lot in front of Heritage House. The final plan suggests a public market be a private endeavour located in the area of the former Value Village, near Seymour Street and Fifth Avenue. The plan specifically references tourism-oriented businesses be located outside of Riverside Park, in the east waterfront district, which starts east of the Red Bridge at Pioneer Park and continues past Exhibition Park to the Yellowhead Highway. Coun. Mike O’Reilly said the plan strikes a balance in managing desires from various users groups. He touted the city’s engagement process, which included visiting a Kamloops high school, to gauge ideas from students. “There are multiple user groups with different visions,” O’Reilly said. The plan outlines short-, mediumand long-term projects. However, Christian stressed that big ideas identified remain just that — ideas. The reality is many city plans never come to fruition and, in order for this one to get off the shelf, various groups need to come to the table, including private developers, other levels of government and the public. See PLAN ENVISIONS, A6