Committee of the Whole Meeting–August 19, 2025

City Hall front exterior

2026 Permissive Tax Exemptions

Lewis Hill, the City's Financial Services Manager, provided the Committee of the Whole with a report seeking direction on which applicants to include or deny as part of the 2026 permissive tax exemption application and bylaw process.

Section 224 of the Community Charter grants Council the ability to give not-for-profits and places of worship a pass on paying property taxes for lands, including parking lots, public halls, and meeting rooms. This is an additional exemption as the primary properties for most of these organizations are already exempt from tax under Section 220 of the Community Charter. However, in 2024, BC Assessment received a legal ruling stating that churches with parking lots located on separate parcels would no longer qualify for permissive tax exemptions. This change, effective in 2025, resulted in nine properties becoming taxable.

Council Policy No. GGL-22, Permissive Tax Exemptions for Not-for-Profit Organizations, and Council Policy No. GGL-23, Permissive Tax Exemptions for Places of Worship, govern the application and approval process for permissive tax exemptions. The Kamloops permissive tax exemption bylaws are established on a five-year cycle, and the 2022 tax year marked the beginning of a new cycle. Applications received in 2025 will be considered for the remaining year of the cycle (2026).

The Committee of the Whole directed staff to prepare permissive tax exemption bylaws for Council's consideration that would include the following organizations: 

  • NEXUS Community Support Society
  • NEXUS Community Support Society
  • BC Parks Foundation (five parcels)
  • Connective Support Society Kamloops
  • A Way Home Kamloops Society (two parcels)
  • Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre Society
  • Thompson Rivers Recovery Club Society

The Committee of the Whole directed staff to deny an application from Connective Support Society Kamloops due to the fact that their rental housing properties do not have support services tied to them, as required under Council's exemption policy criteria.

Parking Management Plan Report

Mo Perri, the City's Community Services Supervisor, provided the Committee of the Whole with a report on current parking system challenges and practical changes aimed at improving parking availability, efficiency, and equity for residents, visitors, and businesses. The report highlighted key findings specific to the Downtown and North Shore study areas, including the underutilization of parkades and surface lots, challenges with parking spilling into adjacent residential communities, and insufficient parking spaces for persons with disabilities or commercial vehicles. These issues are exacerbated during event times.

Among other strategies, the report proposed increases to parking fees, parking fines, and the hours when paid parking is in effect.

The Committee of the Whole recommended that Council authorize staff to use Provincial Housing Capacity Building Grant funds to develop an implementation plan for short-term strategies identified in the Parking Management Study. Staff will prepare the following bylaws for Council's consideration to reflect the outlined adjustments to parking rates, fines, and event parking, following the request for proposal process for new pay stations: 

  • Traffic Bylaw No. 23-30
  • Fees and Charge Bylaw No. 44-14
  • Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 43-15
  • Parks and Public Lands Bylaw No. 35-66

 

  • View the full report.
  • View the presentation within the COTW meeting slide deck.
  • Contact for further information:
    Mo Perri | mperri@kamloops.ca

Official Community Plan Update 2025

Stephen Bentley, the City's Community Planning Manager, provided the Committee of the Whole with feedback received during the community engagement phase of the Official Community Plan update while seeking direction on the plan's housing policies. Changes to provincial legislation in 2023 required local governments to update their Official Community Plans by December 31, 2025, to accommodate anticipated housing needs over the next 20 years and to address specific types of housing.

Community engagement on the Official Community Plan update took place in May–June 2025. A summary of comments received during the engagement process, along with staff responses, is provided on the City’s Let’s Talk page. Key themes included: 

  • building heights
  • greenspace, tree canopy, and trails
  • community safety
  • transportation
  • vibrancy of commercial areas
  • indigenous housing needs

The Committee of the Whole provide direction on proposed changes to the Official Community Plan on the following policy topics: 

  • Transit-Supporting Area Supported Building Heights 
    • The Committee of the Whole recommended partly aligning maximum heights with what would be allowed if provincially designated as a Transit-Oriented Area (10 and six storeys), but steps down to three and four storeys east of Plover Road and to three storeys west of Oriole Road (Option 2 in the report).
  • Rental Replacement and Tenant Protection 
    • The Committee of the Whole recommended providing a policy regarding the redevelopment of manufactured home parks, affordable housing, and purpose-built rental housing that encourages developers to offer right of first refusal, but not necessarily of similar sizes or rents. The policy would also require developers to work collaboratively with residents to explore relocation supports (Option 2 in the report).
  •  Family-Friendly Unit Requirements 
    • The Committee of the Whole recommended providing a policy supporting the distribution of three-bedroom units throughout the community and developing a strategy to encourage and incentivize the development of more family-friendly units (Option 2 in the report).
      Staff will update the draft Official Community Plan to reflect the Committee of the Whole’s input and will bring the updated draft bylaw to Council for review before further public engagement.

 

Development Cost Charges Bylaw Amendment Options

Deven Matkowski, the City's Engineering Manager, provided the Committee of the Whole with a report outlining the risks and benefits of three options for amending the Development Cost Charge Bylaw to address significant increases in infrastructure construction costs, legislative changes, and changes in growth: 

  • a Consumer Price Index adjustment
  • a minor Development Cost Charge Bylaw amendment
  • a major Development Cost Charge Bylaw amendment

The Committee of the Whole recommended that staff initiate a Consumer Price Index increase to the Development Cost Charge Bylaw to take effect in the short term while also initiating a major amendment to the bylaw based on a thorough review and the recommendations of a re-established Development Cost Charge Engagement Group. Major amendment proposals would be brought forward to a regular Council meeting for consideration.