Delegations

Youth Climate Corps of BC

Members of the Youth Climate Corps of BC provided Council with updates on the group's climate action projects that have been completed in partnership with the City, including FireSmart, community outreach and education, invasive weed removal, sustainable transportation, and bike valets. In Kamloops, five youths have been doing full-time climate action work as part of this initiative since July.

BC Wildlife Park

Representatives from the BC Wildlife Park presented the Kamloops Wildlife Park Society's five-year capital maintenance plan to Council, as required under its funding agreement with the City.

A number of highlights from 2026 were shared, including the hiring of a new executive director, the park’s 60-year anniversary celebrations, and the opening of a new children's park, which is the result of the park's largest-ever fundraising effort.

Public Submissions

Permissive Tax Exemption Bylaws

Following an opportunity for members of the public to provide their input, Council adopted Permissive Tax Exemptions for Not-for-Profit Organizations Bylaw No. 72, 2026, and Permissive Tax Exemptions for Places of Worship Bylaw No. 73, 2026. The City’s permissive tax exemption bylaws are established on a five-year cycle, and the 2027 tax year marks the start of a new cycle (2027–2031). Each year, new applicants are considered for the remaining years of the five-year cycle. As this is the start of the five-year cycle, all organizations seeking a permissive tax exemption are required to apply.

Read the full September 1, 2026, report here.

Consideration of Bylaws

10-Unit Apartment at 455 Fortune Drive

Council adopted Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 55-125, 2026, and Housing Agreement Bylaw No. 64-15, 2026, and issued a development permit for 455 Fortune Drive for the construction of a new 10-unit apartment building on the property. The housing agreement requires the apartment building to remain rental housing.

Read the full September 22, 2026, report here.

Unfinished Business

Changes to 2026 Council Calendar

Council adopted the following changes to the 2026 Council Calendar:

• cancelled the October 20, 2026, Committee of the Whole meeting
• added a public hearing on October 27, 2026, at 7:00 pm

The updated 2026 Council Calendar is available here.

Administrative Reports

Kamloops Wildlife Park Society Release of Capital Funding

Dustin Rutsatz, the City's Planning and Procurement Manager, provided Council with a report to request authorization to release capital grant funds to the Kamloops Wildlife Park Society.

The Kamloops Wildlife Park Society presented its capital plan during the Delegations section earlier in the meeting, and, accordingly, Council authorized the plan and directed Administration to release the society’s 2026 annual capital grant of $150,000, in accordance with the Kamloops Wildlife Park Society Funding Agreement.

View the full report.
View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Dustin Rutsatz | drutsatz@kamloops.ca 

2027 Solid Waste Rate Review and Bylaw Updates

Before receiving the staff report, Council resolved to postpone consideration of the report's recommendations until the November 10, 2026, regular Council meeting.

View the full report.
View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Dustin Rutsatz | drutsatz@kamloops.ca  
Glen Farrow | gfarrow@kamloops.ca 

Traffic Calming Policy and Guidelines

Purvez Irani, the City's Transportation Manager, presented Council with a proposed Traffic Calming Policy and related Traffic Calming Guidelines (Attachments “A” and “B” to the report linked below), which include a comprehensive framework that establishes a consistent, data-driven process for evaluating and implementing traffic-calming measures on local roads, minor collector roads, and laneways throughout the city.

The guidelines support the Transportation Master Plan and Vision Zero objectives by providing a structured approach to addressing speeding concerns while balancing the needs of residents, emergency services, transit operations, and the broader transportation network. The guidelines establish a five-phase process and are founded on four key principles:

• Traffic calming should focus on addressing speeding and shortcutting concerns rather than serving as a solution to all transportation issues.
• Traffic-calming decisions must be data driven and supported by current traffic information.
• Community involvement plays a critical role throughout the process, recognizing that neighbourhood traffic-calming projects should only proceed where meaningful local support exists.
• Acknowledging the need to balance traffic-calming objectives with essential transportation functions, including emergency response, transit service, utility access, and road maintenance operations.

The Traffic Calming Policy will provide Council, residents, and staff with a clear, predictable framework for responding to neighbourhood speeding concerns while advancing community safety and livability goals.

Council authorized adopting Council Policy No. TS-14 - Traffic Calming as the City’s formal framework for evaluating, prioritizing, and implementing traffic calming initiatives on local roads, minor collector roads, and laneways and directed staff to periodically review and update the Traffic Calming Guidelines to reflect evolving best practices, operational experience, and community needs.

View the full report.
View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Purvez Irani | pirani@kamloops.ca 

Accessibility Plan Update - Project and Engagement Overview

Ashley Ekelund, the City's Social and Community Development Supervisor, provided Council with a summary of implementation successes over the three-year term of the City's 2023 Accessibility Plan and outlined staff’s approach to the Accessibility Plan review and update, which must be completed every three years, as required by the Accessible British Columbia Act. The 2023 Accessibility Plan provided a three-year framework for reducing accessibility barriers within City operations. It included 64 actions organized under four areas of focus: Built Environment, Programs and Services, Employment, and Transportation.

The City is now initiating a review and update of the City’s Accessibility Plan. Key outputs of this process will include:

• a summary of progress on actions in the 2023 Accessibility Plan
• a summary of community, partner agency, Accessibility Engagement Group, and departmental input
• identification of current and emerging accessibility barriers
• updated goals, priorities, actions, responsibilities, and measures of success
• stronger alignment with related City plans and initiatives
• an updated Accessibility Plan for Council consideration and public release

View the full memo.
View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Ashley Ekelund | aekelund@kamloops.ca 

Child Care Action Plan

Natasha Hartson, the City's Social, Housing, and Community Development Manager, provided Council with the Child Care Action Plan (Attachment "A" to the report linked below), which builds on the City’s 2019 Community Child Care Planning Program and reflects engagement with families, child care providers, educators, and community partners. While Kamloops has experienced significant growth in licensed child care spaces since 2019, the findings confirm that demand continues to exceed supply in key age groups—particularly infant and toddler care and school-age care—while providers continue to face challenges related to workforce recruitment and retention, funding and administration, licensing processes, and navigating municipal requirements. Engagement also highlighted opportunities to strengthen collaboration, improve access to information, modernize municipal policies, and better integrate child care into community planning.

The plan establishes a practical, three-year roadmap focused on actions within municipal influence. The plan is organized around three strategic areas for action—Municipal Policies and Processes, Convening Community, and Advocacy. These areas reflect opportunities to address local barriers, strengthen community coordination, and support evidence-based advocacy on broader system issues that fall outside municipal jurisdiction.

The Child Care Action Plan identifies opportunities to:

• better integrate child care into community, neighbourhood, and growth planning
• review zoning and parking requirements that may affect the establishment or expansion of child care facilities
• improve access to municipal information and navigation support for current and prospective child care providers
• strengthen neighbourhood-level child care data
• improve ongoing coordination between City departments and community partners
• support coordinated advocacy on issues that fall outside municipal jurisdiction, including workforce capacity, funding, licensing, and inclusion supports

Council endorsed the Child Care Action Plan.

View the full report.
View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
Contact for further information:
Natasha Hartson | nhartson@kamloops.ca 

Community Engagement and Collaboration Activities

Council received an update on upcoming community engagement opportunities, as listed below.

Featured Engagement Opportunities

• Love Your City: The Love Your City campaign focuses on voter engagement and ensuring residents are well informed ahead of the municipal election this fall. Visit our final pop-up event to learn more about the role of municipal government and win prizes:
  • Downtown Farmers’ Market, October 10, 2026, 8:30 am–12:30 pm. Learn more at LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/LoveYourCity.
• Get out and Vote! General voting day is Saturday, October 17, 2026, with 16 voting locations around the city. There will also be three days of advance voting opportunities on October 7, October 10, and October 14. Visit LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/Vote.
• Utility Rate Changes: The City is reviewing water and sewer rates for 2027 and is recommending changes to both utility rates and the water rate structure. A project page at LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/UtilityRates explains the recommended changes, why the City is considering them, and what they could mean for residents’ utility bills.
• Let’s Learn: This education-focused web page is designed to help residents better understand how our municipal government works and to clear up common misconceptions. It also provides an opportunity to suggest future topics for development at LetsTalk.Kamloops.ca/LetsLearn.

Community Collaboration Activities

• The Kamloops Airport Authority Society is looking for community-minded individuals interested in serving on its Board of Directors to help shape the future of air travel in our region. The application deadline is November 20, 2026. Learn more at Kamloops.ca/KAAS.

Follow On Let's Talk Website

Subscribe to ongoing projects to be notified when engagement opportunities arise:  

• 2026 Local General Election
• Reimagine Downtown!
• Build Kamloops
• Responsible Liquor Consumption Pilot Project
• Capital Projects
  • Tranquille Phase 3
  • Kamloops Centre for the Arts