Safe & Secure Kamloops

The City of Kamloops has a new vehicle added to its fleet—a 2008 Porsche Cayman—which was provided through a BC Civil Forfeiture Profits of Crime grant. This vehicle will be used in Kamloops’ Guns and Gangs Intervention and Prevention Program to show that while the gang lifestyle may appear to be luxurious, it is far from it.

“The Guns and Gangs program is a series of initiatives and education that we are developing with key partners and experts to prevent and intervene in youths entering the guns and gang lifestyle,” said Amy Hilliard, the City’s Community Education and Prevention Coordinator. “The Porsche is a piece of our tool kit that will come with us to events and education opportunities to help reinforce the message to youths that involvement in drug or gang crime is serious and that assets, including one’s life, become targeted and vulnerable.”

This Porsche is an example of a criminal asset that was seized due to gang life. The Porsche will be on display on Saturday, August 12, during Hot Nite in the City along with information about the Guns and Gangs Intervention and Prevention Program.

The City of Kamloops is one of the federal government’s Building Safer Communities Fund recipients announced in March 2023 to develop and implement community-collaborated programming to aid in the prevention and intervention of youths becoming involved in gun and gang violence.

The City’s funding allocation will be put towards community-led projects through the new Guns and Gangs Intervention and Prevention Program, which aims to combat gun and gang violence in youths and address knowledge gaps concerning the impacts of interventions in gun and gang violence.

A three-year plan is in progress with a dedicated Community Education and Prevention Coordinator who works directly with City staff, Kamloops RCMP, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, and key youth organizations in our community.

The three-year initiative will:

• develop local, community-based strategies
• build capacity to better understand the nature, scope, and impacts of the types of prevention and intervention initiatives implemented
• enhance evidence-based and targeted prevention and intervention activities
• provide educational opportunities for youths, caregivers, educators, and support workers
• develop a data collection strategy and system

To learn more about the Guns and Gangs Intervention and Prevention Program, visit Kamloops.ca/CrimePrevention.

On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, Kamloops City Council took a big step towards addressing Kamloops’ long-term housing needs by establishing the Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation.

The purpose of the Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation is to advance the creation of more attainable housing by preserving, acquiring, and providing land as well as actively developing new partnerships to support housing development.

“Land trusts take the land price out of the cost of development, reducing the end price of the home,” said Marvin Kwiatkowski, the City’s Development, Engineering, and Sustainability Director. “This model allows the land trust to prioritize the community’s long-term housing needs and work with community partners to fill the gaps.”

A land trust is a unique and innovative solution that will allow the city to make housing more accessible and attainable in Kamloops—now and for future generations. The Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation will be a community-owned and controlled organization, ensuring that attainable housing remains a priority for Kamloops residents and that the organization remains accountable to the community.

The Community Land Trust Foundation will focus on providing and preserving housing options that are not currently pursued by existing organizations in the community, in particular, for those with low to moderate incomes, including seniors. Housing types to support these households are often duplexes, townhouses, fourplexes, or multiplexes. The Community Land Trust Foundation would not be affiliated with any social agencies, nor will it provide supportive housing.

The 2023–2026 Council Strategic Plan identifies housing as a key area of focus to support safety and security in Kamloops, committing to proactively creating opportunities to increase the inventory of diverse housing supply so residents can access and move throughout the housing continuum.

In 2019, the City received grant funding from the Real Estate Foundation of BC to develop the “Road Map,” a research document and comprehensive guide that outlines the full process for launching a community land trust. To help initiate the launch of the Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation, the City of Kamloops, in partnership with Urban Matters CCC Ltd., received funding through the Demonstrations Initiative, administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the National Housing Strategy.

Following its incorporation, the land trust will seek qualified professionals to serve as board members and establish a sustainable operating model, including strategies and policies for acquiring and developing land. The City will also engage with the community to provide more information about the Community Land Trust Foundation and gather input that will be considered in the strategic planning phase.

“This land trust is a key tool we can use to help make homes more attainable for residents,” said Kwiatkowski. "We're excited to create this opportunity and look forward to bringing it out to the community."

The City of Kamloops recognizes the importance of a safe and secure community. In 2022, the City re-established the Safe and Secure Kamloops Working Group to provide a broad base of community representation and increase opportunities for partnership and collaboration in addressing community safety issues.

On June 15, 2023, over 50 individuals from the four Safe and Secure Kamloops engagement groups came together for the Safe and Secure Kamloops Network Meeting. The intent of the meeting was to identify opportunities and actions to address community safety issues and areas where advocacy to other levels of government for support and assistance is needed.

Read the full news release.

View the summary report.

Juniper Ridge residents are invited to take part in self-driven emergency evacuation route tours to familiarize themselves with two of the three emergency evacuation routes from the neighbourhood.

Residents are invited to pre-register for the Saturday, July 29, tours of two of the three evacuation routes—the Juniper East emergency evacuation route from Kickinghorse Drive that connects to Valleyview Drive and the Coldwater Drive emergency route leading to High Canada Place. The tours will take place between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm and will take approximately 5–15 minutes each to complete. The Galore Drive emergency evacuation route is accessible; however, it is not included in the route tour. Residents can register for one or both of the tours by visiting Kamloops.ca/EvacuationRoutes.

Read the full details.

Under the Emergency Program Act, the City of Kamloops is required to prepare and plan for local emergency events. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and BC Public Health continue to lead the BC heat alert response system coordination efforts.

The City will activate a heat alert response protocol when Environment and Climate Change Canada issue a heat warning for Kamloops. This will include activating indoor cooling spaces, promoting neighbour health checks, and sharing the BC heat alert and response system messaging prior to, during, and after activations through the City website and social media channels and by working with neighbourhood associations and other stakeholders. A heat warning is issued when the daytime high temperature is forecast to be 35°C or greater and the nighttime low temperature does not go below 18°C for two or more days in a row.

The Sandman Centre concourse has been recommended as the official site for an indoor cooling centre when a heat warning has been issued. City staff and recreational contractors, where appropriate, will provide staffing and oversight in the space. Continue reading...

The City of Kamloops, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) are encouraging all residents to register for Voyent Alert! in advance of the 2023 flood and wildfire seasons.

All three local governments utilize Voyent Alert!, an emergency notification system that allows residents to register for emergency updates via SMS text, phone call, email, or app notification, making the system accessible in both urban and rural settings. In the event of an evacuation alert or order being put in place due to flood or wildfire, this system will be a vital way of alerting and updating the public. If used, the notification will include important information about the event and instructions for if any action is required.

Read the full news release.

For more information on the City of Kamloops' Voyent Alert! resource, visit Kamloops.ca/Voyent

Using online buy and sell sites is about to get safer in Kamloops, thanks to the introduction of two RCMP exchange zones.

Starting April 7, 2023, Kamloops residents will be encouraged to attend one of two ‘Buy and Sell Exchange Zone’ for their online purchase pickups and payments. The stations are located inside the RCMP detachments at 560 Battle St. and 915 7th St. and are open during business hours, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday. Read the full article.

The Government of Canada is taking action with a comprehensive plan that gets guns off our streets and puts more resources into our communities. On March 15, 2023, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, announced that Kamloops will receive $2 million from the Building Safer Communities Fund to prevent gun crime and gang violence in the community. This funding will help address the underlying conditions that give rise to crime. The municipality will distribute it to community-led projects for young people involved in gangs or at risk of joining them – helping them set themselves up for success in life. Read the full news release.

January 17, 2023—The Citizen Satisfaction Survey is conducted every four years, with the previous one completed in 2019. Using telephone interviews with randomly selected residents representing the community’s demographics, the survey addresses a wide range of subjects and provides a detailed assessment of citizens’ attitudes, needs, priorities, and satisfaction levels with City services and their overall quality of life. This research ultimately helps guide the City in making decisions regarding planning, budgeting, and issues management. Read the full news release with key report highlights.

The Kamloops Pride Society and Community Policing Unit are hoping to help 2SLGBTQPIA+ find safety a little easier with the assistance of a rainbow shield symbol.

In recognition of the upcoming Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov. 20, 2022, the Kamloops RCMP Detachment and Pride Society are launching a Safe Spaces Pilot Program later this month. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to recognize and mourn those in the trans community who lost their lives too soon due to transphobia and hate. Read the full article.

Businesses wishing to get involved can contact the Kamloops RCMP community policing unit at 250-376-5099.