Our quality of life is directly connected to how we play, and recreation centres are community hubs for all generations to come together and build connections.

Kamloops has built and earned the title of Canada’s Tournament Capital through the tireless efforts of community volunteers and community leaders over decades of hosting first-class regional and national sporting events. But we’ve gained 40,000 residents since we took on this title a built the facilities like the Sandman Centre and the Canada Games Aquatic Centre to prove it.

Our current infrastructure is fantastic, but it cannot keep up with the community’s growth. As one of Canada's fastest growing communities, we are expecting to surpass 120,000 residents by 2035. That means in the next 10 years, we’re going to grow twice as fast as we did in the last 10 years. That also means that demand on our recreation facilities continues to grow. And the demand from sport organizations for tournament host communities continues to grow too, looking for non-competition spaces to enhance the event experience. Build Kamloops is about catching up and keeping up with growth.

Population Growth

The build dates and comparative populations for major Kamloops facilities are:

Population statistics according to the Government of BC's Municipal Census Population Statistics.

The Recreation Master Plan, which incorporated extensive public engagement and was adopted by Council in 2019, identified gaps in our infrastructure to meet current and future needs and reconfirmed the value of the Tournament Capital brand.

Based on that plan, the Build Kamloops Select Committee identified five facilities to explore as part of the Build Kamloops program, starting with the Kamloops Centre for the Arts, followed by an arena multiplex, a curling and racquet sport facility, an indoor field facility, and an aquatics centre, as well as a seniors centre or community space in conjunction with one of these.

Progress has already been made: the City has opened the Kamloops Seniors Community Centre at 730 Cottonwood Avenue, and iworked with Kamloops Youth Soccer Association to repair their soccer dome, securing Kamloops' only indoor field space until the Build Kamloops field house can be realized.

As part of the engagement on this page earlier this year (summary of the Visioning tool is viewable below), we identified three over-arching themes that were important to residents:

• Multi-use: facilities should not be created to serve a single purpose.
• Community-oriented: facilities should consider the broader community needs.
• Accessible: facilities should be physically and economically accessible for people of all ages and abilities.

Council has determined that all facility concepts need to consider:

• Accommodations (housing and hotels)
• Community space
• Child play spaces
• Childcare services
• Fitness facilities
• Food and beverage services
• Medical services
• And office spaces for user groups and city operations.

The Build Kamloops priorities were informed through extensive community engagement for the Recreation Master Plan and prioritized based on project readiness, land availability, impact on other facilities, financial implications, and partnership and grant opportunities.

Locations are decided based on land availability, zoning, servicing, access, and several other factors that impact the potential for development of the site for each specific purpose.

The City is committing to four funding pillars.

1. Fundraising: Community-based, including philanthropic donations, corporate sponsorships and fundraising.
2. Grants: Investigate and apply to provincial and federal grant programs for various project components.
3. Existing Budgets: This includes reserves, operating budgets, and non-competitive grant streams/programs such as the Community Works Fund.
4. Capital Funding: This would include multiple funding sources, including debt financing.

Long-term debt financing requires a Loan Authorization Bylaw. At the June 25, 2024 Council meeting, Council introduced two bylaws which outlined the City’s intent to borrow $275 million: $140 million to fund the construction of the Centre for the Arts; and $135 million for the planning and construction of the Arena Multiplex and planning and design for other Build Kamloops initiatives.

The bylaws were approved via an Alternative Approval Process that closed on September 13, 2024.

The first phase of borrowing seeks to borrow $275 million to put towards the construction of the Kamloops Centre for the Arts, design and construction of the Arena Multiplex, and planning and design for the Curling and Racquet Sports Facility. This will be funded through a 1% tax increase per year for five years. For the average household in Kamloops (valued at $800,000), this equates to an additional $25 per household, per year.

The Build Kamloops priorities were informed through extensive community engagement for the Recreation Master Plan and prioritized based on project readiness, land availability, impact on other facilities, financial implications, and partnership and grant opportunities.

Council does not require electorate approval to adopt strategic plans or approve projects, however electoral approval is required for any long-term borrowing required to complete the projects.

Council received electorate approval to borrow up to $275 million to build the Kamloops Centre for the Arts, design and build the Arena Multiplex, and advance other Build Kamloops initiatives in September 2024.

• More information on the alternative approval process is available here.
• An overview of the Build Kamloops alternative approval processes is available here.