How do Kamloops' mayoral candidates compare on election issues?

Hamer-Jackson says he'd like to see councillors and senior city officials take pay cuts.

He said he wants the city to receive more grant money and to hire a property manager to look after city assets to increase tax revenue, in particular from city-owned B.C. Housing properties.

O'Reilly says he wants to find a way for developments outside of city borders, such as Sun Rivers and Sienna Ridge, to pay into the municipal budget for services they benefit from — such as city parks and recreation facilities.

He says he would expand city boundaries to include the New Gold mine so it, too, contributes to property taxes.

Dever has highlighted her party's "co-build" initiative, which she pitches as a way to bring private dollars to public infrastructure. As an example, she suggested the city could build a new performing arts centre with privately-owned apartments on top of it, in order to share development costs.

She has pledged to create a taxpayer oversight directive for real-time auditing of the performing arts centre project as it moves through construction.

She has pledged to limit the use of the alternative approval process for only critical infrastructure, while requiring referendums for non-essential projects.

Dhaliwal has pledged to cap property tax increases to the rate of inflation, while aiming for zero per cent increases.

He has promised a review of senior management pay and to cap pay increases for executives for four years.

Lloyd-Middleton is critical of Kamloops' 10-year revitalization tax exemption program that gives developers a 100 per cent municipal property tax exemption for the increased value of new building improvements.

Instead, she said, she would redirect tax incentive programs away from large developers and into programs focused on affordable housing — such as basement suites, carriage homes or infill housing — so long as the units are rented at a below-market rate.

Winston wants to eliminate tax increases, but has not proposed specifics for alternative revenue sources or what would be cut.

Hamer-Jackson did not say how he would improve council co-operation, instead casting blame on the councillors he was elected alongside in 2022 for failing to work as a "team of nine" and highlighting the numerous legal battles he has been involved in during his first term.

He asked that incumbent councillors not be re-elected and said he would also hold senior administration accountable.

O'Reilly says he has a track record of consensus-building through his role with Kamloops's finance committee and, as a chair of multiple boards, he would bring that same tone to the mayor's seat.

As part of the new Pivot Kamloops slate, Dever says she and other party members have signed a "culture of care" pledge committed to restoring political decorum.

Dhaliwal said he understands that as mayor he would be just one voice, and he would have to work with councillors to pass policy.

Lloyd-Middleton says her work as a social worker has led her to emphasizing empathy alongside strict professional standards. She has proposed a voter recall mechanism that would allow voters to initiate a petition to remove any mayor or councillor who fails to perform their duties or brings "chaos and disrepute" to City Hall.

Winston says he would set a tone of collaboration, and pledged to listen openly to different opinions.

Incumbent Hamer-Jackson says he wants to push the provincial government to open more recovery-focused facilities in Kamloops, and to audit existing services to make sure they are safe and effective.

He says he would seek to increase the number of outreach groups working overnight, and work to return people who aren't from Kamloops to their home communities.

He also opposes any new supportive housing units where drug or alcohol use is allowed.
 

O'Reilly wants to move emergency shelters out of core shopping and business districts and away from residential neighbourhoods. He would like council to endorse moving the current emergency shelter at the old Greyhound location out to the Kamloops public works yard in Mission Flats, and to move the Pathways Shelter currently operating on Tranquille Road.

He has proposed creating a "campus of care" on city-owned land in Mission Flats, which would house a shelter and service providers.

He wants to deploy community service officers into key commercial zones — including downtown,Tranquille and Valleyview — and he has proposed rapid-response municipal cleanup services for businesses impacted by street disorder.

Finally, he would form a mayor's task force, made up of different community groups and business leaders, focused on appropriate locations for emergency shelters.

Dever wants to reduce working barriers among outreach groups and policing organizations by placing them in an intergovernmental community safety centre, potentially built alongside the new RCMP station.

She also wants to see the province build an involuntary care facility in Kamloops and more supportive housing units where drugs and alcohol are not allowed.

Dhaliwal says the key job of the city is to support public agencies like RCMP and outreach groups to do their work and give them the resources they need to succeed.

He also supports creating daytime spaces for unhoused people so they aren't on the streets when shelters close, which he also believes would help provide structure and outreach.

Lloyd-Middleton would like to reframe "street disorder" as "visible poverty" and alleviate it by expanding day spaces and wraparound services available for people in need.

She opposes policies focused on simply removing people from public spaces without addressing root problems.

Winston has pledged a review of existing services and facilities to identify what is working and what is not when it comes to addressing street disorder.

He also wants to bring together frontline staff, social workers and people with lived experience to develop community-led solutions.

Hamer-Jackson says he supports more ride-sharing services.

O'Reilly says Kamloops must focus on climate adaptation, pointing to the risks from wildfires and flooding in the area. That work would include preparing evacuation plans and routes for specific neighbourhoods at high risk of being impacted by extreme events, and applying for grants that address these concerns.

He also supports expanded cycling and trail networks between neighbourhoods and communities.

Dever put wildfire preparedness at the top of her list for climate change, with a focus on neighbourhood evacuation plans and building to reduce the risk of fires spreading within the city. 

Dhaliwal says addressing climate change is largely outside of the scope of municipal government, but he supports expanded transit service, electrification and bike lanes.

Lloyd-Middleton wants to combat urban sprawl and car-dependent neighbourhoods.

She would like to convert underused commercial properties into walkable, mixed-use "micro-neighbourhoods" to reduce vehicle dependency and emissions.
 

She wants to see the city partner with Thompson River University to address planning and infrastructure challenges. 
 

Winston says the city must include environmental considerations when building new neighbourhoods, making sure green space is protected.