A group of Kamloops businesses and agencies have written to Attorney General David Eby asking for a meeting over the now-scrapped new BCLC headquarters in the downtown.
The Lottery Corporation has said they are still committed to the city, despite the sudden about turn.
Speaking for the group of signees, Bryce Herman says they want that relationship to continue.
“There was the potential opportunity for up to 250 more jobs over the next five to ten years,” he said. “When that disappears, we look at it and say ‘well, that’s great growth and development for Kamloops, and we don’t want to be off the radar.'”
“Our concerns are really about the long-range opportunity within the city of Kamloops that we don’t want to lose.”
Herman is the President of the North Shore Business Improvement Association, who is one of the signees.
The other nine are – The Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Kamloops, Kamloops Innovation Centre, Thompson Rivers University’s board of directors, Downtown Kamloops, the Kamloops chapter of the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association, Kamloops and District Real Estate Association, Community Futures, and Venture Kamloops.
Herman says they’re not on a witch hunt, but they want assurances that the Minister understands how vital BCLC is to Kamloops and the region.
“The development and growth in Kamloops is something that we would like to see BCLC continue to do,” Herman added. “We appreciate the amount of community support that BCLC gives, but we want to ensure that doesn’t get watered down and that at any point, things start to move to the Lower Mainland.”
As for what an ideal goal would be – Herman says they want to know what their other options are.
“Is there an option to look at an opportunity to lease space? Or is there possibly any appetite to look at a P3 project with a back lease to BCLC?” asked Herman.
“We want to explore any option that we can and meet the palate of government as much as the local community.”
Herman believes it’s the first time that a large group of businesses and associations have come together united on such an issue.
