Kamloops council is renewing a call to the B.C. government to bring a sobering centre into the city.

Councillor Dale Bass says a business case was brought the province several years ago but says it’s fallen through the cracks.

“The city offered to help create one, financially. It had some ideas on where it could go, it had some ideas on how big it should be, how many beds it should be. One of the stumbling blocks is sobering centres need nursing, and (Interior Health) was disinclined to provide us any additional nursing staff,” Bass said while speaking on the NL Noon Report.

“It’s just one more tool that we really need to deal with the street issues that we have in the city. And it’s also something that is only right to do, because jail cells are not where you put people with health issues. And addictions and intoxication are health issues and we should be dealing with them that way.”

Council has voted unanimously for mayor Ken Christian and Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky to write a joint letter on the matter, to the new Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson.