Some Kamloops residents are raising concerns about a proposed liquor store right across the street from Bert Edwards Science and Technology elementary school on the North Shore.

Longtime area resident, Laura Balogh tells NL News she’s collected the names of over 40 people who are opposed to what she called an “appalling and inappropriate location” for the proposed store.

“It is just not great. It is not great for our children to be around this. This is their oasis and they don’t need to be looking upon people buying alcohol, drunk, driving crazy or whatever have you,” she said.

“Alcohol consumption has been the most its ever been and that concerns me a lot because we all know what happens when we become dependent on alcohol.”

Balogh adds residents in her neighbourhood have also seen an increase in traffic in the area ever since the new Tim Hortons opened on the corner of Eighth Street and York Avenue.

“We have gridlock here and so just having this store would be just chaotic as there is no parking. The parking would be along the school yard,” she said. “I have about 40 names of people in the area who are opposed to this.”

The plan from Copper Tree Holdings Inc. is to move a liquor store that is currently open near Bailey’s Pub along 8th Street to this Windsor Ave. location. There are currently no local or provincial regulations that require liquor stores be a specified distance from schools., though there is one that requires all liquor stores be at least one kilometre apart.

“We need to change that,” Balogh added.

“Our kids will maybe grow up and have some real positive outlook in not having to look out and see fast food restaurants, liquor stores or cannabis stores. They need to have the inspiration of the birds and the clouds, and the air and the trees and the environment is where we get it from.”

She also says there are others areas on the North Shore that would make a better location for this proposed liquor store.

“We have a great place over on 12th Street that has adequate parking and huge empty warehouses that they can lease,” she said. “This ought to be a no-brainer for our council. Out of sight, out of mind, we need to protect our children.”

As it stands, Kamloops City Planner, Stephen Bentley, tells NL News there are no issues that have been identified when it comes to the proposal, though he notes City Council would have the final say.

“The parking requirement for this would be the same as for another retail store, like say a grocery store, for it,” Bentley said. “The zoning and the official community plan support neighbourhood type commercial uses on the properties, so this is in line with our overarching policies for commercial development.”

“We don’t have any regulations on [restricting the proximity of liquor stores to schools] and so what we do is basically we rely on the provincial regulations that prevent the sale of alcohol to minors, because we don’t want to see that obviously.”

Bentley says the proposal could go to council at the end by next month, with a public hearing likely in March.

“Typically, they will look at what we as the planning department have to say and they also consider the neighbourhood input as well, so that is kind of the point of the public hearing, so that is kind of the point of the public hearing,” he noted.