
The McDonald's located in Kelson Place at Third and Victoria in Kamloops. (Photo via Victor Kaisar)
The head of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association is disappointed to see the permanent closure of the McDonald’s restaurant at Third and Victoria downtown.
But Howie Reimer says while there have been concerns with social issues downtown in recent years, he is still confident in downtown and its future.
“This is what we see in any community and in any business district. Businesses open and businesses close,” he said. “We’ve heard from Jim Anderson about the record number of business licence applications. People want to get going. And as far as the social issues are concerned, there is a lot of work going on on that front.”
The owner of McDonalds – Brandy Gozda-Sekhon – told Kamloops This Week that the decision to permanently close the store came about in part because of increasing crime and safety concerns for staff, many of whom are young people in school and college.
“It’s the downtown as a whole, not just us,” she told KTW. “I think that Kamloops is struggling and we’ve had some issues and I think everybody is very aware of it.”
“Now, recently at that restaurant, we had a bakery cabinet literally pushed off the counter at one of our managers. And then we had another manager that was attacked. It just became too much.”
NL News has reached to Gozda-Sekhon for comment but has not heard back yet.

A sign on the door of the downtown Kamloops McDonald’s restaurant, indicating the permanent closure of the location. (Photo via Victor Kaisar)
In a statement to media Monday afternoon, Mayor Ken Christian said the issues facing Kamloops are both new and unsettling, but he notes the issues are being seen throughout the province.
“We will continue to work with all of our partner agencies to curb what is a complex combination of drug addiction, chronic untreated mental illness, and acquired brain injury,” Christian said. “We are always open to trying new ideas, and I would invite you to assist us in that regard should there be other approaches we may have missed.”
“While this happened here, in our home, unfortunately these things are occurring throughout the province and across the country. The drug supply in B.C. is toxic, and Kamloops is no exception. Sadly, persons addicted to drugs are dying at an alarming rate, and last month, Kamloops had the third highest number in the province.”
Christian also said the City is working on several fronts to address the social issues.
Some of the examples he listed included supporting additional Car 40 units, calling for a sobering centre in Kamloops, lobbying for more detox and recovery beds, working closely with shelter and social housing providers like the CMHA, ASK Wellness, and The Mustard Seed, working with both business improvement associations in town, and lobbying for a complex care facility in Kamloops.
Reimer also tells NL News that the closure of a major brand like McDonalds is unfortunate, noting it is a similar to Tim Hortons closing a store on Tranquille Road last summer after it was targeted by vandals on multiple occasions.
“They seem to be places where these kinds of behaviours congregate,” he added. “But [the closure] is not just because of the social issues, and I’m not trying to take anything away from the social issues and the very disturbing video and what we saw transpire there, but it is not exclusive to there.”
“But the fact that they couldn’t get a drive-thru put in as well was part of the reason that is no longer really viable.”
And he notes whoever ends up moving into the space once the McDonald’s lease is up next year, will be moving into a prime location in Kamloops.
“As McDonald’s closes, we have Jardine’s Domain opening a bath and home decor store right next door. We’ve got a ramen noodle house going in the 300 block of Victoria Street. We’ve got the Fawcett’s investing and breaking ground on a $200-million development,” Reimer said.
“Nobody is sitting pat, nobody is accepting the status quo. There are ebbs and flows but [we’re looking to] the long term and yeah, there might be dips and peaks, but in the long run, it is moving up. It is progressing. We are seeing more people, we’re seeing more investment.”
Statement from Mayor Christian on social issues in Kamloops: We will not give up. Read more here: https://t.co/aPECu7nLnt pic.twitter.com/QrxPVV24Kp
— City of Kamloops (@cityofkamloops) March 28, 2022