The Kamloops Centre for Seniors Information in Brock is often a polling station during elections, but that won’t be the case in the upcoming election.

The non-profit’s executive director Brandi Allen says with COVID-19 restrictions there isn’t enough space to be a polling station and to continue other programs.

She says there’s a financial impact to not hosting as well as an opportunity cost.

“The parts that were really priceless for us were the amounts of people that would come through the front door for the elections, for both the advanced polling and the election day. There were tons of people who didn’t know we were here, or people in the community who maybe knew we were here but didn’t know what we did and what types of programs and services we offered,” Allen says.

“So when they would come here to cast their votes, they got to know kind of a little bit more about us and what we did. And I think that impact in the community was really valuable.”

Allen says Elections BC is now renting space in the Brock Shopping Centre and she expects a voting station will be set up there later this month.

“There’s a few empty spaces in the Brock Shopping Centre right now, so I directed them to the management company here. So they will be in the Brock Shopping Centre but it won’t be in association with us at all this year.”

Advanced polling for the general election goes from Oct. 15-21, ahead of general voting day on Oct. 24.