Photo: Shutterstock
The City of Kamloops says residents will have expanded access to voting opportunities during this year’s municipal election, including a second advanced polling location and a new polling place in Juniper Ridge.
In a council meeting earlier this month, Amanda Passmore, chief elections officer, said additional polling places — along with the availability of mail-in ballots for all residents — will help increase voting accessibility.
Passmore said the city has traditionally held advanced voting over three days at one location — Heritage House in Riverside Park. This year, a North Shore polling location will be added to give residents another voting option.
“We are going to use the facilities at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre. This facility is accessible by public transit, it’s on both the Number 2 bus and then of course Number 1 Tranquille, so very accessible. It’s a flat area, nice and easy to get to,” Passmore said at the Aug. 16 meeting.
On general voting day, residents can access one of 16 polling locations, including a new space which will be set up in Juniper Ridge elementary school.
“The Juniper neighbourhood didn’t previously have a polling place. After reviewing census data and seeing the growth in that neighbourhood, we felt it was certainly justified to have a polling place in that area,” Passmore said.
“We’re happy to add that and we’re well prepared. We don’t know how busy that poll is going to be, so we fully staffed that one up.”
Passmore noted that as in past years, the city will be offering free transit on general voting day — Saturday, Oct. 15.
She said there will also be special voting opportunities at care homes and at Thompson Rivers University, with schedules to be added to the city’s website.
Passmore said the city has a communicable disease plan in place for voting day, and noted long term care facilities will have strict policies in place.
This year, anyone who is eligible to vote can opt to send in a mail-in ballot instead of attending a polling station.
“If you don’t like coming to populated places and you’re just not into the crowd situation, or none of the advanced dates or general voting day work for you or the polling places on those dates, by all means, we’re happy to have you vote by mail,” Passmore said.
Registration for voting by mail will start at 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 6. After Oct. 2, mail ballots will only be available for pickup at city hall.
“That’s because of the timeline for us to mail out a package to you and have enough time for it to get back. So while you might be able to pick it up on Oct. 3 here in the office, you should still have time to mail it back out,” Passmore said.
Passmore told mayor and council that 180 workers have been hired to help run the election, and thanked residents for their support.
“We have a wonderful problem with having so many people interested that we had to turn a few people down. But this presents us with the opportunity that we have a great list of alternates,” she said.
The three advanced voting opportunities are on Wednesday, Oct. 5, Saturday, Oct. 8 and Wednesday, Oct. 12.
General voting day is Saturday, Oct. 15.
More information on voting and the upcoming election can be found on the City of Kamloops website.
Photo: Tim Petruk
Police have part of Ord Road taped off on Saturday morning near the City of Kamloops BMX track.
UPDATE: 11:57 a.m.
Some residents living near a crime scene on Ord Road report hearing multiple gunshots late Friday night.
A stretch of the 1500-block of Ord Road is behind police tape on Saturday with a Mountie standing guard.
Police have so far not provided any information about what happened, but numerous residents of the nearby Foothills Estates trailer park reported hearing gunshots at about 11 p.m. on Friday.
“I heard about four shots,” said a man, who asked that his name not be published.
“I thought it was fireworks at first, and then I heard the cop cars come by.”
The neighbour said he saw two vehicles stopped along Ord Road just before the apparent shooting.
“It was about maybe 10 minutes after that when I heard pop, pop, pop, pop,” he said.
A short time later, the man said, police had blocked traffic on Ord Road.
Three additional Foothills Estates residents also told Castanet they heard what sounded like multiple gunshots at about 11 p.m.
This story will be updated if more information becomes known.
Do you know what happened? Email [email protected]
ORIGINAL STORY: 10:15 a.m.
Police have a portion of Ord Road taped off Saturday morning, but Mounties are tight-lipped about what happened.
The apparent crime scene is in the 1500-block of Ord Road, directly across the street from the City of Kamloops BMX track.
At about 9:30 a.m., one police officer was at the scene. He said he couldn’t comment on what happened.
Inside the police tape, broken glass and discarded rubber gloves can be seen on the ground.
Castanet Kamloops has reached out to police for information about what happened.
Single-lane alternating traffic is getting through.
This story will be updated if more information becomes known.
Do you know what happened? Email [email protected]
Photo: BCWS
Three new small wildfires were sparked by lightning north of Kamloops Friday.
According to the BC Wildfire Service map, two spot-sized fires were started just east of Highway 5, southeast of the McLure area. Both the Orchard Lake and East of Knouff Lake fires are currently estimated at just 0.01 hectares.
A little further north along Highway 5, the Exlou fire burning just south of Barriere is estimated at 0.1 hectares in size.
“Barriere Fire is aware of the fire burning up the mountain in Exlou area,” Barriere Fire Rescue posted to Facebook Friday night. “BC Wildfire has been dispatched and is attending.”
There are currently 236 active fires burning in the province, and 56 new fires have been started in the past two days.
Photo: CTV News
Gerald Klassen shown in an undated image.
A man who spent 26 years in prison for a murder he may not have committed has been given the go-ahead from a B.C. Supreme Court judge to move to the Kamloops area.
Gerald Klassen is awaiting word from prosecutors in the Kamloops Crown counsel office as to whether he will be tried a second time for the murder of a woman found dead along Highway 5A near Merritt nearly three decades ago.
Now 61, Klassen was convicted on March 10, 1995, by a B.C. Supreme Court jury in Kamloops of one count of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Julie Delores McLeod, a 22-year-old woman from Merritt, was found dead at a Nicola Lake rest stop on Dec. 16, 1993. At trial, a forensic pathologist testified McLeod had likely died as the result of a severe beating — testimony that has since been called into question.
Klassen has always maintained his innocence. He said he had consensual sex with McLeod, after which they got into an argument. He said he pushed her away, causing her to fall and hit her head on the boat ramp.
According to Klassen, McLeod was very much alive when he left the rest stop. She was found dead, partially submerged in the lake.
Klassen began working with the UBC Innocence Project in 2009. In 2018, lawyers and UBC law students filed an application under a section of the Criminal Code of Canada that allows the federal minster of justice to review and overturn criminal convictions in extraordinary cases that are deemed “likely” to represent a miscarriage of justice.
In September of the following year, the UBC Innocence Project team heard back from Ottawa with a preliminary decision indicating the ministry would investigate the case.
Independent pathology reports were prepared in 2020 showing McLeod’s death was likely not the result of intentional force. Klassen was granted bail in September of that year, with a number of conditions — including one requiring he reside in the Mission area.
During a brief hearing Thursday at the Kamloops Law Courts, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Joel Groves granted Klassen’s application to change his bail conditions to allow for a move to Kamloops.
Last month, UBC Innocence Project director Tamara Levy, a professor at UBC’s law school, told Castanet she’s surprised it’s taken prosecutors so long to decide what to do with Klassen.
If prosecutors choose to retry Klassen, a new trial will take place in B.C. Supreme Court. If they choose not to, his legal odyssey will come to an end and he will remain a free man.
“It’s not in the interest of justice in any way to proceed,” Levy said.
“There’s no evidence to proceed on and there’s no pubic interest given that he already served the time. So I am just really perplexed as to why it’s taking so long for the Crown to sort of come to terms with that.”
Klassen’s matter is due back in B.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 26.
Photo: Sydney Chisholm
Spirit Halloween store opening on Tranquille
Spooky season is starting early as Spirit Halloween is setting up shop on the North Shore.
According to the store’s website, Spirit Halloween will be open later this month at the former Habitat for Humanity Restore on the North Shore, located on the corner of Eighth Street and Tranquille Road.
Habitat for Humanity Kamloops abruptly moved out of the former Penny Pinchers building in July, just a few months after moving in.
Spirit Halloween storefronts are temporary pop-ups that close after Halloween.
Photo: Contributed
Police say a report of a suspicious vehicle led to the recovery of several stolen bikes and a stolen van.
On Wednesday, at about 9:10 a.m., Mounties said they responded to a report of a caravan parked on the 1200-block of 13th Street. Police checks showed the van’s licence plates belonged to another vehicle.
RCMP Cpl. Crystal Evelyn said the person who reported the van had seen a post on social media about a stolen motorbike and thought the van was related.
According to police, officers seized seven bicycles, five of which had been identified as stolen through serial numbers and other descriptors.
The suspicious van was reported stolen out of Prince George.
“The seizure is a great example of the positive difference the community can have by being vigilant and reporting suspicious activity in their neighbourhood,” Evelyn said in a news release.
“The report, coupled with the response of the attending officers, led to an investigation which saw stolen property returned to its rightful owners and dangerous weapons seized following the arrest of a man.”
Police said a man who was arrested initially was released on scene, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Anyone with information or video related to this incident can call RCMP at 250-828-3000.
Photo: Government of B.C.
This map shows the areas impacted by Friday’s smoky skies bulletin ? namely the Fraser Canyon and the South Thompson, including Kamloops.
Kamloops residents are being warned about the potential for smoky skies over the next couple of days.
The provincial government issued a smoky skies bulletin on Friday afternoon warning about the potential for smoke in the Fraser Canyon and South Thompson areas due to nearby wildfires.
The smoke is expected to linger for 24 to 48 hours.
“Wildfire smoke is a natural part of our environment, but it is important to be mindful that exposure to smoke may affect your health,” the bulletin said.
“People with pre-existing health conditions, respiratory infections such as COVID-19, older adults, pregnant women and infants, children and sensitive individuals are more likely to experience health effects from smoke exposure.”
Kamloops has been lucky so far this summer with wildfire smoke, especially compared to last year.
The next smoky skies bulletin will be published on Monday.
Photo: Pixabay
Kamloops residents are invited to a rally and picnic Saturday outside city hall in support of Ukraine.
The gathering is slated to get underway at 3 p.m.
“In addition to waving flags and sharing stories on local connections to Ukraine, we will listen to 31 Ukrainian songs and have a Ukrainian-Canadian picnic,” organizer Oleksandr Sasha Kondrashov said.
“If you can, please bring a food item to share and/or a story of your connection to Ukraine.”
Ukrainian Independence Day is celebrated on Aug. 24. This year, the young country is celebrating the 31st anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union.
Kondrashov said everyone is welcome at Saturday’s event.
Photo: RCMP
RCMP police dog Neeka
A Kamloops police dog is being credited for collaring a suspect in Valleyview on Friday morning — which happens to be International Dog Day.
According to police, Mounties were called to the 2000-block of Crescent Drive just after 8 a.m. for a report of a suspicious man.
An officer arrived and identified the 26-year-old man, according to a Kamloops RCMP news release, who was found to be wanted on an outstanding warrant.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said the man fled on foot.
“Additional frontline officers and RCMP police dog services flooded the area to assist in locating him,” she said.
Two-year-old Neeka and her handler tracked the man to an area near Highland Drive, Shoihet said, where he was arrested without incident.
“We will make sure that Neeka gets an extra treat to celebrate her arrest and International Dog Day,” she said.
Mounties identified the arrested man as Dylan Clifton. They said he is expected to make a court appearance on Friday afternoon to answer to the warrant.
Photo: Tapestry Festival
Volunteers are needed for a new multicultural festival slated to run next month in McDonald Park on the North Shore.
The Tapestry Festival bills itself as a “welcoming and inclusive cultural diversity event.” It is scheduled to take place on Sept. 24.
Organizers have said the event will feature music, dance, food and the arts. A kids zone and live entertainment will also be included.
For more information or to volunteer, contact North Shore Business Improvement Association marketing director Patti Phillips at [email protected]
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