Kamloops Chamber of Commerce – Letter of Support

The Board of Directors of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce recognize the importance arts and culture add to a community’s vibrancy and is proudly in support of the proposed Kamloops Centre for the Arts.

Given the information presented in the Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society business case, it is apparent that the current performing arts facilities are not able to meet the community demands. A new centre should help alleviate the current shortage of space and create opportunities for new business.

The economic impacts alone make this an important project for Kamloops. 565 full-time jobs will be created during construction, $2.9 million will be recurring annually and 31 ongoing direct or indirect jobs will come from this project. The Kamloops Centre for the Arts, as an added attraction in our city, will also be a long-term direct benefit for businesses and our members located in the downtown core and a long-term indirect benefit for businesses and our members throughout the City of Kamloops and the Thompson Cariboo region.

Our support of the Kamloops Centre for the Arts project requires that it be designed, constructed and operated in a fiscally responsible manner. As business owners and operators, our members make decisions every day to ensure their funds are utilized as efficiently as possible. We believe that taxpayer funded organizations must demonstrate the same manner of prudence. We firmly believe the Kamloops Centre for the Arts business case strongly demonstrates this level of prudence.

As the proposal moves toward the April referendum, we urge our members and residents of Kamloops to vote in favour of this project.

“This project is an important one for Kamloops as arts and culture add to our community’s vibrancy. Now is the time to vote in favour of this project.”
– Joshua Knaak, President of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Sincerely,
Joshua Knaak
President, Board of Directors