Official Community Plan Update: Help shape housing policy before October 1st
The City of Kamloops is updating our Official Community Plan (OCP) to anticipate housing needs over the next 20 years. As required by new provincial laws, the Plan details the amount and types of housing that will be permitted in various areas of our City.
Kamloops is expected to need 14,000 – 23,000 new units of housing by 2045, when the population is expected to hit 134,000. About half the new units will be high-density residential, with the largest share in the Core Sector and Southeast Sector.
The draft of the new OCP is now available for public comment until October 1st. This is a critical opportunity to influence the development of our City, and we hope that you’ll take a few minutes to give your input. These policy choices will have a huge impact on our future!
The main updates in the OCP are related to housing development. We are pleased to see the prioritization of infill development and increased density in the draft plan, particularly in mixed-use areas, including “Town Centres” (North Shore, Valleyview, Sahali). However, we are concerned that when Council has been asked for guidance, it has so far rejected options that would:
- increase tenant protection when older buildings are redeveloped;
- improve housing affordability by restricting the conversion of rental units to stratas; and
- ensure adequate housing for future Kamloops families by requiring a minimum number of three-bedroom units in new multi-unit projects.
Regardless of how specific your comments are, the important thing is to submit them before the October 1st deadline. Below, we’ll dig into the details. Feel free to mention these points in your feedback to the City.
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It’s not news that we have a housing crisis. The rental housing market, particularly for families, is especially dire. Canada lost 10 affordable units for every new one built over a decade. Therefore, our first step to solving the housing crisis is to preserve our existing affordable housing stock from financialization and demolition.
Kamloops is no exception to the national trend. From the City’s 2024 Housing Needs Report:
- In 2021, 70.1% (27,965) of households in Kamloops owned their own homes while 29.9% (11,950) were renters (Statistics Canada Census). The proportion of households that are renters has slowly been increasing over the last several census periods, increasing the need for purpose-built rentals.
- Recent data (2023) on vacancy rates indicates rates for all unit sizes are consistently below the 3.0% threshold often considered a ‘healthy’ vacancy rate, making it challenging for residents to find housing that meets their needs (e.g., affordable, desired number of bedrooms, etc.) (CMHC).
- Between 2005-2023, the median rent for a 1-bedroom unit has increased by 128.2% (CMHC).
- Home ownership affordability has also been deteriorating over time. Average sales prices [in Kamloops] have increased by 267% from 2006 to 2023 (for comparison, the overall inflation rate was 44.3%). Between 2022 and 2023 alone, there was a 26.6% increase in average sales price (BC Assessment). This indicates that housing costs have risen far faster than general inflation, making home ownership increasingly out of reach for many residents.
Below, we provide context for several of the OCP recommendations recently voted on by the City Council.
Valleyview Transit Oriented Development:
Since Valleyview will soon be getting an enhanced transit hub, it will be subject to specific provincial legislation enabling high-density development immediately adjacent to the transit hub. If a development application is received, the City must approve building up to 10 storeys within 200 metres of the hub and 6 storeys within 201-400 metres. The City is being proactive by planning for that before being required to do so by the Province, with the hope that this will allow for a bit more flexibility in how the rules are applied.
Kamloops City Council Decision:
Council voted to go with the “middle of the road” option (Option 1.2), which doesn’t quite go as far as the provincial legislation requires, but provides a gradual transition between the highrises and lower-density residential areas.
Transition Kamloops Recommendation:
Transition Kamloops supports this approach.
Rental and Tenant protections:
Most future development in Kamloops will occur through infill, which means that some current residents in older rental complexes and mobile home parks will be displaced. Municipal policy tools can help preserve existing affordable housing, such as:
- rental replacement policies that ensure new developments offer the same number of affordable rental units at comparable rates; and that
- original residents have the right to return. In addition,
- renter assistance policies can provide transitional supports for renters who are temporarily or permanently displaced by demolition.
Renters make up 30% of households in Kamloops. They generally have lower incomes, and face higher displacement risks during redevelopment. Aging housing stock and rising property values may encourage redevelopment. With a low primary rental vacancy rate of 1.4% in 2024, policies are needed to protect tenants.
Staff reviewed policies addressing tenant displacement from rental housing redevelopment in 22 British Columbia municipalities. Seventeen, including Kelowna, West Kelowna, Nanaimo, Victoria, Richmond, Delta, Langley, Saanich, Port Moody, Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, and Surrey, have enhanced tenant protections such as rental unit replacement, right of first refusal, early and ongoing communication, relocation plan, relocation assistance, and financial compensation with moving support.
Staff also reviewed the Official Community Plan and Council policies from 18 major British Columbia municipalities with respect to the redevelopment of manufactured home parks. Eleven have adopted relocation policies with measures like early communication, relocation assistance, financial compensation, and right of first refusal. Municipalities with such provisions include Kelowna, West Kelowna, Mission, Nanaimo, Lake Country, and Maple Ridge.
Kamloops City Council Decision:
Kamloops City Council voted for language that provides relatively weak tenant protection (Option 2.2).
Transition Kamloops Recommendation:
Transition Kamloops supports the adoption of language that will preserve affordable housing during redevelopment in our City in alignment with other cities around the province and our own OCP Vision and Values.
Strata Conversions:
The City of Kamloops currently offers financial incentives (a 10-year tax exemption on the increase in assessed value of the improvements) for new purpose-built, rental housing projects. Developers in Kamloops, through the local homebuilders association (CHBI-CI) have expressed a desire to sell those rental units by converting them into stratas after 10 years. Should owners of new rental buildings be allowed to remove those units from the formal rental market after their 10-year tax exemption period expires by converting them to stratas? It’s up to local Councils to decide.
The 2024 Housing Needs Report identified a need for 2,896–4,648 rental units over the next 20 years, indicating that renter households will require 30%–33% of expected new housing during this period. As of October 2024, the vacancy rate in Kamloops’ primary rental market was 1.4%, well below the 3% threshold that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation considers healthy.
City staff have reviewed the Official Community Plans and Council policies of 24 BC municipalities. Most allow conversions only when the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation vacancy rates are above a specified threshold (e.g. 4% or higher in Victoria, Saanich, Vernon, Surrey, Coquitlam, Langley, North Vancouver, Richmond, 3% in Nanaimo and Courtenay, 2% in Abbotsford and Chilliwack).
Some cities have adopted moratoriums on strata conversions, or allow them only if two-thirds of the rental households consent in writing. Some require relocation plans for tenants, or require owners to contribute to a municipal affordable housing reserve fund.
Kamloops City Council Decision:
Kamloops City Council is recommending no additional incentives to keep purpose-built rental projects within the formal rental market be added to the OCP. This would mean no restrictions on stratification beyond the minimum requirements of the law, regardless of the local vacancy rate. (Council did not vote on this item, which was a de facto vote for Option 3.2).
Transition Kamloops Recommendation:
Transition Kamloops supports the incorporation of policies that incentivize the preservation of rental housing stock in our City, as many other municipalities around the Province have done.
Family-Friendly Housing:
Rental vacancy rates for larger rentals remain critically low at just 1.8% for three-bedroom units and 1.2% for two-bedroom units. Families with children represent the single largest housing need in Kamloops—of the 14,000 units projected to be built over the next 20 years, about 9,000 units (65%) need to be dedicated to housing for families. However, the OCP projects that 48% of new homes will be in high-density developments which typically offer far fewer three-bedroom layouts than townhouses in Low-Rise or Mid-Rise Urban areas. Most of the new units will be studios or one-bedroom apartments.
The OCP could either require new developments to include a specific percentage of larger, family-friendly units in new projects or merely add language supportive of family-friendly housing.
Kamloops City Council Decision:
Kamloops City Council voted for Option 4.2, which doesn’t include any minimum requirements for larger units in new construction and is recommending no additional incentives to keep purpose-built rental projects within the formal rental market be added to the OCP.
Transition Kamloops Recommendation:
Transition Kamloops supports the inclusion of a minimum threshold for the number of larger rental units in new developments.
The OCP update is meant to reflect Kamloops’ Community Vision of being inclusive, sustainable, and affordable, where housing supports residents at all stages of life. Despite this, Council has chosen policy directions that move away from the stronger options identified by staff through research and community engagement, including measures such as rental replacement and tenant protections. Because developments that align with the OCP will not require additional public hearings, the policies written into the plan now will directly shape housing outcomes for decades. Community voices, including CMHA, highlighted that secure, affordable rental housing is fundamental to health and well-being. To truly honour the Community Vision and Values, Council must adopt stronger rental protections as part of the revised OCP.
Please send in your feedback via the City’s Let’s Talk website before the October 1 deadline!
Timeline OCP Update
- October 1, 2025 – Deadline to submit feedback in the second round of public engagement on the draft OCP.
- October 2025 – Council will refine the plan, send it for legal review, and hold first and second readings.
- December 9, 2025 – Public Hearing on the OCP – final opportunity for residents to speak directly to Council.
- December 31, 2025- Provincial deadline for Council to adopt the updated OCP.
Transition Kamloops
Transition Kamloops is a volunteer-driven, registered not-for-profit society focused on increasing local resilience and self-sufficiency in food, water, energy, culture and wellness. We emphasize a local economy, healthy ecosystems, and grassroots community building, while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. We believe in a better way: a community that sustains life in all its diversity, strives for equality and justice and invests in the future.
Transition Kamloops recognizes that we are living on Secwépemcul’ecw—land that was never ceded to settlers, and continues to be home to vibrant Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions. We acknowledge the impact of colonization, forced displacement, and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous peoples. We commit to listening, learning, and building positive relationships with Indigenous communities as we work towards reconciliation.
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