CO-BUILD INITIATIVE 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1. Who pays the private sector?

A. No one pays the developer. The developer is responsible for their own proportionate share.

The developer (private sector) is not being paid by the taxpayers to build or run their own business; they are simply a co-investor sharing the bill for shared items like land and the capital construction phase.

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Taxpayers do not pay the developer for their portion. Each partner pays their own share. We split the bill for the land and construction based on the size of our respective buildings, and then we walk away to manage our own properties.

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• The Proportional Split: If the City's facility takes up 40% of the total project size, the City pays exactly 40% of the land and baseline construction costs. The developer pays the other 60%.

• The Clean-Break Handover: Once construction is complete, the partnership legally dissolves. The City takes immediate, 100% independent ownership of a turnkey public facility to run with our public workforce, while the private developer uses their own money to run their space independently.

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Q2. Does this mean you are cancelling or delaying the Arts Centre (KCA) or Kenna Cartwright rinks?

A. No. Both projects have been legally approved through the Alternative Approval Process and move forward, but we are fundamentally changing how they are managed to protect your wallet.

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For the Kenna Cartwright rinks, we will immediately introduce the Co-Build model to bring in private hotel and commercial co-investment, slashing the upfront construction burden on taxpayers. For the KCA, since construction is already underway, we will implement an immediate Taxpayer Oversight Directive. We will enforce aggressive, independent auditing over the existing project to halt late-stage contract creep and insulate you from finishing cost overruns.

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Q3. Will private companies be running our public recreation centers or arts spaces?

A. No. Once construction is complete, the partnership dissolves. The City maintains 100% independent ownership and operational control over all public spaces.

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Q4: How does this policy impact municipal union workers and CUPE Local 900?

A. This model fully protects our public service workforce. Because the City retains complete operational control of the public assets, all municipal operations, maintenance, and programming will continue to be run by our unionized municipal workers.

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Q5: Who manages and operates the assets after construction is complete?

A. The public sector oversees management and operations of their public asset.

The private sector manages their own building.

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Q6: How is a private public partnership beneficial to taxpayers?

A. Top on mind is costs savings. Think of it like building a duplex with a neighbor. You buy the lot together and hire one crew to pour the shared concrete foundation because it’s cheaper than doing it separately. But once construction is finished, you pay for your half, they pay for their half, and you both get your own separate front doors. Taxpayers only pay for the public half, but we save massive amounts of money by splitting the cost of the land and the heavy construction.

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Q7: How do cost overruns work?

A. The capital phase is managed through the lens of the private sector, keeping a rigorous budget system in place. The private sector does not rely on reserve funds, grants, or taxpayers. Instead, they strictly rely on a built-in contingency fund. This keeps projects on a timely schedule with tight controls in place.

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Q8: How do Kamloops’ taxpayers save money?

A. Right now, when the City builds a facility, we pay 100% of the soaring costs for land, excavation, concrete, and construction. My plan brings in a private partner to build on the same site. By sharing the land and building together, we get a 'bulk discount' on construction. Even better, we use the private sector’s strict, on-time budgeting to keep the project on track. Once it's built, we own and run our public building, they own and run theirs, and Kamloops taxpayers get a brand-new facility at a fraction of the traditional cost.

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Q9: Won't property management be a nightmare with two owners in one building?

A. Not at all. This is already a highly successful, standard real estate model called a 'strata' or 'air-space parcel.' It is no different than a commercial business operating on the ground floor of a condo building. A clear legal boundary separates the city’s property from the private property. We maintain absolute control over our civic spaces, and they are responsible for theirs.

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Q10: Why shouldn't the city just buy the land and own the whole thing?

A. Because buying the entire lot and building a massive facility entirely on the taxpayer dollars restricts our cash flow. It ties up millions of dollars that should be going toward repairing our roads, updating our water systems, and hiring protective services. Sharing the land and construction costs allows us to get the civic spaces Kamloops needs while leaving money in the bank and reserve funds for core municipal services.

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Q11: This seems like a handout to developers?

A. It’s the exact opposite. They are helping us purchase the land and share development costs through to turnkey. By building together right from the start, we create financial certainty and shared efficiencies. This ensures everyone pays their fair share for infrastructure, delivering a faster path to completion for projects while fully protecting local taxpayers.

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Q12: What if the developer goes bankrupt halfway through construction?

A. That is exactly why we use strict private-sector legal protections. Before a single shovel hits the dirt, the developer’s share of the capital must be legally secured. If they fail, the City is legally protected, and we gain a partially built asset at a steep discount. We are transferring the financial risk away from the Kamloops taxpayer.

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Q13: If it's a shared building, won't operations get messy later?

A. No, because the partnership completely dissolves once construction is complete. It is a shared foundation, but separate properties. Think of any mixed-use building with commercial shops on the ground floor and housing above. They operate completely independently with their own budgets, staff, and entrances. The City runs the public asset, and the private owner runs theirs. Clean, simple, and separate.