The City of Kamloops says work to move people who are still living at the Northbridge Hotel at 377 Tranquille Road is progressing well.

Social, Housing, and Community Development Manager, Carmin Mazzotta, tells NL News the City has been in contact with all 30 people who are yet to move to their new homes.

“ASK Wellness, who has been the temporary manager as we go through this transition, has just done an incredible job of helping to identify alternative living arrangements in communities that meet these tenants needs,” he said. ”

“We hope to see that conclude at September 30 when the notice to end tenancy concludes.”

The City of Kamloops bought the hotel and the adjacent property at 346 Campbell Avenue for $7.1 million last October. The goal is to redevelop the former hotel into market housing while BC Housing will turn the Campbell Avenue property into affordable rental housing for seniors and families.

“We obviously don’t want to see anyone decanted into homelessness. The intent and the goal here is to ensure that everyone in the building is offered a housing placement option,” Mazzotta added.

Asked what would happen if people don’t want to be moved into a new home, Mazzotta said he was “optimistic” that wouldn’t happen.

“That is why we are working with ASK Wellness and other non-profit housing operators,” he said.

“The building itself has had a number of challenges over the years and so that is why we are looking at identifying alternate living arrangements for folks that are perhaps more suitable and more appropriate than the environment they are currently living in.”

The City’s Real Estate Manager, Dave Freeman, told NL News that the building will be sold through a public bid in the fall.

“We’re still working through that process,” he said.

“I’ve been instructed by council to put together an RFP for redevelopment. We’ve got the North Shore Plan public engagement sessions ramping up, very supportive of multi family development on that project and we hope to have that RFP out in the fall.”