The City of Kamloops is looking at its options to try and get a new drop-in space for seniors to gather.

Recreation, Health, and Wellness Supervisor Linda Stride says the closure of the Brock Activity Centre last summer has led to gaps in programs for a growing seniors population in Kamloops.

“We’re definitely eyes wide open and ears wide open as far as trying to find a space,” Stride told Radio NL.

“Heritage House is indeed a band-aid, its something to get us through and it is very well attended twice a week, but we definitely are now looking at some options in our community.”

Speaking to the City’s Build Kamloops Select Committee last month, Stride said that 2021 census data showed that about 27 per cent of Kamloops residents – about 26,500 city people – are over the age of 60.

She also said the there has been a 20 per cent increase in people over the age of 65 in British Columbia since the 2016 census.

“We have to ensure that we have a range of opportunities in our community and we need to be connected and so we’re really trying to understand the needs, the opportunities, and the gaps in our community,” Stride said.

“As you can see, much of the population whether it’s in Kamloops or provincially, or nationally, globally, is aging. And so it’s important for us to ensure that we have appropriate programs and services and facilities that our older adults have access to.”

Stride told the committee that the lack of a drop-in facility is a gap in what she called a range of “excellent” seniors programs and services offered by the City and other community organizations including Interior Health, Interior Community Services, the Centre for Seniors Information, the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library.

“Many of those who voted against the Tournament Capital Centre being built are many of the people, those older adults, that we’re seeing in the Tournament Capital Centre using the track and are loving it,” Stride said.

“Many of them are some of the people in these clinical exercise programs that you would normally see being run in a hospital, in a clinic, not in a public recreation facility.”

She also noted that this new facility could be open to all age groups, as it would also offer seniors a space where they can gather.

“We have a number of isolated seniors and potentially their only opportunity would be to come out to this particular centre, gather with like-aged people, and really just socialize, just an opportunity to just chat with somebody,” Stride said.

“It is not something that we are going to solve on our own, but its something our community is going to be able to solve together.”

Speaking on the NL Noon Report, Stride says the city is keeping all of its options open.

“What are some facilities that might be underutilized? Can we look at some sharing? Can we repurpose?” she said.

“We haven’t even started to look at budget, because we don’t really know what we are looking at? Are we looking at one of ours? Are we look at renting a space from somebody else? Are we looking at down the road building something? Would that be something that could be built as part of Build Kamloops? Those are all conversations that we are having right now.”