A long-requested call by Kamloops council — this current edition as well as the previous council — for complex-care expansion in Kamloops is being fulfilled.

The BC government has announced plans to build a new 20-unit complex care facility on the provincially owned Columbia Precinct lands within the Glenfair senior’s facility currently on the site, which itself is also going through a redevelopment.

“This project is part of our work to make communities safer for everyone by delivering real solutions to address the complex challenges people face,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs. “By providing a safe place to live with enhanced supports, individuals facing complex challenges can find a pathway to hope and healing.”

The BC Housing-backed initiative will see the three-story facility be built on a subdivided portion of a 5.5-hectare lot in the Columbia Precinct, “a short distance away from Royal Inland Hospital,” according to the BC government.

The location is 1100 Glenfair Drive, which is currently home to a nine-building senior’s housing complex.

That existing group of buildings has already been slated for demolition, with the seniors currently living there being moved out on a temporary basis as a large-scale collection of affordable homes for seniors is put in its place.

However, given the urgency of the new complex-care facility, the Province is going to move a group of nearly two dozen tenants out earlier than anticipated.

“BC Housing is working with its partners to develop individualized relocation plans based on personal housing needs for each of the 21 current tenants to ensure no one is displaced,” said the BC government in a release.  “Moving expenses will be covered by BC Housing.”

The redevelopment of the Glenfair Senior’s facility has been in the works for the last 4 years, but became reality in the summer of 2023, after detailed plans were revealed and Kamloops Council signed off on the redevelopment.

As part of it, the 80 units currently spread out over the nine different one-and two-story buildings are going to be torn down, making way for four, six story buildings, which will be able to house 340 people in total.

Those buildings will include market rate, moderate and low-income options for seniors, and will be made up mostly of one bedroom units, as well as a few dozen two bedroom units and a select number of studio apartments.

The Province has said that the construction of the Glenfair senior’s redevelopment is going to be done in stages so as not to displace people longer than is needed, with each of the existing tenants getting first right of refusal, allowing them to decide if they’re willing or able to return to the site, which will be at the price-rate structure they’re currently paying.

The original plans for the senior’s redevelopment have been to begin the transitioning of residents out of the existing buildings at some point, either this year or next year, with expectations the construction could start in 2027.

However, it’s not clear if this new Complex Care facility will change the timelines for the senior’s redevelopment.

The exact location for the 20-bed complex care site has not been detailed, but previous designs dating back to 2023 suggest the location is in the northern portion of the existing lot, closest to Royal Inland Hospital.

The BC government says the complex-care facility is going to be made up of 20 separate studio apartments, which will be outfitted with their own kitchenettes, their own bathrooms, as well as communal space for people to eat and attend sessions, on top of clinical spaces were people checked into the facility can go through medical treatment.

“With dedicated health and social services in place, we’ve seen and experienced how complex-care housing supports people in communities,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health. “This expansion of purpose-built housing will enable us to meet the diverse needs of some of our most vulnerable community members in Kamloops.”

This facility is going to be dedicated to those with some of the most challenging cases of mental health and addiction issues.

Despite the clientele, there seems to be minimal concern among officials about the potential for negative interactions with the seniors population living just metres away.

“The challenges will always be there,” said current Kamloops Deputy Mayor Margot Middleton in conversation with Radio NL.  “I think they [complex-care clients] will be better managed.  We do have to find a way to coexist with other facilities.”

“This is a great spot to do it,” added Middleton.  “I think the government has come up with a good plan for the property and for the model.”

In releasing the details of the plan, the BC government did appear to acknowledge concerns that some may have about seniors living in close proximity to those going through high-level treatment programs.

“The new complex-care building will be separated with fencing, separate entrances and exits,” noted the BC government in its release.

Complex-care has been developed as a strategy to take care of those most impacted by drug abuse and mental disorders, providing them with a continuum of care that regular shelters or other facilities aren’t able to provide.

The so-called wrap-around services provided through the complex care model were one of the hallmarks of Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s campaign and have been called for by the current and previous Councils.

This is just the latest in a series of plans for redevelopment on the Columbia Precinct site, which also includes a BC Builds project which involves the creation of a pair of residential buildings located to the east of the courthouse.

The first phase of that is set to include the north building, which will cover the lots currently taken up by the two buildings directly to the east of the courthouse on the north side of the plot.

Phase two will be the second half of the construction, which will involve the tearing down of at least two more buildings, to the south of the first site, just to the north of the Public Health Building, which does not appear to be poised for the wrecking ball — at least for now.

That project is expected to create 186 units of market housing for the middle class, with the buildings developed mostly as two-bedrooms, with just under 100 two-bedroom units between the two buildings, along with 38 three bedrooms and the rest — around 50 — one-bedroom units.

On top of this, the BC government also has plans in the works to create a 24/7 shelter for seniors who are dealing with homelessness on the southeast portion of the Glenfair senior’s redevelopment.