The convenience store at Seymour Street and 6th Avenue officially closed Tuesday (May 26), alongside another Kamloops location on Summit Drive in Sahali. The closures are part of a larger corporate restructuring effort that will see hundreds of 7-Eleven locations shuttered across North America.

While the company has not publicly confirmed plans for the downtown property, community leaders say there are growing concerns about what the site could become if left vacant for an extended period.

Jeremy Heighton, interim executive director of the Downtown Kamloops Business Improvement Association, says preliminary conversations have already taken place with the City of Kamloops about possible options for the property.

“I think we both share concerns about what that space looks like and how it operates,” Heighton told Radio NL. “One of the suggestions that we’ve heard is construction fencing the entire lot, so there is an exclusionary zone.”

Heighton says there are expectations the property could remain boarded up for 12 to 18 months while 7-Eleven Canada determines its next steps, which could include a sale or a potential local franchise operator taking over the location.

In another interview with Radio NL, Heighton said there are concerns the site could continue functioning as a gathering place for open drug use and street disorder even after the store itself has closed.

“We can assume that it will continue to be an entrenchment space, which it is daily,” he said. “I was there last Friday afternoon — there were 21 people in the parking lot and probably half were in open drug use and the other half were congregating.”

The downtown location has long been associated with criminal activity and emergency calls. In March, the property was behind police tape after a man was shot and killed outside the store.

About three years ago, a third-party surveillance system was installed at the site in an attempt to deter criminal activity.

Kamloops Deputy Mayor Katie Neustaeter says while the city is aware of the concerns surrounding the property, it remains privately owned and any immediate decisions about fencing or access would rest with the corporation.

“That’s a private property owned by a corporation, so that’s not a city property,” Neustaeter told Radio NL. “When we talk about what will happen with it, that’s a decision that the city doesn’t make.”

Neustaeter acknowledged the site has effectively operated as what some consider an “unofficial day space” for vulnerable residents and said the closure highlights ongoing gaps in mental health, addiction and daytime support services.

“That property is to some minds sort of an unofficial day space,” she said. “The fact is that we have to have an official day space that needs to be funded through the relevant ministry.”

She added the broader discussion needs to include how communities respond to mental health and addiction challenges.

“We should be giving people spaces to go. We should be connecting them to health services,” said Neustaeter. “Treating mental health problems in different ways than criminality.”

The company has not responded to requests for comment regarding how many employees are affected by the Kamloops closures or what plans may exist for the properties moving forward.

Despite the shutdowns, 7-Eleven locations in North Kamloops, Aberdeen and Brocklehurst remain open.