Ask Wellness-operated Pathways shelter at 142 Tranquille Road opened in early 2025.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Some North Kamloops businesses are facing the brunt of the city's social issues months after a new shelter opened on a major corridor.

While some found their fears never came to fruition, retailers say they've struggled since the 44-bed Pathways homeless shelter opened on Tranquille Road.

"The unfortunate thing is when it first went in the intent was to make the street better, and so far we haven't seen that yet. In fact, it seems like the challenges have gotten worse," North Shore business association president Arthur Loring said.

Shoplifting, drug use, vandalism and daily congregations of homeless people at storefronts hamper businesses in the area but not everyone agrees on where to place the blame.

Restaurateur Renato Uliana, for instance, puts the blame on Ask Wellness and the non-profit's Pathways shelter.

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"It has actually gotten worse ever since it opened," he said. "And the worst thing about it is... we've got eight city councillors and I've never seen one go up and down the street, so they don't understand what we go through."

Others like Debora DeLyzer, who runs a non-profit nearby, said the social problems are unrelated to the shelter and side effect of the city's poverty and mental health woes. People in Motion routinely faces vandalism while staff often call police to move drug users along.

According to DeLyzer, they are almost never shelter clients.

"Is it Pathways? I don't believe that," she said.

When the new Kamloops shelter was proposed to replace a former RV dealership, residents and businesses in the area were up in arms.

The city responded by assuring the naysayers that there would be regular patrols and swift responses when problems arose. Bylaws and police are watchful of the area and shelter workers routinely patrol to keep the block clean.

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Some business owners say there concerns were alleviated.

Nearby, Funk Electrical owners, Mike Muirhead and Phil Maas, said there have been more homeless people around, but crime isn't a problem. They attributed it to the combined and consistent patrols by shelter workers, bylaw and police officers.

The nearby gas station Canco has been facing a drastic increase in shoplifting and congregations of homeless people have sparked fear in some customers, manager Raj Saini said.

Uliana's liquor store across the street also had a window recently smashed and, while nothing was stolen, the damage will cost more than $1,000.

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The North Shore Business Association's Loring said there have been "mixed" reviews since the shelter opened, adding business owners are continually faced with the city's social issues.

"I don't really have anything negative to say about the shelter itself," he said. "But the problem hasn't gotten better."

Since the homeless drop-in centre The Loop closed last year, followed by the opening of Pathways, he said the transients have simply moved down the road.

He said it can't be tied directly to the shelter because those on the streets have few other places to go, but it's indicative of the ongoing poverty and mental health problems Kamloops faces.

The notion was echoed by shelter operator Ask Wellness' spokesperson Andrina Tenisci, who said shelter users don't often leave the property because they get most services in-house.

"People don't really have a place to go, and I think that broadly has made the whole Tranquille strip busier," she said. "And when we meet with the (business association), they don't have anything to say specifically about how Pathways is contributing directly to that."

Tenisci said the 44 shelter beds mean 44 fewer people on the streets and the problems facing both the street population and the neighbourhood would be worse. She also said Ask Wellness hasn't yet heard complaints from area businesses.

The operation has also seen success for its clients with at least four people moving on to permanent housing since the shelter opened in February, she said.

Bylaw enforcement manager Will Beatty said calls to the Tranquille Road area near Pathways have increased and he expects congregations of homeless people to grow as the rivers rise this spring, forcing people out of riverside encampments.

However, he said the shelter itself is "100 per cent a win" and what's missing is a day space for the homeless community, who have few places to go on the North Shore especially.

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