Downtown Kamloops parking lot constant target of vandalism, slashed tires
Vehicles in a parking lot in downtown Kamloops are the ongoing targets of vandalism.
Last week two vehicles parked in the lot, located on Second Avenue and Lansdowne Street behind the Victoria Building, were found with fire damage; one was destroyed.
“Our city is no longer a safe one and continues to get worse,” said Dan Ferguson who works nearby, one of several tenants of the lot.
Ferguson said the lot, which is managed by CML properties, has been regularly vandalized in the past few years with the biggest forms of vandalism being slashed tires, urine in between vehicles and damages to windows.
“There was one individual who was constantly trying to rip rear windows off of vehicles,” he said. “There has been broken glass, robberies, a lot of smash and grabs.”
He said the parking lot is located in close proximity to areas frequented by people who are facing homelessness and drug addiction.
“If you look at where it is situated we have a parole office on the second floor, Interior Mental Health next to where the truck was torched and a safe injection site at Lansdowne Centre right around the corner,” he said.
The severely burned out truck discovered in the lot on Sept. 23 belonged to the First Nations Health Authority fleet.
“It looked to me like there was drug paraphernalia at the front of the truck so I can’t tell if the fire was deliberate or accidental,” Ferguson said. “The interesting thing was the front passenger seat was reclined and leaned back and the glove box was open.
“The following Sunday night any fleet vehicle left in the lot had a least one tire slashed.”
Ferguson said the vehicle damage costs taxpayers thousands of dollars and is a huge inconvenience.
He said he doesn’t think the vandalism is racially targeted because many vehicles from tenants there get damaged.
“This kind of activity started in 2017 with the wildfires when homeless people were displaced,” he said. “It continues to grow ever since. People are tired and want their community back. The City needs to relook at how we are managing things, we need a tougher approach.”
He added the lot doesn’t have good lighting or cameras.
Ferguson is not a representative of the First Nations Health Authority.
In regard to the burned vehicles, according to witness reports three people were seen fleeing the area though no specific description was given to the police, according to an RCMP media release on Sept. 26, 2022.
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