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Two-thirds of Kamloopsians say life has gotten worse since 2022.

That's according to a newly-released City of Kamloops survey and represents a "new low" when comparing how residents felt their quality of life has changed over the past three years.

The 2024 survey found 75% of residents responded positively when asked about their quality of life. Though it's still a majority, it's down from 83% in 2022 and 95% in 2019.

The report was released Jan. 17, 2025 and its results are mainly based on responses from 400 Kamloops residents through random phone calls.

In addition to a worsening quality of life, it also found four out of five residents feel less safe in Kamloops than they did three years earlier. Meanwhile, just 10% said they feel safer, which continues a downward trend since 2009 when 42% gave positive reviews, according to the report. 

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Respondents could give multiple reasons when asked to cite why their quality of life has gone down. Just as in the 2022 survey, the biggest drivers were homelessness, crime, drugs and cost of living, all areas the City report notes as within provincial or federal jurisdiction. The report also notes "drug-related" complaints in particular have become increasingly common since 2019.

Both homelessness and drug use have become more conspicuous in recent years, likely influencing how residents perceive their safety, but Kamloops also earned the top spot as Canada's crime capital among cities over 100,000 people last year. Though the title was downplayed due to unfair comparisons with much larger cities, crime severity within Kamloops peaked to a 15-year high in 2023 while police have steadily solved fewer crimes in those years, according to Statistics Canada.

Aside from safety-related concerns, 11% of survey respondents cited worsening municipal services in areas like planning and administration when asked about what has worsened their quality of life, followed by traffic at 9% and high or poorly used taxes at 7%.

Areas where life has improved include arts and recreation with 23% of responses and infrastructure, like roads and construction, with 18%, while 37% of people wouldn't say what areas have improved since 2022.

Considering the poor quality of life trends, it's unsurprising the survey found most Kamloops residents would be reluctant to recommend others move to Kamloops. Just one out of eight people said they would promote the city to others and nearly half would likely dissuade people from the move.

Residents were split over whether they want more services or less taxes when asked about City services. The survey noted that taxes are likely to go up to keep services the same and at 25%, the greatest share of respondents opted for that if given the choice. Results were otherwise nearly split evenly between cuts to both services and taxes, or expansions with higher taxes.

Asked about where additional tax revenue should come from only 5% preferred property taxes alone, while 56% said most if not all the additional need should come from user fees for respective municipal services.

Kamloops ranks similarly to other Canadian cities among residents who feel they get good value for their tax dollars, with a 65% positive review, according to the report.

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When asked where the money from potential tax increases should go, the top results pointed to things like road maintenance and snow clearing, community safety, public transit and sports facilities. At the bottom of the list, expanding green spaces and efforts to combat climate change were nearly split in half, with a small majority in opposition to both.

Asked for what issue was most important that the City should advocate for, half of respondents said more family doctors and health-care improvements. A quarter called for mental health and addiction supports, while another 10% cited justice reform, according to the report.

The report also found only 56% of people were satisfied with the City's communication and engagement, dropping two surveys in a row since hearing 83% of people give positive reviews in 2019, according to the report.

A City news release points to communication efforts and infrastructure improvements, like sidewalks and road repair, as the two areas to improve on after seeing the survey's results.

Go here to see the full report.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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