Friday, May 22, 2026

☕ Good Morning

Friday, May 22 is a practical one: Red Bridge meetings are on the calendar, east-side water restrictions are over, Riverside Park is switching into summer mode and the weekend has a few real options.

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📰 News

Red Bridge replacement options finally have dates attached. Castanet reports the Ministry of Transportation will host public sessions June 3 at Moccasin Square Gardens and June 11 at Sandman Centre’s Kia Lounge. The work includes a conceptual design for a modern bridge in the old location, plus broader transportation fixes between Tk’emlups and Kamloops. (Castanet)

Barnhartvale’s water is back to normal. The City lifted the final do-not-consume advisory Thursday, May 21 after specialized testing confirmed the water is safe to drink. That closes out the east Kamloops restrictions from the feeder-main break; the Eliza Road water truck was set to come down Thursday night. (Castanet)

Riverside Park has its summer hub back. Tourism Kamloops has opened the Loop’s Explore Station for the season, with ROAM staff, local recommendations, merchandise and free secure bike parking. Paddleboard, kayak, yard-game and roller-skate rentals are expected to return starting May 30. (Radio NL)

Kamloops helped launch a province-wide outdoor-sector coalition. Castanet reports the new Outdoor Sector Coalition was unveiled during a recreation conference at TRU, representing more than 2,000 B.C. businesses, associations, volunteer groups, local governments and institutions tied to the outdoor economy. (Castanet)

A former Kamloops resident detained on a Gaza aid mission is safe. CFJC reports Sebastian Tow contacted his family Thursday, May 21 from Istanbul after Israeli forces intercepted a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza. His family said he was emotional, safe and receiving medical and legal support. (CFJC Today)

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🏛️ City Hall

The council race is already circling the same sore spot: trust at city hall. CFJC profiled two new council hopefuls: Doug Ronnquist, who says council infighting pushed him to run, and Rob Bertrand, who is campaigning on crime, transparency and infrastructure. (Ronnquist, Bertrand)

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🚨 Safety

The police and firefighter presence at RIH was a lab chemical issue, Interior Health says. CFJC reports a monthly inventory check found a lab chemical with an altered consistency that had to be contained and disposed of. Interior Health said the situation was handled with Kamloops Fire Rescue and RCMP. (CFJC Today)

A man is charged after police say he left the RCMP detachment in a stolen SUV. KamloopsBCNow reports police say Sean Kevin Goudie visited the detachment on an unrelated matter May 15, then left in a Honda CR-V later determined to have been stolen. Several charges have been laid. (KamloopsBCNow)

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📅 Events

CELIN plays The Vic Downtown on Friday, May 22. The show runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 377 Victoria St., with tickets listed at $16.50. (Showpass)

The Shore Block Party takes over Yew Street on Saturday, May 23. The free North Shore event starts at 2 p.m. with vendors, food, inflatables, entertainment, eight buskers, face painting and axe throwing. (Tourism Kamloops)

Monster Madness brings monster trucks to Mt Paul Events Centre on Saturday, May 23. The 1:30 p.m. show includes Monster Madness Tour trucks and FMX World Tour performers, with tickets listed at $25 to $50. (Tourism Kamloops)

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🛣️ Roads & Weather

☀️ Weekend weather: Environment Canada calls for mainly sunny skies and 26°C Friday, May 22, a chance of showers and 26°C Saturday, May 23, then cloud and 19°C Sunday, May 24. AQHI is moderate. (Environment Canada)

🚧 Highway 1 bridge work continues: DriveBC says construction between Pacific Way and Summit Drive continues until June 15, with traffic reduced to one lane each way in the westbound lanes and overnight detours from 10 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (DriveBC)

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🎮 Daily Game

Globle — guess the mystery country, with each guess showing how close you are.

KamloopsContractors.ca is a free local directory I made to make it easier to find Kamloops-area contractors by trade.