1 Introduction

The city of Kamloops, like many communities, faces numerous socioeconomic challenges that affect various aspects of its residents’ lives. This book, In the Shadow of the Hills: Socioeconomic Struggles in Kamloops presents a comprehensive examination of these challenges, exploring their origins, impacts, and potential solutions across ten detailed chapters.

Figure 1: Sundown on the city of Kamloops (Alan Levine/Flickr) CC BY 2.0

Each chapter explores a specific aspect of Kamloops’ socioeconomic environment, providing insights and analyses to foster a deeper understanding of the city’s unique situation.

  • Inclusive Education: Ensuring Equal Opportunities for All Students in Kamloops
    • Alaa Awad explores the factors that influence the quality of elementary schools and the role of parental involvement in such education within Kamloops. It quantifies the economic value of parents’ contributions to their children’s schooling and discusses the challenges and successes of ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students.
  • Route Optimization: Enhancing Efficiency, Reliability, & Accessibility
    • Colin Forbes conducts a comprehensive analysis of the public transportation system in Kamloops, discussing its current inefficiencies, the economic benefits of improving the system, and the various challenges it faces. It aims to offer insights into how enhancing public transit can lead to better environmental outcomes, economic gains, and improved quality of life for residents.
  • Transitioning to Local Authority: Practical Steps & Challenges
    • Patrick Izzet explores and compares the economic implications of different policing models for Kamloops, focusing on the transition from the RCMP to a local police force, and explores a hybrid system. It evaluates the cost-effectiveness, community engagement, and potential long-term benefits of establishing a municipal police authority.
  • A Home Away from Home: Exploring Accommodation Challenges for International Students
    • Kris Kadaleevanam examines the accommodation challenges faced by international students in Kamloops, particularly at Thompson Rivers University. It discusses the impact of housing instability on students’ academic performance and well-being and considers the effectiveness of homestay programs as a potential solution.
  • Surviving the Streets: Unpacking the Economics of Homelessness
    • Garima Mehta analyzes the contemporary issue of homelessness in Kamloops. It explores the root causes, societal impacts, and potential solutions to reduce homelessness, including policy recommendations and community initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable populations.
  • Cultural Alchemy: Navigating the Economic Challenges in the Performing Arts Arena
    • Samreena Noor examines the economic and cultural impacts of the proposed performing arts center in Kamloops. It discusses the potential benefits of the center on the local economy and community life, emphasizing the role of philanthropy and public support in cultural development.
  • Lorenz Curve Analysis for Income Inequality in Kamloops
    • Olivia Simms scrutinizes inequality in Kamloops by investigating changes in income distribution and the role of government transfer payments, in the context of pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This chapter provides a critical look at the impact of transfer payments on economic disparities during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic relative to the 2019 calendar year.
  • The Price of Patience: Examining Healthcare Waiting Times in Kamloops
    • Ashley Thomson addresses the pressing issue of healthcare wait times in Kamloops, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis focuses on measuring the economic cost of waiting time and the strain it has on the local hospital, highlighting the broader implications for public health and economic productivity.
  • Dividing Lines: Understanding Kamloops Neighbourhood Unemployment Rates
    • Panagiotis Tsigaris provides an in-depth analysis of unemployment rates across 25 neighborhoods in Kamloops. The chapter explores the socioeconomic and demographic factors affecting these rates and offers policy recommendations aimed at reducing high unemployment areas. Factors such as educational attainment, family demographics, ethnic diversity, and public transportation availability are shown to significantly impact unemployment. This chapter concludes by discussing the importance of addressing these socioeconomic variables to improve employment opportunities across Kamloops.
Figure 2: City of Kamloops panorama from Mount Dufferin (Murray Foubister/Flickr) CC BY-SA 2.0

Each chapter of In the Shadow of the Hills: Socioeconomic Struggles in Kamloops not only highlights specific challenges but also serves as a call to action for policymakers, community leaders, and residents. By providing a detailed exploration of economic issues, this book aims to inspire informed decision-making and proactive community involvement to address and overcome the economic struggles of Kamloops.

References

Foubister, M. (2016). 0I7A2448-Pano.jpg [Image]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mfoubister/28676650768/

Levine, A. (2014). Sundown on Kamloops [Image]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/15451340749/

Media Attributions

Figure 1: “Sundown on Kamloops” by Alan Levine (2014), via Flickr, is used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Figure 2: “0I7A2448-Pano.jpg” by Murray Foubister (2016), via Flickr, is used under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

License

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In the Shadow of the Hills: Socio-Economic Struggles in Kamloops Copyright © by Peter Tsigaris, TRU Open Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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