Author: Arjun Singh

Since the 2022 civic election, Kamloopsians have watched the dysfunction on our city council with understandable concern and anger. Most right-thinking people might look at what is currently happening and close the door on ever becoming a candidate. Friends, this would be a mistake. The turmoil at city hall is likely an anomaly, a one…

I had the good fortune several years ago of attending the International Association of Public Participation conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. At one of the sessions, at the Canadian Museum of Immigration, I heard something that I thought was crazy at the time but, over time, I have begun to consider as quite insightful. That is…

Driving from Sahali to Brocklehurst this past week, just by TRU, I heard on the radio that Oxford University Press has declared “rage-baiting” as the word of the year for 2025. This is defined as online content “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to…

I sometimes get calls from people frustrated with city hall. I try to give them my best advice.  As a former city councillor, I understand the multi-directional pressures city council members and city staffers face. I also know that ultimately the citizens need to be in the drivers’ seat — all of them, together, not a…

If you asked me in August 2024 if I would be helping run our community newspaper, I would have laughed pretty loudly. If you ask me today if I am good at helping run the paper, I would say I am still learning. As a citizen, I am a huge supporter of trusted local news.…

In April 2023, I found myself in a downtown Vancouver cafe with Mayor Reid Hamer Jackson. Relationships between the Mayor and Council were already pretty tense and, after a long day at a Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) housing summit, I asked him if he would like to go for a drink. He graciously accepted.…

I’m proud to be a Kamloopsian all year round. And, in the past month, Kamloops has really been shining. Today, I just want to tell the story of some of my personal experiences. With all the craziness and challenges in today’s world, my hope is that you will also reflect on the positivity that is…

I often chuckle to myself these days when I read, listen, or hear public comments by our MLA Peter Milobar. Peter and I worked together for almost a decade on Kamloops Council. One of his greatest attributes when he was Mayor was that, even when he didn’t agree with your position, he would always offer…

There has been a lot of lost opportunity with this current city council. Despite some strong efforts and accomplishments, I lament at what more could have been accomplished if our mayor and our city councillors had a collaborative working relationship. Finding our incredible community on the provincial and national news for all the wrong reasons…

As much as we criticize our elected leaders and representatives, they really reflect us back to ourselves. Political campaigns often go negative because campaign managers and candidates know negativity can absolutely and powerfully motivate support. When we are our best selves, however, I would like to think most people would want to support positive visions,…