KamloopsBCNow is excited to take readers on a walk in the shoes of people with our city's most interesting jobs!
Kathy Sinclair is the executive director of the Kamloops Arts Council and was elected to Kamloops city council in September 2017.
I grew up in Brentwood Bay, just outside Victoria. I got a degree in creative writing at UVic and worked in the high-tech, education and non-profit sectors. Eventually I went back to school for a master's in publishing. I launched an editing business in Vancouver before going back into working for non-profits.
Along the way, I lived in Ottawa, Kelowna, the Sunshine Coast, Dawson City (Yukon) and Mexico. As the cost of living in Vancouver continued to rise, I knew it was time to leave. In search of a home in late 2011, I was looking at the Okanagan.
Then someone suggested Kamloops. It was not on my radar at all, but my first visit just felt right. I moved here without work and got busy volunteering and networking; four months of job-searching later, I applied for a job in the back of the Kamloops Daily News and landed at the Kamloops Arts Council.
When the civic by-election came up last summer, I decided to make the leap into politics. I got elected for one of two council positions on Sept. 30th, 2017 and will run again this October.
There is definitely no normal! My role at the Kamloops Arts Council involves fundraising, community partnerships, media, working with the board and membership, overseeing a small staff and really "whatever it takes" to make the organization a success.
My role as a city councillor is to — independently and as part of a team — make informed decisions about what's best for our city in a way that's fiscally responsible. That involves reading and conversations on topics from snow clearing to sewers, and from development permit processes to law enforcement.
Luckily my two workplaces are located in close proximity, so you can often spot me running between the Old Courthouse and City Hall. Generally, weekends and the first part of the week are spent on council work — catching up on emails, meeting with citizens, groups and city staff, and preparing for meetings — while the latter part of the week is focused on KAC duties.
Evenings, I'm generally at a mixer, meeting, fundraiser, public hearing or cultural event — this past Monday I got to be a judge in the Rotary School Speech contest.
There is rarely enough time in a day! I'm a fairly quick study and love to learn, but sometimes I wish there was time to delve more deeply into some of the civic issues we're faced with.
Reading the comments on news stories and social media can also be challenging. I've learned not to take any of it personally, but it can be frustrating when feedback is based on misinformation.
My board has been very willing to work with my new schedule. I've reduced my time to 70% at the KAC, and we've brought someone on to help with fundraising. When we have a big event at the KAC like Art Exposed or Art in the Park, it's all hands on deck, so I just have to find the time. I like what I do and don't enjoy being bored, so it all works out..
Most of us who work in not-for-profits are familiar with the phrase "other duties as required." The same could be said about being a city councillor. I don't know that there is anything too unexpected, but there is a lot of work behind the scenes that folks don't necessarily see that goes beyond the weekly public council meetings.
My ideal working day may begin with a 6 a.m run. I head to the KAC office, where I discover we've just had a major donation come in. (This is an ideal day, right?) I catch up on some reading or meet with a citizen or community partner for coffee before heading over to City Hall for the day's council meetings.
In my ideal day, a meeting lasts no more than two and a half hours, though I certainly don't mind long days if we are making effective progress on important issues. The ideal working day wraps up with a feel-good public appearance or event.
There are many! Giving kids high-fives at a martial arts school award ceremony and my first ribbon-cutting (World Kidney Day) are a couple of highlights, but even some of the more challenging occasions — like public hearings where tensions run high — have been memorable. Working with the mayor and my council colleagues and finding common ground among our sometimes-diverse viewpoints has also been rewarding.
I think you need to be open-minded and able to look at all the angles of an issue. You need to be able to make decisions you think are fair, even when they're tough. You need to be optimistic, dedicated and in love with your city and its potential. You need an ability to see the big picture — it's that vision that will carry you through numerous smaller decisions.
Things don't always move quickly, so you need to be patient and persistent. It helps if you like people and enjoy going to lots of different events. You need to be willing to listen. The ability to admit you were wrong about something goes a long way, too. I'm also learning you need good boundaries — you won't last long if you don't take some time away from the email once in a while.
Economic development — building business and tourism — is a big interest of mine. I want to see Kamloops reach its potential in these areas, so I'm always looking for opportunities to encourage this. Sustainable and active transportation (bus/biking/walking), quality of life, accessibility for people of all abilities, and diversity are also important to me.
The pending federal legalization of *recreational* cannabis has been something we've been grappling with, as have all municipalities across the country. (Much of the advocacy we've seen from people on this issue has been in regard to medicinal cannabis — which will remain available legally only via the federal government with a doctor's prescription.) It hasn't been easy, but it has certainly been interesting.
I'm proud to be part of a team that is making affordable housing a priority. We sometimes have a picture in our heads that these new housing projects are for so-called "street people," but that's not exclusively it. Many people run into unforeseen challenges due to the loss of a job, a spouse or their health. There's a really good business case for giving people a chance to access housing — from supported subsidized housing that gets people off the street and gives them a chance to get help, to affordable rentals and first-time home buyers. Affordable housing is not just the right thing to do, it's good for our city's economy.
This interview has been edited for length.
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