Welcome to Kamloops E-book

Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov

Every newcomer to Kamloops can now find information about the city and resources to meet commonly expressed needs related to health care, education, employment, recreation etc. in one place.  Welcome to Kamloops e-book, first edition, is now available online.

For the last four years, newcomers in Kamloops had an opportunity to take a community-based course, “Welcome to Kamloops” offered at the Thompson Rivers University. This year thanks to financial support from the Dean Airini at the Faculty Education and Social Work in March 2020, two international students (research assistants) were hired to contribute to the Welcome to Kamloops e-book.  Together with other BSW and MSW practicum students and local volunteers, the critical data was collected. Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov organized each chapter, edited the book, and published the e-book version online.  For those who know how to use Google Translate and read the book in more than 100 languages, the Google Translate accessible version of the e-book (no pictures) can be found here.

Thank you to all the contributors to the first edition: Alexzandra Anzulovich, BSW(c), Aman Madan, BSW(c), Jeanne Albutra, BSW(c), Jennifer Blencowe, BSW, Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov, PhD, Sara Gillis, BSW, Sierra Israel, MSW, Tabitha Butler Smith, BSW (c), Yangchao (Paul) Hu, MEd for sharing your valuable knowledge with Kamloops newcomer populations.

The Welcome to Kamloops project is ongoing, and next year Welcome to Kamloops course participants will have a textbook to guide their learning. Everyone who wants to contribute to the e-book, please feel free to send your 1-page contributions (font 16 Colibri with 0.7-inch margins) via e-mail to Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov at okondrashov@tru.ca. Contributions will be included in the second edition of the book that is scheduled to be published in July 2021. The second edition of the Welcome to Kamloops e-book will also become an additional textbook for Welcome to University course. The new course will be offered in partnership between TRU and School District #73 and provide support for international high school students in Kamloops to continue their post-secondary education.

Let’s keep making Kamloops welcoming to newcomers together.

Wind Chill and Cold Weather Safety

A few days during the year in Kamloops when the temperature is cold, the wind can make it feel even colder. This is called the wind chill factor. Be extra careful on those days as the cold and wind can give you frostbite if your skin is exposed for too long. If you get frostbite, go to the hospital.

Snow Storm and Road Cleaning

When the snow falls in Kamloops be extra careful on the roads. The City clears roads and select sidewalks in priority order by dividing the roads into (1) Arterial Roads that are cleared within 4 hours of the completion of a snow event (2)  Collectors and Residential Bus Routes within 16 hours of the end of a storm and (3) Residential Streets within 36 Hours. Priority is given to hills over level streets. You can check the Kamloops Snow Cleaning Priorities Map to know when your street will be plowed after the snowstorm

Tourism Kamloops offers the following clothing tips to enjoy the four seasons in Kamloops.

In spring, long pants, a waterproof jacket, sweater, hat/umbrella and close-toed shoes are appropriate.

For summer one needs shorts, t-shirts, sandals, a hat, and a light sweater or jacket. Make sure you have a bathing gear as there is a lot of places near Kamloops where you can swim in pristine, clear waters. Please use sunscreen and sunglasses as Kamloops has many hot sunny days.

More clothing is needed to enjoy a fall in Kamloops. Early fall is still warm, but some days can be chilly so please have pants/long shorts, t-shirts, sweaters, jackets and different types of shoes. The tempereature can range from 25 degrees (Celsius) at the beginning of the fall season, to 0 to 5 degrees (Celsius) closer to November.  The freezing temperatures are also a possibility so keep layering your clothing when necessary.

The layered clothing is a must to enjoy winter in Kamloops. Warm jackets/vests, gloves/scarfs and close-toed shoes and boots are appropriate. Depending on one’s activities, sunglasses and snow-gear (i.e. snow pants and thermal underclothes) are also necessary.