Greg Unger

A Kamloops For Everyone | Kamloops 2026 City Council Candidate

Stop by, say hi!

Kamloops Seniors' Election Forum
Sept. 24 @ 3:30pm
Mount Paul Community Food CentreFarmers Market Forum
Sept. 26 @ 10am
245 St. Paul StreetKamloops Regional Farmers Market
Saturdays Weekly @ 8:30am
245 St. Paul Street

Hi, I'm Greg Unger!

My Platform

A City That's Fun And Easy To Live In.

Transportation

I believe that Kamloops needs better bus and bicycle infrastructure, especially with the rise of e-bikes and e-scooters. Cycling infrastructure that is well connected and safe. Bus routes that make sense and run frequently. All without sacrificing space for our cars. We are, after all, the home of Hot Nite in the City. When it comes to cars, we need more alternatives to car ownership, like car-shares such as Propel Us.My key tangible goals:
- Low-cost, connected bike lanes.
- Policies that incentivize carshares and public transport.

Arts & Culture

We are a midsized city, but we don’t have the entertainment options of other midsized cities in our region like Penticton and Kelowna. We need a midsized venue like the Performing Arts Centre - something smaller than the Sandman Centre, but larger than bars and nightclubs. We need more small venues as well. It’s frustrating when amazing musical acts will skip over Kamloops in favour of places like Penticton because they have better venue options. I’ll advocate for greater support for the arts as well. It would be amazing to have more art galleries and live theatre venues. Having a vibrant arts and culture scene will attract more young professionals and tourists, and will make our city a fun place to be.My key tangible goals:
- Reduce red-tape for small & mid-size performing arts venues.

A City Where All Are Welcome.

Citizen Engagement

A thriving city needs genuine democratic engagement from its citizens year-round, not just during election season. I believe we need more opportunities for productive dialogue and engagement, using tools like Citizens Assemblies that have worked well in other municipalities.My key tangible goals:
- Hold a citizens assembly to determine the best future for the location of the RCMP building.
- Host more frequent community engagement sessions to hear from citizens and build buy-in for City initiatives.

Indigenous Reconciliation

Our community includes not just Kamloops, but Tk’emlups as well. We need to continue growing our relationship with Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc, both with a physical bridge for neighbourhoods on both sides of the river, and with connections between our people. We have so much potential to grow together.My key tangible goals:
- Work with my peers across the river to build connections between Mayor & Council and Chief & Council and seek ways to integrate our communities’ public services where it makes sense.

A City Where Everyone Can Thrive.

Accessibility

Everyone deserves a city that they can navigate with ease. Diversity is our one shared thing. I'll fight to ensure all public buildings are accessible for people with limited abilities. I'll push for public washrooms available 24/7 throughout the city.My key tangible goals:
- Ensure public park washrooms are available 24/7 year-round.
- Partner with community partners like the Kamloops Farmers Market to create permanent public washrooms in more spaces.
- A city grant program to help businesses become more accessible for wheelchair users.

Small Business

I talk with small business owners all the time. I see their struggles - theft, high overhead, bureaucratic red tape, and dated zoning regulations. I will work to make it easier for small businesses to open and operate anywhere in the city to keep our dollars in our city, rather than going to large corporations with no vested interest in Kamloops. This would include more community-involved crime prevention methods so businesses stay open and customers feel safe walking into them.My key tangible goals:
- Expand zoning regulations to enable small businesses in more neighbourhood locations.
- Reduce red-tape and smooth the process for new businesses to open quickly.

Affordability and Housing

Affordability is a challenge that extends well past what a single city can fix, but I will do everything in my power to see more housing get built, housing that is accessible for low-income community members- along with wrap-around supports for those who struggle to find and keep a home. I will advocate for more community-owned options like housing co-ops (Propolis, for example), as a way to ensure we keep control of our housing.My key tangible goals:
- Expand zoning regulations to allow 6-plexes and 8-plexes on more lots in core neighbourhoods.
- Incentivize the development of community-owned housing.

A Broader Lens for Safety

We need to expand our definition of a safe city. We need wraparound support and affordable housing for our most vulnerable community members, rather than demonizing them. We need a city that is wildfire prepared - whether that's having ample support for out-of-town evacuees, or by making sure our city is fire and drought resistant. We need a city that takes care of its environment - more trees, more parks, and more green transportation options. We need a city that can weather the storm when the highway goes down for several days, by having a robust local food economy.My key tangible goals:
- Push forward policies that will make us a Firesmart city like Logan Lake.
- Increase funding for our parks and for sustainability initiatives
Invest in more low barrier housing to keep people from becoming unhoused.
- Reimagined community policing with a focus on care and support.

A Sustainable and Resilient City.

Food Security

We live in increasingly turbulent economic times. As our global trade networks become disrupted, it is important to build a robust regional economy. I will advocate for our local farmers, for community gardens, and for small-scale food processors in our city, ensuring we have a strong local food system. I will advocate for more access to local food sources in all of our neighbourhoods. One successful example is the market at the Mount Paul Community Food Centre, run by Interior Community Services.My key tangible goals:
- Renew the 2015 Food & Urban Agriculture Plan.
- Explore more diverse planting options on municipal lands for Kamloops to have abundant food sources.

Environment

Kamloops has championed environmental sustainability for nearly three decades, and I want to continue that work. I support densification in our core neighbourhoods and caution when it comes to urban sprawl. The impact of data centres in our desert ecosystem has already been shown to be harmful in many ways, even in the short-term examples we’ve already seen. On top of our dry climate, the sustainability of our water supply is more in doubt each year. Data centres don’t bring many good jobs to our community once they’re built, but they do use valuable resources like our water and have heavy impacts on our environment...My key tangible goals:
- Halt all data centre construction until the environmental impacts are researched and mitigated
- Invest in green infrastructure and integrate our City’s natural assets into asset management planning

This platform is 100% human-created and written.

About Me

I grew up in a very small town in rural Saskatchewan, and moved to Winnipeg after high school. I graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Arts in English. While I studied literature in school, my real-world passions lay in community building and food security. I spent eight years working as the warehouse manager for the city's food bank, as well as volunteering at my local community centre and other community organizations.I moved to Kamloops in 2017 with my wife, and started managing the farmers' market. And what a way to get introduced to the place! I love Kamloops - it's stunning natural beauty, it's friendly and creative people, it's potential for growth.I have a proven track record of leadership. Through many years running the downtown Farmers’ Market and Kamloops’ Community Gardens Program, as well as vice-president of the Kamloops Food Policy Council, I have worked with many diverse interest groups and community members, all towards a common goal. I have worked with small business owners, city staff and councillors, neighbourhood associations, non-profit organizations, and many others as well. I have always strived to lead with compassion and dignity towards the people around me.Since moving to Kamloops, I have:
- Teamed up with city staff, the McDonald Park Neighbourhood Association, and Kamloops Art Party to reinvigorate and beautify the community garden there.- Partnered with Community Futures Central Interior First Nations to start the Kweseltken Farmers and Artisans Market.- Worked with NSBIA, the city, and Firesmart BC to make Wilson House Garden fire-safe after an arson attack.- Been involved in the creation of Kamloops Cycling Coalition, and later I worked with the city’s Sustainability Department, BC Ministry of Transport, Kamloops Cycling Coalition, and community members to develop and grow the bike valet program.- Worked for Friendly Composting and helped push the city to develop its own composting program. I teamed with TRU’s ESTR program to teach their students about food waste.- Worked with the city as well as a number of community stakeholders on the city’s updated Food and Urban Agricultural Plan.- Given talks at TRU’s International Business Class about how the market can help small businesses get started and I regularly help small business owners navigate red tape to get their businesses started.- Worked with city staff every year to make sure the farmers’ market is safe and the community gardens are well maintained.I am always working with gardeners and market vendors to ensure they get along and their conflicts get resolved. I have always strived to lead with compassion and dignity towards the people around me.I believe that Kamloops is at its best when we act together, with compassion towards our fellow humans. I promise that I will work for a Kamloops that cares for its community and its environment.