Tk? emlúps te Secwépemc - Chief Louis Centre Rehabilitation

The Chief Louis Centre is a 6,275m2 (67,547 sq.ft.) building and is one of four remaining residential school buildings on Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc reserve lands. The school farmland plot was originally established in 1890, the Chief Louis Centre (CLC) build started in 1920 as an expansion to accommodate more children as the Canadian government expanded its enrolment and operated until 1969, when the federal government converted it into a day school residence. TteS inherited the building from the Department of Indian Affairs and closed the school in 1977-78, later opening the Secwépemc Museum in 1982. The building is in poor marketable condition and is now required to be used as office space for TteS Band Administration and commercial tenants associated with First Nation communities. The building has excessive heating and energy costs due to its outdated building systems and poor condition, which TteS maintains using own-source revenue.

 

The rehabilitation and clean energy retrofit of the Chief Louis Centre (CLC) is a sequential step of long-term investment. TteS requires a long-term sustainable approach to support the preservation expense of a historical monument to the First Nations in Canada's history. The CLC Rehabilitation is a reclamation project involving necessary occupant health and safety improvements to achieve code compliance. The project aims to strike a balance between preserving heritage character, introducing a new architectural layer through built addition(s), and capitalizing on opportunities to attract investment into the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) community. At project completion, the CLC will be a contemporary, revenue-generating asset that leverages functional design and cultural significance to secure lease agreements with a variety of commercial tenants. The design of exterior and interior alterations will be carefully contemplated with input from TteS leadership and general membership to address the legacy of the Kamloops Indian Residential School.

 

Comprehensive upgrades, repairs, and fuel switching from natural gas to electricity is proposed to reduce annual operating expenses, and greenhouse gas emissions. Further building performance upgrades are also planned to optimize energy usage by future HVAC systems, further reducing operating costs. Hazardous materials abatement and remediation for the building is required.

 

Scenario 3 ‘Renewal Horizon' was designed to sensitively introduce barrier-free design and connectivity between wings by extending, rather than replacing, existing circulation patterns. The design rationale for this option was to reclaim and expand the leasable area of the building and introduce a new architectural layer to the principal (south) facade.

 

Given the nature of this project type being Building Rehabilitation (rather than New Construction), all lands required for the preferred option have already been identified and confirmed as available for project development. The footprint area of proposed addition exists entirely within the surface parking area to the north of the existing building footprint

 

 

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Latest update

Notice of intent to make a determination

Chief Louis Centre Rehabilitation – Public Comments Invited

 

June 11, 2025 – Indigenous Services Canada must determine whether the proposed Chief Louis Centre Rehabilitation, located in Kamloops IR 1 near Kamloops BC is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. To help inform this determination, Indigenous Services Canada is inviting comments from the public respecting that determination.

 

Written comments must be submitted by July 12, 2025 to the BC Environment Team.

Participate

Key documents

Key documents
Document number Document title File Date
1 Notice of Intent to Make a Determination PDF (55 KB) June 11, 2025

Contacts

BC Environment Team
Indigenous Services Canada
600-1138 Melville Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4S3
Email: bcciarpubliccomments@sac-isc.gc.ca


Disclaimer

This map is for illustrative purposes. The markers represent the approximate locations based on available data. More than one marker may be identified for a given assessment.

  • Location

    • Kootenay IR1, BC (British Columbia)

  • Nature of Activity

    • Building and Property Development

  • Assessment Status

    In progress

  • Start Date

    2025-06-11

  • Proponent

    Tk̓ emlúps te Secwépemc

  • Authorities

    • Indigenous Services Canada

  • Assessment Type

    Project on federal lands

  • Reference Number

    89628

Nearby assessments

...within 200 kilometres
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