Council Connect

By Mayor Tom Dyas

As the festive season approaches, I am reminded how grateful I am to the community we all call home. It’s an opportunity to embrace the spirit of the holidays and reflect on what makes Kelowna such a great place to live. With festive events already underway and more to come, cherished traditions, and countless ways to give back, this season allows each of us to find our own unique ways to celebrate and be together.

For many of us the annual lighting of the Tree of Hope signifies the start of the season here in Kelowna thanks to the Stober Foundation. For nearly three decades, this illuminated tree has been a beacon of light in the Landmark District and a powerful symbol of hope for the holiday season.

As always, this year's Tree of Hope lighting supported an essential cause. The Stober Foundation named Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) as its charity of choice, making a significant donation of over $500,000 to support their work. COSAR plays a critical role in ensuring safety across our region, and this generous contribution will allow them to continue their important services.

This past weekend we’ve celebrated light ups throughout the city. The annual Downtown Kelowna Light Up and Winter Street Market is one of the city’s popular gatherings and a community highlight. The event in Stuart Park brought together friends and families to enjoy live entertainment, skating, and a wide range of activities for people of all ages. The winter market ran during the day and was an incredible showcase of local vendors and warm treats, with proceeds going to the Central Okanagan Food Bank. The day came to a close with the much-anticipated tree lighting, illuminating the heart of downtown and setting the festive mood for the weeks ahead.

In Rutland this past Sunday, the Uptown Rutland Business Association hosted its Winter Light Up in Centennial Park. The vibrant community event brought together residents and businesses and featured local vendors, live entertainment, food trucks, and, of course, visits with Santa himself. It was another community celebration that reminded us all that the joy of the holiday season is felt across our entire city.

On December 14th, Kelowna will see the return of something truly special—a holiday parade in downtown Kelowna. For the first time in decades, the magic of a festive parade will return to our city center with the event, “A Parade with a Purpose.” This community-driven celebration originated in Kettle Valley four years ago and has grown significantly, prompting organizers to move it downtown, a decision made possible with the City’s full support and collaboration with the parade’s founders.

All funds raised from the parade will go directly toward The Bridge Youth & Family Services’ new Youth Recovery House project, a much-needed resource in our community. The parade promises to bring festive floats, music, and excitement for families, while also making a meaningful difference for youth in need. It’s a wonderful opportunity to start a new family tradition as this parade evolves, while continuing to support a worthwhile cause.

With events like these taking place throughout the City, its important to remember to shop local and support the many businesses that are the backbone of our growing economy.

While the holidays bring happiness and celebration for many, they can also be a challenging time for some members of our community. The season is often a reminder of how much we rely on one another, and it’s a time when the support and care we show to each other really shines. Whether through volunteering, donating, or simply offering a helping hand, we can all play a part in making this season brighter for those who may be struggling.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other tradition, I hope that above all you experience in some way the warmth that defines the holidays, and the values that unite us as a community, such as kindness, generosity, and gratitude.

It is both an honour and a privilege to serve as your mayor, and I am incredibly proud of the progress this Council has made together over the past year. With major events coming to this community along with the advancement of capital infrastructure projects, 2025 promises to be a busy year. Until then I hope you are all able to take time to relax and enjoy the holidays together.

So, as the holidays approach, let’s embrace all the season has to offer. Enjoy time with family and friends, support our local businesses, and look out for each other. I also hope to see you all at the annual New year’s celebration in Stuart Park by Festivals Kelowna on December 31.

Together, let’s make this a joyful and meaningful holiday season.

Happy holidays, Kelowna!

By Mayor Tom Dyas

Diving into election season, it’s become an increasingly busy time for everyone as we strive to recognize the responsibilities and jurisdictions of Municipal, Provincial and Federal governments. The next month will see debates, differing perspectives and promises, which will ultimately lead up to election day. Despite the election’s outcome, our community can take comfort in knowing that Kelowna’s advocacy priorities remain strong and unwavering. We’ve positioned ourselves as a leading municipality in BC; one that is open to collaboration and collective action that goes beyond party lines and focuses on what matters most to our residents.

Our advocacy priorities are a direct response to what we are hearing from our community and where we have focused our efforts when attending tours and meetings, like the recent UBCM Convention in Vancouver.

Public safety remains a top concern for our residents, and we know that Mandatory compassionate care for those suffering from severe mental health and addiction issues needs to be implemented in an effective and meaningful way. I need to be clear – allowing those with severe mental health and addiction issues to suffer on our streets is not compassionate, it is neglect. As a City, we continue to press for the expansion of a regional mandatory care model inspired by the Red Fish Healing Centre. This centre offers a compassionate mandatory care approach for those in crisis. The recent provincial announcements are promising, and we will continue to advocate for bringing this life-saving model to our community.

To add to this, the need for more Crown prosecutors has never been more urgent. As Kelowna continues to grow, so too does the need for resources to support our justice system. We are pushing for at least five more Crown prosecutors to keep pace with the increasing demands on our courts. The current judicial system is stretched too thin and is not deterring repeat offender, many of whom have extensive criminal histories. By adding more resources, we can ensure a tougher approach is followed that holds repeat offenders accountable. We are also advocating the Province to add their voice to our request to the Federal government to enact bail reform on repeat property offenders.  

On the infrastructure front, we are committed to transforming how our city moves and grows. The Clement Extension Partnership multi-modal corridor is one of the most exciting projects on the horizon. This would create a seamless connection between downtown Kelowna, Highway 33, McCurdy, the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), and the Kelowna International Airport (YLW), in parallel to Highway 97. The project is set to significantly enhance our transportation infrastructure by alleviating congestion on highway 97, increasing capacity for upgraded transit lanes, and improving travel times for residents as well as the movement of goods and services across the region.

This critical piece of infrastructure is also interconnected with transit as it is a key step in advancing the construction of our new Transit Operations Centre. Our community and region have outgrown the current facility at Hardy Street, and it is over capacity. This challenge impacts our ability to respond to current and future ridership demand. We must ensure that planning and commitments made today will meet the needs of our community as we grow. 

The expansion of Kelowna’s International Airport YLW is another key pillar of our economic development strategy. As the largest municipally-owned and operated airport in Canada, YLW and its aerospace campus has been a hub for innovation, job creation, and air service delivery to support industry, tourism, agriculture, trade and regional economic activity. We continue to seek opportunities for growth for our airport into the Eastlands to attract more partners that will continue to place Kelowna as a great place to invest in. In fact, as this article is being published, I am currently in Ottawa advocating for federal support to advance our Airport Campus Expansion.  

The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), which represents 151 Municipalities and 38 Regional Districts, acts as a collective voice for challenges faced by all our communities. The annual convention is the main provincial forum for policy-making through resolution voting and debates. The busy week allows for collaborative discussions, sharing of best practices, gaining insights, and attending informative sessions. It offers a chance for in-person meetings and interactions with Ministers, enabling us to directly advocate for our community's needs. It also serves as a platform for recognition of excellence, and I am beyond proud of the City’s asset management team for being awarded as a provincial leader in strong asset management and accelerated infrastructure delivery.

A highlight of the week was joining a coalition of mayors calling on the federal government to take stronger action on the key issues of mental health, addiction, and public safety.

These topics were at the forefront of many discussions, especially during the panel on impacts to public safety that I had the honour of being invited to participate in. I brought to light the financial and social toll that addiction is taking on our communities and the strain it’s putting on our first responders. Whether it’s our bylaw officers, RCMP, or firefighters, the impact is felt across the board. I made it clear that we need more support from both the provincial and federal government to address these challenges head-on – and particularly the need for the right agency to respond to the crisis: we wouldn’t send a doctor to respond to a robbery, so why are we sending police and bylaw officers to respond to a health incident?

A lot of the real work happened in one-on-one meetings with Premier Eby and 5 key provincial ministers. In these conversations, we went beyond just bringing awareness to our priorities and we pushed for real commitments through collaborative discussions.

We are now in the middle of a Provincial Election, with election day scheduled for October 19th and advance voting starting as early as October 10th. I encourage everyone to research the platforms, ask questions, and get out and vote for the candidates who prioritize the issues that matter most to you and our community. Whether it’s public safety, mental health and addictions, infrastructure, or economic development, every vote counts and will help shape the next four years of Canada’s fastest growing region.

By Mayor Tom Dyas

Our Council Priorities guide the City’s business planning and investment decisions, in the ongoing service delivery that our residents value.

We regularly monitor and report our progress on council priorities every six months and adjust the priorities as needed - a process that represents our continuous improvement and commitment to transparency and accountability as an organization.

The recently updated Council Priorities were adopted on July 22 and include a total of 30 action items and now, with the addition of a new priority, 7 priority areas. Let us review our achievements thus far and outline the future actions we will take to address the challenges and opportunities we face as a growing city.

Crime and Safety

Some notable updates to this priority area include advancing implementation of Mayor’s Task Force on Crime Reduction recommendations, increasing RCMP and Bylaw visibility to focus on high-risk traffic behaviour and crime, and a continued focus on reducing property crime. To address repeat offenders, we will be advocating for more crown prosecutors as well as the establishment of a future sobering centre.  We have completed many actions in this area already, including the establishment of the URBA On Call team and the establishment of the Business Safety Toolkit. We’ve seen the RCMP respond directly to Task Force recommendations with the relaunch of the Speed Watch Program. Council also received a progress report in March 2024, where the RCMP reported a 44% drop in Break and Enters and, most recently, the latest Crime Severity Index data revealed that Kelowna is no longer leading the nation in Police reported crime statistics.

Housing

In 2023 Council advanced 4000 permits for new homes. Although this is a positive step forward, we recognize that many of these units may not be built for several years, and we need more action now. We will meet provincial/local affordable housing targets with support from the Province and to increasing number of rental units with below market rents. On top of this we will complete the Housing Action Plan, including incentive options, and want to partner with the private sector on the creation of more low-cost affordable housing pilot projects. We will work alongside the development community to explore more options to protect renters impacted by redevelopment projects and protect existing rental stock.

Homelessness

We’ve been able to further focus in on actions in this area and are committed to the completion of the delivery of 180 tiny homes via BC Housing as well as work to facilitate the creation of a new purpose-built shelter with warp around support and graduated housing options. Council will advocate for a regional care facility, additional Complex Care beds and explore what options we need to implement more care and delivery models such as a multi-care site in the Okanagan. We realize these are complex issues that fall outside the City’s realm of influence, meaning we will continue to advocate to the Province and other agencies for assistance in completing these actions.

Transportation

Our updated Transportation actions focus on improving mobility and movement throughout the City. This includes creating an additional connection to north Kelowna and YLW through the completion of the functional design of the Hwy 33 multi-modal traffic corridor, securing funding for a new transit operations centre, and improving both transit services and traffic flow on major road networks. To accomplish these actions, we will use approaches like road bundling to decrease costs, while expediting delivery, and increase advocacy with external agencies and senior levels of government, with the goal to create further interconnectivity and alleviating traffic congestion through simple solutions.

Agriculture

Protecting our agricultural land base continues to be a priority for Council and we commit to further protect agricultural lands through continued enforcement to ensure farmland is used for permitted uses. We celebrated a win earlier this year with the announcement of a new permanent home for the Kelowna Farmers and Crafters Market within the Landmark District. Beyond that, we realize the need to keep water usage and strategies top of mind to ensure our water supply is not only maintained but also secured for future generations. We’ve already started down this path with the transition of GEID to the City water Utility and are working to help the fruit producers and packers find solutions so Kelowna orchardists can get their fruit to market in the coming months.

Climate and Environment

We have committed to completing the City’s Climate Resilient Kelowna Strategy and continue to include ‘Climate Lens’ in all of our decision making. Focusing on the power of the natural environment, we will continue to further increase the urban tree canopy, especially along boulevards and medians. Realizing the impact civic facilities have on green house gas emissions, we commit to finding ways to reduce them, with the goal of net-zero solutions. Finally, we want to incentivize more green choices through the pilot energy concierge program to enable retrofits in buildings.

Economy

This new priority area is grounded in what we’ve heard from residents, businesses and the communities we serve. We know that a thriving and resilient economy underpins a good quality of life today and in the future, and we will seek more opportunities to enhance economic diversification and attract new employment and support existing business growth.

Council is committed to assessing the City’s supply of employment lands and want to further consider the City’s investment into economic development. This means investing in substantial infrastructure delivery to set the stage and ensure Kelowna is ready for a suite of exciting upcoming major events like the Canadian Country Music Awards, the 2025 Brier, and the possibility of developing our own CPL team and hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup.

These are exciting developments and staff have now been given direction to begin work on all action areas. As August rolls in, I wish everyone an enjoyable and relaxing end to the summer season.

By Mayor Tom Dyas

Last month’s Canadian Premier League (CPL) announcement was truly a pivotal moment for the future of professional sports in Kelowna.

Our growing community currently has the opportunity of becoming a premier national sports destination in the Interior, and an important aspect of this vision is attracting top-tier talent, coaches, and events. By investing in sports infrastructure and promoting diverse athletic opportunities, we can set the stage for Kelowna to shine on both the national and international stage.

The upcoming CPL match on June 16, 2024, between Vancouver FC and Calvary FC at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna, will be a test of the city's potential to embrace soccer at a higher level. In the lead-up to the match, CPL players and coaches will visit local schools and participate in soccer-related events and activities, building excitement and community engagement around the sport.

Hosting a Premier League game is one thing, but to truly establish ourselves as a sports hub, we need to be able to offer more amenities by investing in building modern and purpose-built infrastructure. For instance, pickleball has seen tremendous growth in Kelowna, with over 600 members through Pickleball Kelowna and more than 200 on a waitlist. To accommodate this interest and attract tournaments and training opportunities, we realize the need to create destination courts. Similarly, soccer remains immensely popular, with over 7,000 players in the city, 5,000 of whom are under 18, spanning six local and four regional leagues. To support this growing enthusiasm, enhanced facilities and more fields are essential.

Baseball also plays a significant role in our sports landscape. Just last month, the Jays Care Foundation committed funding through the Field of Dreams program to enhancing the Edith Gay Ball Diamonds in Rutland. We are also in discussions to bring enhancements to Kings Stadium in the North End. These projects will provide upgrades to the facilities, improving the safety, accessibility, and overall user experience for our growing baseball community. Beyond these sports, our city boasts an active and growing participation in hockey, basketball, football, lacrosse, volleyball, curling and more. Each of these sports requires dedicated spaces and support to thrive.

We know the need is there, and as a City we are responding in full force.

The Building a Stronger Kelowna initiative, which includes the redevelopment of the Parkinson Recreation Centre, new Activity Centres for all-ages in Glenmore and Mission, enhancements at Rutland Recreation Park, and the advancement of facility partnerships, will represent the largest capital investment in our City’s history. This investment focuses on creating more opportunities for sport and wellness through both destination courts and fields, which serve as central hubs to host significant events and drive significant economic impact to many sectors, as well as satellite courts to support local neighbourhoods and build their own love for the sport.

Facilities and amenities like these play an important role in supporting healthy communities far beyond the physical benefits of recreation. By creating a positive and safe environment that promotes community, they serve as a key component addressing social issues and some of the root causes of crime. Recreation facilities are especially important for vulnerable populations in providing low-barrier access to facility services, and our youth. Engaging young people through sports, arts, and educational programs can divert them from negative influences and keep them occupied in productive and positive ways. Council collectively agrees that this is necessary infrastructure to ensure a vibrant, healthy and safe community for present and future generations.

This coming month, you can engage with City teams on the planning process for the enhancement of Rutland Recreation Park. Finalizing plans with community input helps to ensure that the future developments meet the needs and aspirations of our residents. There is also an active request for proposal process for the future management of Prospera Place, marking the beginning of another exciting phase of sports infrastructure development.

Our commitment to sports extends to hosting prominent events that draw national attention, such as the Brier 2025 as well as the intent for the Kelowna Rockets bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup. These types of events will not only bring a significant boost to our local tourism economy but also build on Kelowna’s reputation as a top-tier sports destination that can only grow even further.

Kelowna’s future in sports is bright.

The upcoming CPL match on June 16, as well as more initiatives are just the beginning. There is more good news on the horizon, as we usher in more sporting events, present plans for future parks, and engage our residents on a deeper level to ensure all voices are heard to inform our sports and recreation decisions in Canada’s fastest growing City.

The City is ready to commit to this promise. Our financial health indicators continue to demonstrate stability for the City as it continues to be well positioned to not only meet current but also future financial obligations.

We are ready to invest today to build a stronger, more dynamic city where a culture of sport and wellness thrives and Kelowna’s reputation as a premier sport and recreation destination is solidified.

By Mayor Tom Dyas

The past few months have seen immense change affecting countless municipalities due to the new sweeping legislative changes happening at the provincial level. As council, we’ve witnessed and heard from residents that have become increasingly concerned about how the City will navigate these changes, all of which have significant impacts on our community. One specific concern, which centres on communicating with the City, is the prohibition of public hearings for rezonings if the development proposal is in alignment with the City’s Official Community Plan.  

This is a valid and understandable concern. For Council, transparency and accountability are cornerstones for how we make decisions, and it is important that Kelowna’s residents are not only informed, but also have a multitude of channels to have their voices heard. It is necessary that every resident have access to information and have the opportunity, through a variety of channels, to share their opinions, ideas and feedback.

Although public hearings will no longer include routine rezoning applications, this form of engagement only represents a small fraction of the ways citizens engage with us and City staff. We welcome ideas, concerns, and feedback as it helps shape the decisions that impact our city's future.

Get all the information you need in real-time.

The City's website, Kelowna.ca, is a central hub of information, resources, news, events, and more. From accessing important documents like the Official Community Plan to learning about upcoming events and initiatives, the website is a constantly updated wealth of information for residents, businesses, and visitors to the area. In 2023 the site garnered over 8.7 million page views, a number that continues to grow year over year.

To enhance citizens’ experience on our website, we are harnessing the power of technology and AI to make it easier for you to find the information you need. Whether you have questions about city services, event schedules, or municipal regulations, our virtual assistants are available 24/7 to provide prompt and helpful responses in real time.

Let us know about an issue, ask a question, or report a concern.

The City has an online service request portal to make it easier for citizens to request city services when it’s most convenient for you. You can find it on the Kelowna.ca homepage right below the main image banner. This makes creating service request a convenient and quick solution and allows appropriate staff and teams to address the issue or concern directly. Whether it's reporting a pothole, requesting a recycling bin, requesting bylaw, or submitting a noise complaint, our dedicated city staff work diligently to address these requests promptly, ensuring that our city remains clean, safe, and well-maintained.

Give the City your feedback on current and upcoming projects and initiatives.

Engaged communities are strong communities. We know that all our decisions are improved through open and transparent processes, and through the input of citizens and stakeholders. The City’s current, upcoming, and past engagement opportunities can all be found online at getinvolved.kelowna.ca.  This central website serves as a virtual town square where residents can participate in discussions, share ideas, and provide feedback on various city projects and initiatives. From community planning initiatives to transportation projects, your input matters, and we encourage you to join the conversation.

The Citizen Survey is another avenue for engagement that the City uses. It is a statistically valid survey conducted every two years and is a tool for Council to understand our citizen’s priorities and understand satisfaction levels with municipal programs and services. The insights gained by this research help us make important decisions regarding planning, budgeting and service improvements.

Stay up to date on news, events, and programs that the City is leading or involved with.

The City of Kelowna's social media channels provide real-time updates on city news, events, and initiatives. Whether you are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Youtube or LinkedIn, you can stay informed and engaged with our city's programs, initiatives and activities while connecting with fellow residents and City departments directly.

You can also receive City updates and news directly to your inbox via the City’s e-newsletters, which provide a quick and convenient way to stay informed about city news releases, events, development applications and opportunities for engagement. By subscribing, you'll never miss out on important updates from City Hall, ensuring that you're always in the loop about what's happening in our city. I encourage residents to join the City Views subscriber list for a monthly update on upcoming news and events.

Connect with Council.

There are also many avenues and channels available to residents to connect with Council directly. My colleagues on Council and I are here to serve as your elected representatives and advocates, and we value your input and encourage you to reach out to us. You can do so through a variety of ways:

• You can attend a Council meeting, whether that be in person or virtually via the live broadcast available at Kelowna.ca/council.
• Email Councillors individually through their direct email addresses.
• Email [email protected] with your concern, idea, or request. This email is accessible to all of Council and I can respond to questions directly as a representative of Council.
• Requesting to present to Council as a delegation by contacting Clerks at [email protected].
• Reading this monthly Column, Council Connect, which offers an inside look into Council decisions and more.
• We have also been invited to be present at future Neighbourhood Association meetings, where I have invited all of Council to attend. This will be a new setting where residents can have face time with Councillors, meet them in person, express their concerns, and offer their ideas.

As elected officials, we are here to listen to your needs and concerns. We know that technologies will continue to evolve and change, and that new channels will arise. Our promise is to continue to adapt to ensure transparency and accountability through all the work we do.

By Mayor Tom Dyas

Happy New Year, Kelowna! As we usher in 2024, I would like to reflect on my exciting first year as your mayor and the journey we have undertaken together. While the path toward progress is ongoing and the work is continual, I am filled with optimism and enthusiasm for the new year and future of our beautiful city.

We have taken some significant steps forward as a community. And thanks to the contributions, support, and hard work of my council colleagues, residents, staff, community partners, other levels of government, and the local business community, we can collectively take pride in our accomplishments which have laid the foundation for a bright year ahead.

As we wrap up the year, I want to share with you some 2023 projects that especially stand out to me that I believe will have some of the most significant impacts for our community.

The introduction of the one per cent community safety levy, which has been instrumental in our ability to fund 31 new RCMP and 11 bylaw officers and other safety related positions for 2023 and 2024; I also want to thank Kelowna RCMP for their incredible work over the past year. Their latest report (January 1 to August 31) noted a 43.9 per cent decline in business break and enter, 40.8 per cent decrease in auto theft, 38.7 per cent decrease in bike theft, 30.6 per cent reduction in theft from a motor vehicle, and 10.7 per cent decrease in residential break and enter.

An agreement, under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), will provide $31.5 million in federal funding to eliminate barriers to building the housing we need faster. The memorandum of understanding with the Province of B.C. formalizes our commitment to work together to better support people who are unhoused.  Work is underway to open 120 new units on both Crowley Ave and Highway 97.  In addition, the City is in the process of identifying a possible future third site that could accommodate another potential 60 units. 

Council is pleased the City will take a more active role working with local social-serving sector organizations and other partners to address current and emerging complex social issues in 2024.  The Social Development team, approved by Council in the 2024 budget, will increase the focus on long-term upstream prevention of the flow into homelessness, and will support initiatives that address broader housing needs, advance social wellness advocacy, and expand partnership opportunities.

Establishing the 13-member Mayor’s Task Force on Crime Reduction was also very important to me. As chair, I’d like to thank the community stakeholders who have committed their time and expertise to help develop community-driven initiatives to reduce crime in Kelowna.

I’m also happy to see the many important infrastructure and community projects advanced in 2023, including the YLW terminal expansion; waterfront park in the Pandosy town centre as well as the Strathcona, DeHart, Truswell land acquisition, Ballou and Glenmore parks projects; indoor recreation facility strategy; North End Plan; and bike valet program.

With funding approval in place, 2023 also brought the commencement of the Building a Stronger Kelowna legacy project that will see the construction of two new activity centres for all-ages in Mission and Glenmore, enhanced sports fields in Rutland, the redevelopment of Parkinson Recreation Centre, and further development of community partnership opportunities with key partners such as Okanagan College and UBCO.

A major highlight of the year for me were the results of our advocacy work. The City has been a leading advocate, in collaboration with other B.C. Municipalities, responding to the Province’s illicit drug decriminalization pilot project. Local governments are requesting that  playgrounds, spray and wading pools, and skate parks be added to the province’s list of areas where possession of illicit drugs is banned (including within six metres of all building entrances and bus stops and within all parks, beaches and sports fields).  With the legislation related to exemptions are now on hold due to a B.C. Supreme Court ruling last week, we will continue our advocacy efforts.

The City also continues to advocate to Interior Health to deliver more and better access to substance use treatments, supports and complex care housing in conjunction with decriminalization, and appropriate levels of consequence for repeat property and violent offenders. Kelowna has been a leading voice for bail reforms to address repeat offending including through our Community Confidence in Justice Advocacy Paper.

Our grant and advocacy work also resulted in significant investment in 2023 from senior levels of government, including over $26 million, through the BC Growing Communities Fund, for infrastructure to support our fast-growing community; $28.5 million in funding to support the addition of 359 much needed childcare spaces in our community; and investments and recognition for ecological restoration and fuel management in the face of this summer’s unprecedented Grouse Complex wildfire.

In addition to funding for the Island Stage rejuvenation, Kelowna also received significant funding to improve, grow and start electrifying regional transit service through upgrades to the current transit facility, transit exchanges and prep for a new transit operations centre. The total project costs are $29.3 million, with senior levels of government contributing the majority of the funding to BC Transit through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) to advance the work.

Other 2023 highlights include helping to facilitate a permanent home for the Kelowna Famers’ and Crafters’ Market; completing Kelowna’s housing needs assessment; advancing 2200 new rental and for-purchase housing units in the community; and record-breaking building permit construction value, which was up approximately 46 per cent from $1.2 billion in 2022 to $1.76 billion in 2023. We also welcomed some exciting events including the Pan Continental Curling Championships, the BreakOut West music festival, and were named host of Curling Canada’s 2025 Brier.

While there is much to celebrate from last year, we also recognize have a lot of work to do. Holding us accountable for the strategic shifts, improvements and changes you want to see is an important part of local government and why we have introduced things like a lobbyist registry and code of conduct for Council; six-month Council priority progress reporting; and a financial health dashboard to show how the city is performing financially year-to-year and how prepared it is to meet future obligations.

Transparency and listening to residents on matters that are important to them, such as Kelowna Springs Golf and Country Club, the creation of the Community Task Force for Performing Arts, and the implementation of value-added audits are an essential part of the democratic process. Your engagement, feedback, and enthusiasm through channels, such as getinvolved.kelowna.ca and Council correspondence, help Council make the decisions that support a high quality of life. I encourage you to visit kelowna.ca/council to view the latest public progress report, including details on the 80 Council priority actions undertaken in the last year.

As we reflect on the past year, as our strength and resiliency has been tested, it is crucial to recognize that this progress would not have been possible without the active participation and support of our residents.

On the cusp of a new year, I am excited to see what we can achieve together in the next 12 months. I invite you to join me and all of council in making our city the best it can be. Together, we can make our city a place where everyone thrives and belongs.

By Mayor Tom Dyas

I want to take a moment to reflect on the summer we experienced and the incredible teamwork and dedication we saw throughout our region during the wildfires.

The collaboration between municipal fire departments, BC Wildfire Service, local governments and thousands of volunteers was inspiring and I am very thankful for everyone’s service to our region.

It is going to take a similar spirit of prolonged teamwork and collaboration to combat the root cause of the wildfires and floods our region has experienced over the past several years.

Local and regional governments influence approximately 50 per cent of the nation’s overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, so we are intent on trying to influence our community’s shift toward a low-carbon lifestyle and respond effectively to climate impacts.

The City of Kelowna’s actions have always focused on doing what we can to mitigate factors contributing to climate change along with making adaptations to limit the effects of climate change.

As the City’s current five-year Community Climate Action Plan reaches the end of its life, staff are in the process of developing the next phase of a Climate Resilient Kelowna Strategy that will map out plans to reduce our carbon footprint and continue the process of rebuilding our city in a more sustainable way. That strategy is expected to be completed early in 2024.  

We know that we must continue to provide options to help Kelowna residents reduce GHG emissions.

Along with promoting healthy lifestyles, the City has invested heavily in Active Transportation Corridors and encouraged other modes of travelling around our city in ways that reduce GHG emissions – walking, cycling, scooters, electric bikes, transit and supporting the use of ride sharing opportunities.

At the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Vancouver, I met with Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Rob Fleming to discuss progress on a new transit operation centre, which we need to expand and improve local transit service. The City of Kelowna will benefit from $9 million in senior government funding that will see upgrades at our current transit facility for service expansion and initial electric battery procurement for buses. In addition, funding will help advance the design of the new transit operations centre that will allow expanded transit service and the electrification of the entire fleet over time.

Decarbonizing new and existing buildings has also been a major component in meeting the City’s GHG emissions reduction targets. The 50-year-old Parkinson Recreation Centre, for example, is one of the largest emitters of GHG among all City of Kelowna properties, and we expect the new facility to be a net-zero carbon building. We are also developing an energy concierge pilot program to support homeowners through what can be a complicated home energy retrofit journey.

In 2018, YLW became carbon accredited through Airports Council International (ACI) and its Carbon Accreditation program. As part of the ongoing program, in June 2022, YLW received Level 2 Carbon Accreditation from ACI, gaining recognition of our efforts to measure and reduce our GHG emissions. We are currently working on a plan to further reduce energy consumption and to meet our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

The City has a Strategic Energy Management Plan that is targeting a GHG emissions reduction of 40 per cent below 2007 levels by 2030 for all corporate facilities and will implement equipment upgrades accordingly.

Current actions to reduce GHG emissions include:

• Focusing growth in the five urban centres and along major transit corridors with a goal of putting more people and more jobs within easy walking distance of reliable, direct transit service.
• Developing an energy concierge pilot program to support homeowners with energy retrofits.
• Top-up rebates for heat pump space heating, heat pump water heaters, electrical service upgrades, and EV (Electric Vehicle) chargers in multi-unit residential buildings.
• Amendments to the zoning bylaw to include EV ready requirements for new residential developments.
• A new Climate Action and Environmental Stewardship Department to apply a climate lens to policy development and decisions.
• 22 EV chargers on City properties with plans to install more.
• Completed a deconstruction pilot project on city-owned homes to assess waste reduction options and reduce lifecycle GHG emissions.
• Continued the Neighbourwoods Program to encourage citizens to help grow and preserve Kelowna’s urban forestEnvironmental protection and climate change adaptation are also essential for the City of Kelowna as we take measures to protect our beautiful landscape.

Environmental protection and climate change adaptation are also essential for the City of Kelowna as we take measures to protect our beautiful landscape.

The City of Kelowna was recently awarded the Climate & Energy Action Award at UBCM for our FireSmart Community Chipping Program, which has collected well over 100 metric tonnes of vegetation to reduce wildfire risk.

Other environmental protection and climate adaptation initiatives that have been in place include:

• Continued work on Mill Creek Flood Protection Project (year four of an eight-year project) to improve flood passage and public safety on Mill Creek.
• Initiated development of a Water Security Plan.
• Amended the Development Application Procedures Bylaw to require pre-development tree inventory to identify trees that may require root zone protection and help ensure trees proposed for the development are retained and protected.
• Finalizing a Sustainable Urban Forestry Strategy to expand Kelowna’s urban tree canopy (this year more than 1000 trees were planted).
• Continued implementation of the Community Wildfire Resilience Plan.

Along with Council’s other priorities of acting on crime and safety, affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, and agriculture, we have a lot of important work to do. An Oct. 16 report to Council at the six-month point since priorities were developed provided encouraging evidence that we are making progress on all priorities.

Ultimately, for Kelowna to become resilient to climate change, it will require collaboration with all levels of government, businesses and organizations, and the broader community. At the time of writing this article, conversations are happening between the federal and provincial government regarding the federal carbon tax. It will be interesting to see how the policy evolves in the coming weeks, months and years. Nonetheless, as a local government, we are uniquely positioned to influence this shift and how our community will grow, how we commute, interact and protect natural assets to maintain the quality of life we cherish in Kelowna.

We will all breathe easier if we work together to protect our environment and lessen the impacts on our warming climate. This is something the City has done in the past and I can assure you that Council will continue to use a climate lens when reviewing City policies, infrastructure, and programs.

By Mayor Tom Dyas

On Aug. 15, twenty years — almost to the day — after the start of the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire, flames from the McDougall Creek wildfire ignited our city’s skyline and quickly reminded us of the power of both wildfire and our regional emergency program.

More than 500 firefighters and 100 RCMP officers from more than 50 cities and towns joined forces with the Kelowna Fire Department, West Kelowna Fire Rescue, Lake Country Fire Department, North Westside Fire Rescue, Wilson's Landing Fire Department, BC Wildfire Service, Kelowna RCMP and Bylaw Services to execute an unprecedented, coordinated response.

While there will always be lessons to be learned in any emergency response, I am truly humbled by what was, and still is being, accomplished by the incredible work of our first responders and emergency operations centre. While a strong emergency response program is key, in the wake of a crisis that threatened lives and destroyed people’s homes, we all want to know what we can do to minimize the risk of wildfire in our community in the future.

First and foremost, we must recognize that the intensity and sheer number of wildfires we’ve seen across Canada and beyond are what many are now calling a climate change wake-up call, and one of the many reasons why climate/environment is one of six Council priorities. From the way we travel, to the electricity we use, and the food we eat, we all have a role to play in helping to limit climate change. Because, as temperatures rise, so too will the size, frequency and severity of wildfires.

Wildfire risk reduction is also top of mind in the community. Fuel mitigation treatments reduce the amount of available fire fuels in our natural areas, which plays a significant role in our ability to manage wildfire as safely and as quickly as possible. Over the past five years, the City has actioned over 100 hectares of fuel mitigation treatments on city-owned land, including reducing the amount of woody debris on the forest floor, thinning trees where necessary, and removing the lower limbs of trees to help keep fire from climbing into the canopy.

The success of fuel mitigation, including work done in Wilden during this fire and earlier in the season on Knox Mountain, speaks to the importance of proactive treatment and the need to look at all the different ways it can be accomplished—including securing ongoing, long-term funding and the way we explore new solutions, such as prescribed burns or the use of animals for grazing in key areas.

Residents can also make a critical difference by visiting kelowna.ca/firesmart to learn how to FireSmart their homes and take advantage of the City’s free community chipping program. Frontline fire fighters 2 said the homes and areas that were FireSmart made an integral difference in their ability to fight the recent fire safely and save properties.

New subdivisions in Kelowna are subject to review against Wildfire Hazard Development Permit guidelines which are reviewed by professional foresters. Developers are required to perform fuel modification and new single family lots created in fire hazard areas have maintenance obligations registered on their land title related to building construction and property maintenance in accordance with Fire Smart guidelines.

The Provincial Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) Program and 2022–2026 Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan, which contains over 40 recommendations from standardizing fuel management to how we build our communities, have been integral to completing wildfire prevention activities that have and will continue to reduce risk for our community especially as we face extreme fire and weather conditions.

The CRI program is a provincial funding program administered through the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) to provide funds for communities to plan and implement actions to reduce wildfire risk. Through the program over the last five years, we have been awarded $730,000, which has supported a variety of important FireSmart and mitigation initiatives throughout the community.

This year we were also successful in receiving a federal grant of $132,000 for ecological restoration and fuel management. As we return to normal, post wildfire, the City will be assessing impact to City property, as well as whether any intervention required to support a healthy regeneration of the area. In addition, the regional emergency program will be looking at lessons learned to apply to future events in our region. I am pleased to see conversations occurring at both the federal and provincial levels regarding resiliency and response and welcome Premier Eby’s emergency response task force announced just last week.

We will also reflect on the depth of our city’s spirit and unity through this event. It got us through a crisis and will undoubtedly be the key to achieving our collective community goals and vision for an inclusive, welcoming, prosperous and sustainable future.