For the record

David Bond’s column in The Daily Courier Nov. 1, Success of performing arts starts at the box office, requires some correction and clarification.   

 The last few years have been anything but normal for the creative sector. Arts organizations, artists, donors, and all levels of government have been working together to find ways to bring audiences back to the arts.   

 Overall, the sector is grappling with post-pandemic realities that are impacting the way we operate. We can appreciate Mr. Bond’s concern about low attendance numbers at a recent Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) show held at Kelowna Community Theatre (KCT) this past month, however, we would like to set the record straight regarding facts about the role the KCT Box Office initiative had in this.   

 The implementation of an in-house box office was identified in the fall of 2018 following a third-party audit of the operations of the Kelowna Community Theatre to find operating efficiencies and potential future sustainability within the facility. Following the audit, a further feasibility review and business case was developed to analyse the best approach to serve our customers and audiences today and in the future. This multi-year project allowed the City of Kelowna to take a deliberate and strategic approach to ensure the services that were to be provided through a new box office would meet the needs of the community, including the needs of various community organizations.   

 During the 2022 implementation phase, each renter of the facility was provided an opportunity to work with the City on a transition plan for the 2022-23 season bookings. In many cases, this included existing rental groups to continue to use their established ticketing practice for the current season and those shows announced prior to the fall of 2022.   

 Mr. Bond inaccurately suggests that Ballet Kelowna and the OSO were forced to use KCT Box Office ticketing services, which delayed their on-sale date and prevented them from meeting their sales objectives. Rather, both organizations worked directly with City staff to plan and execute the sale of their 2022-2023 season ticketing campaigns. Both organizations chose to ticket through the new KCT Box Office for this season and delays in the on-sale were not related to the implementation of the new box office.  

 Mr. Bond suggests that there is no need for in-house box office services at KCT as the Rotary Centre for the Arts (RCA) provided this service through the prior season for these groups. While the latter part of this statement is accurate, this arrangement was never intended to be a long-term solution to the lack of ticketing services available to the community. 

Rather, by working in partnership – the City, OSO, Ballet Kelowna and the RCA – worked together to provide an interim solution for the 2021-2022 season only. This allowed time for the KCT Box Office to complete its investigation and selection of a system that met the needs of renters and audiences.   

 We extend our sincerest gratitude to the staff and leadership of RCA for being willing to extend themselves and their resources to support fellow arts organizations during this period and we look forward to ongoing future possibilities of working with the RCA on enhanced ticketing solutions between these venues in the future.  

 We acknowledge that residents are experiencing cost increases associated with all aspects of their daily lives. These cost increases are being seen in the prices for attending shows at all arts venues and events across the community. While there were small incremental increases in some costs to host events at KCT, this was the first increase that any renter would have experienced for several years and can be attributed to the additional costs of operating the facility. Specifically with regards to ticketing, KCT ticketing fees are similar or lower than the ticket fees charged at similar venues across the community, region and province.   

 The move improves the efficiency and effectiveness of theatre operations, improves customer service, and most importantly contributes to enhancing the renter and audience experience while visiting events at KCT.  

  The City of Kelowna remains enthusiastically supportive of arts organizations, including Ballet Kelowna and OSO. This support includes direct funding of more than $1.5 million annually, distributed directly to non-profit arts organizations in our community.   

 Additionally, non-profit arts organizations like Ballet Kelowna and Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, pay 50% less for rental fees at KCT than commercial vendors with similar offerings.   

 We have and will continue to work in partnership with all arts, culture and heritage organizations, artists and audiences to improve the creative sector through the implementation of the 2020-2025 Cultural Plan.  

Christine McWillis 
Cultural Services Manager 
City of Kelowna 

February 2, 2022

The Jan. 25 article “Glenmore funding disputed” published on Castanet.net and “City of Kelowna approves 2040 Transportation Master Plan” on Globalnews.ca contain several inaccuracies. 

To clarify, the McKinley Beach developer is required to contribute to the cost of Glenmore Road upgrades, from Union Road to McKinley Road for their proportional impacts to traffic volume on this segment of road.

As background, the 2040 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) calls for two projects on Glenmore Road, both of which are also recommended in the Regional Transportation Plan. The Regional Transportation Plan was endorsed in December 2020 and looked at growth across the region (not tied to individual developments) and the needed transportation infrastructure to support it. The first project is widening Glenmore Road to four lanes between Union and John Hindle and adding a multi-use path. This was recommended to help address increasing regional traffic pressure, in part because of the recent construction of John Hindle Drive connecting Glenmore to both UBCO and the airport. The second project is safety improvements on Glenmore Road north of John Hindle Drive (such as consistent shoulders, curve straightening, and spot improvements) to help improve safety as regional traffic volumes grow.

The City of Kelowna’s 2040 Transportation Master Plan was coordinated with the Regional Transportation Plan.  Both plans used the 2040 OCP Growth Scenario when considering traffic demand.  These same two projects (Project IDs 59 and 60 shown on Map A.1) are included in our work plans and budget forecasts.

The 2009 agreement between the City and McKinley Beach developer allows for reviews and adjustments based on other development and its impacts on road works and traffic volumes. Since the original development agreement was signed, the approval of development to the north (Lake Country) and the south (Glenmore Valley), and the construction of John Hindle Drive, have changed the share of traffic volume on Glenmore Road attributable to the McKinley Beach development. 

Both the Castanet and Global News articles refer to a $1.5 million contribution to the City related to Glenmore Road. This figure is an estimate based on updated projections of traffic volumes attributable to the McKinley Beach development, considering other development and network changes that have added traffic to Glenmore Road since the agreement was signed. The value was determined by an engineer’s estimate of a 15% share of traffic volume on Glenmore Road attributable to the development, multiplied by the $10 million estimated costs of constructing the subject segment of Glenmore Road to a four-lane rural arterial standard at the time.

The requirement for the McKinley Beach development to contribute to improvements along Glenmore Road is based on the development reaching a 60% build-out. The development has not yet reached this threshold. The City tracks the number of units constructed in relation to full the build-out plan. When the development reaches that 60% threshold, this would activate the requirement for payment of the Glenmore Road improvements.  

Another significant contribution of note is that the McKinley Beach development pays Development Cost Charges (DCCs) for every home built. They are paying a transportation DCC for future road projects in this area of the city as well as their proportionate share of the off-site road improvements. To date, approximately $5 million has been paid in transportation DCCs from the McKinley Beach developer.

As already mentioned, staff are tracking the McKinley Beach project regularly and the developer is delivering on required off-site work milestones. Eight improvements are listed in the servicing agreement, and all are either complete or progress has been made towards completion. Specifically, related to Glenmore Road four-lane improvements, much of the land acquisition is complete for required future road widening. 

The public can be assured that the McKinley Beach developers are paying their fair share, and there is no attempt to subvert development requirements. 

Sept. 16, 2019 - The letter published Sept. 10, “Kelowna’s cash sources” contained many simplified conclusions based on reading the City’s audited financial statements.

The short answer to many of the suggestions in the letter is that the City has an enviable record of financial management for present and long-term needs, based on accepted best practices for municipal governments.

Longer explanations follow a few of the erroneous statements:

“It (the audited statement) shows the city had a $114-million operating surplus at the end of 2018 that it put into various reserve accounts.”

The City of Kelowna did not put $114 million into reserves. The 2018 annual operating surplus of $114 million resulted from operations from all funds (including the Airport, Water and Sewer). This is the excess of revenue over expenses before paying for any capital assets.

The current-year surplus amount in the general fund (taxation fund) after capital asset purchases totalled $9.6 million for 2018 (which was noted in audited statement). This is the amount that Council approved to be contributed to reserves for future services. The $104.4-million difference includes capital spending, and user pay self-funded areas (Airport, Water and Sewer) which are kept within the utilities for future utility services.   

“Alarmingly, the city only received $13 million (3%) in DCC payments from developers, which fell far short of the $21 million projected in the 2018 final budget.”

Confusion is common here and lies in the difference between the accounting definition of revenue and the common vernacular. The City collected approximately $36 million in Development Cost Charges (DCC) from developments (via building permits and subdivision applications) in 2018. The $13 million cited in the letter refers to DCC revenue under Public Sector Accounting Standards (PSAS) that has specific revenue recognition criteria that must be met for revenue to be recognized on the financial statements.

When DCCs are paid by a developer, they are put into a statutory reserve fund that appears on the financial statements as deferred revenue and is not immediately recognized as revenue. Only when a project that is permitted to use DCC funds is built are DCC receipts moved from deferred revenue on the balance sheet to DCC revenue recognized on the statement of operations. Simplified, the $13 million is the dollar value of DCC funds used to build capital projects in 2018. 

“The audit also confirms the city has accumulated a total of $2.04 billion in surpluses over the years and is also holding them in reserve accounts.”

Of the $2 billion surplus, $1.8 billion represents capital assets, assets not yet completed, inventory and prepaid assets. The City has liabilities (obligations that must be honoured) of $309 million. As the City does not sell off its Capital assets to service its obligations, the City will use some of the $577 million of Financial Assets to service its obligations.

A significant amount of this $577 million is contained within reserves that have both restrictions on their use (see page 54 of the Annual Report for a summary) and planned future expenditures. It is an oversimplification to say that the City can reallocate funds to Parks, as Councils past and present have made decisions to allocate scarce resources to best serve a variety of important needs in the community.   

I’m sure your readers are crying “Uncle” right about now on this financial information, so we won’t correct every other statement in the letter. I would add that the City is keenly aware that residents want the best value for their tax dollars (79 per cent of residents say they receive good value for their taxes) and that is why we balance competing demands for funding by following strong financial management practices.  

Genelle Davidson, CPA, CMA
Divisional Director, Fin

August 28, 2018 -- Various articles and interviews as part of this past weekend’s 2018 Walk The Beach Kelowna event contained statements that need to be clarified.

PLANKelowna has identified a number of what they deem priorities for the foreshore areas between the William R. Bennett Bridge and Mission Creek.

There are many competing priorities/projects for tax dollars in our community particularly as we try to deal with issues of homelessness, housing, mental health and addiction along with the hundreds of other services we currently provide. The City requires $1.53 billion in infrastructure investment over the next 10 years to renew existing assets, accommodate growth and improve services.  Available funding is $1.05 billion leaving the City with a $478 million infrastructure deficit for the next 10 years. Council directed staff in June 2018 to continue looking at funding strategies for developing parkland.

Continuous beach access is something that the City would like to see resolved over time; however, the authority to take action lies with the Provincial government.

The City purchases strategic lakefront property as it becomes available. For example, in June 2018, the City purchased 4214 Hobson Road, a 0.89-hectare waterfront property for $4.4 million and in 2015, the City purchased a 2.9-acre property at 4010-4020 Lakeshore Road to create a 3.6-acre waterfront park with a 705-foot sandy beach. The walkways in front of Manteo, Eldorado, and Aqua (future), or north of Maude Roxby, are also examples. 

The City has, over many years, acquired land in order to create a trail linking Royal Ave to Strathcona Park. The trail and shoreline restoration has already been planned and funding approved. However; before the work can start, the trail and shoreline restoration require Provincial approval. The City has applied for the permit from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO), and all supplementary information requests from the Province have been met. We are now waiting on final approval from the Province, but with the challenges presented by recent flooding, this understandably has not been a high priority for MFLNRO staff.

We look forward to this trail being completed, as it will provide an interesting and valuable loop walk not only for local residents, but also for staff, visitors and recovering patients at KGH.

So far as the Pandosy waterfront park, the next phase of this work is included in the 10-year capital plan for 2026/27. While this may appear a lengthy timeline, it shows it is funded and considered a higher priority than other park projects that are currently not funded. Construction is estimated at $1.7 million and the City has explored other funding models that would accelerate the development of this park, and will continue to be open to other options.

The Abbott Active Transportation Corridor (Strathcona Park to Gyro Beach) is scheduled for construction in 2029/30, based on the current 10-year capital plan.

There are many Council priorities for park development and waterfront park acquisition must be balanced with the many other demands on park space across the city, including sportsfields, sport courts, dog parks, linear parks, etc. The City has also implemented the Interim Parks Access project to specifically restore or bring forward access to park sites on the waterfront. 

PLANKelowna expressed concerns that both the Province and the City have refused requests to simplify the definition of High Water Mark or mark the boundary line between private property and the foreshore. This is in fact Provincial jurisdiction and they define how the Present Natural Boundary is determined. It is a boundary between Crown (Provincial) land and private property, and the City has no jurisdiction on the boundary, and no property on which to place signage.

It is important to understand that access along the foreshore will not be resolved overnight but that the foreshore access issue is a long-term priority for the City as demonstrated in recent acquisitions.

March 13, 2018 - A correction is required for your March 9 article, “City Urged to Increase Rental-Unit Tax Break; Kelowna City Staff Say Tax Holiday for Builders of Rental Housing Should Be More Than Doubled – to 25 Years.”

The tax exemption remains at 10 years, while the extension referred to in the report applies to the agreement with the property owner that the building remains a rental property for 25 years. Most other municipalities are moving towards longer commitments like the 25-year commitment being proposed.

Legislatively speaking, municipalities are not permitted to exceed the 10-year tax exemption.

In a letter to the editor prompted by the news story, Ian Royce Sisset takes issue with the tax exemptions. These exemptions help add to the community’s rental housing stock, an area of the real estate market that would be even more neglected by developers without these exemptions.

Mr. Sisset also expresses the opinion that some developers receive preferential treatment by staff and Council. This is not true and the discrepancies in building plan approvals are influenced by a number of factors.

Development that is consistent with the City’s Official Community Planning, Zoning Bylaws and development guidelines generally moves more quickly through the City Planning review process than development that isn’t.  Also, applicants who provide high quality applications with complete information will see their applications move more quickly through the City’s processes.

While the City’s development application processes are generally similar for developments both big and small, no two development sites are exactly the same, no two developments are exactly the same and the complexities of vary greatly from site to site.

Tom Wilson
City of Kelowna

In response to the June 13 letter in the Daily Courier, Tourist centre a bad deal for city, this letter is to provide your readers with information they need to be more fully informed about the visitor information centre project.

The writer expresses concern about Tourism Kelowna’s Visitor Information Centre’s “direct and indirect cost to taxpayers” and the existence of a hotel tax that is, in his opinion, bad for tourism.

The hotel tax is a provincial tax enabled by municipal bylaws to fund destination marketing efforts only. It’s used by 59 communities and regional districts across B.C. and variations on this tax are common across North America and around the world.

This tax has been in place in Kelowna since 2004 and we have seen a marked increase in the number of annual visitors in that time. Since 2011, the number of visitors to Kelowna has increased 27.5 per cent. Spending on activities and entertainment has increased a whopping 367 per cent in that same time.

Hotel tax funds will not be used for the new visitor centre project and there is no direct tax from the City of Kelowna going to this project. The City does provide Tourism Kelowna with a grant of $346,000 a year to help fund its entire operation. Beyond park improvements in the area, there are no new or direct taxes going toward this project.

As a result of Tourism Kelowna’s work, the local tourism sector generates 11,900 total jobs, $337 million in visitor spending and $1.2 billion in total economic output.

While the letter writer is critical of the nominal fee charged to Tourism Kelowna to lease the property for the visitor centre, the City sees the return on investment for our community far exceeding the revenue that would result from charging full market value for that property.

The City of Kelowna and other municipalities in the Central Okanagan work in partnership with Tourism Kelowna because our communities experience the economic benefits of its marketing work. This non-profit society does a great job attracting visitors.

The City of Kelowna ranks in the bottom five cities in B.C. for lowest tax rates, but is among the leaders for services provided and amenities for citizens to enjoy. Council and administration are always mindful of spending, and do not enter into agreements such as this one without weighing all the options and determining the most effective course of action.

We remain confident that the new visitor centre will play a role in continuing to serve our tourists and residents well for many years, while also adding an attractive and useful facility to our waterfront.

Doug Gilchrist
Divisional Director,
Community Planning & Strategic Investments

May 8, 2017 - Mat Hanson’s May 2 letter in The Daily Courier, Drinking water should not come from creek, contains a lot of incorrect information.

For example, Phase 1 of the Kelowna Integrated Water Plan will have absolutely zero effect on Mission Creek. Phase 1, which will be underway until 2020, is to provide treated lake water to domestic customers in South East Kelowna, while providing back-up water for agricultural use during extreme drought conditions or service disruptions. This resolves a significant health issue in South East Kelowna and does not involve getting water coming from Mission Creek.

No one is proposing “to double the amount of water we take out of” Mission Creek. It’s also incorrect to say “most (residents) already have a steady, fresh and reliable flow of clean drinking water from the lake” – in fact, about half the City’s population continues to get their water from open surface reservoirs, wells or creeks.

As for his laments over a lack of scientific study regarding the use of Mission Creek as a source of drinking water (which is where Black Mountain Irrigation District already gets its water most of the year), that study is coming.

As previously stated in a response to a previous letter from Mr. Hanson, the City has said that more work needs to be done before moving past Phase 1. The City will be reaching out to other organizations to prepare a Kelowna Area Water Management Plan that includes the planning of headwaters of the major creeks flowing into and through the City. This level of planning will consider agricultural irrigation supply, fishery enhancement, habitat protection and flood control in addition to the supply of clean drinking water.

He also makes this false statement: “The report also does not take into account the increasing pressures of climate change.” In fact, climate change and sustainable environmental stewardship are fundamental motivations for the plan.

Here’s part of what the report actually says about climate change:

“Climate change is widely recognized as the single greatest unknown for future water supply planning. Potential impacts include increased growing seasons in the shoulder months, precipitation falling more as rain rather than snow in the uplands, increased irrigation requirements (both domestic and agriculture), increase in extreme events (both drought and flooding), and possible reductions in mean streamflow.

“Therefore, it is recommended that a methodology be developed to continually update demand forecasts and consider supply impacts due to climate change. Climate science research related to watershed impacts is continually evolving; however, care should be taken to use that information carefully and appropriately.”

Before anything is done to establish Mission Creek as a sustainable source of drinking water for an integrated water system, there will be extensive study and consultation. Your readers should know the City of Kelowna would never jeopardize Mission Creek or the wildlife that rely on the creek.

We need to work collaboratively in developing a water resource management plan that meets the needs or interests of the many agencies and community groups.

Ron Westlake,
Water Integration Project manager
City of Kelowna

Recent Castanet stories quoting Matt Hanson about the use of Mission Creek as a source of water for the City of Kelowna need to be corrected.

Mr. Hanson expresses the fear that using Mission Creek as a source of drinking water at some point in the future will drain the creek dry. That is not going to happen – no more water is expected to be drawn from the creek than is currently licensed to the Black Mountain Irrigation District.

Not only that, but the integration of the system with water drawn from Okanagan Lake will add flexibility to give the creek a break when it is at low-flow times of the year or during a drought. Quite to the contrary of Mr. Hanson’s expressed fears, the flow in the creek for environmental and ecological needs will be better protected by this new system.

The City would never do anything to damage Mission Creek or the wildlife that rely on the creek and will be proceeding with the full involvement of relevant provincial ministries and agencies.

There are federal and provincial laws that regulate withdrawing water from creeks and rivers to ensure the health of streams including flows required for environmental reasons. Black Mountain Irrigation District currently uses Mission Creek for the majority of the year to provide its customers with drinking water.

There is more studying to be done – we will be doing a water modeling study to get a clear picture of our local water sources and their capacities.

The strength of the 2017 Kelowna Integrated Water Supply Plan is its built-in resiliency and redundancy. If there is a shortfall in Mission Creek for any reason, more water could be drawn from Okanagan Lake or ground water. 

The primary agricultural sources include Hydraulic, Scotty and Kelowna creeks, along with the ability to draw from existing wells, Mission Creek and Okanagan Lake if agricultural sources are compromised.

The City is committed to protecting or restoring fish and wildlife stock and habitat in Mission Creek and is an active partner in the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative (MCRI), a multi-phase, multi-stakeholder partnership formed officially in 2008 to restore natural functions to the lower sections of Mission Creek.  
 

Ron Westlake
Water Integration Project Manager
City of Kelowna

March 6, 2017 - The March 1 article in The Daily Courier, “Water users may not be loving the city’s new plan,” raises a few questions that I am pleased to address.

The main questions concern the capacity and quality of water in Mission Creek, and whether that water source can supply the clean, safe water customers of the City water utility have come to expect.

Your readers should know the Value Planning Study reviewed current and future licensing requirements related to the proposed plan and concluded there is adequate flow for both domestic water and fish flow. This was determined through the Value Planning process earlier this year, with input from relevant provincial ministries and local water planning experts.

The Value Planning Study recommends developing a city-wide water model and a more detailed review of how the water systems will be split. System demands will be compared with available licensing to ensure that any one source will not be over drawn. 

The beauty of the 2017 Kelowna Integrated Water Supply Plan is its built-in resiliency and redundancy -  if there is a shortfall in Mission Creek for any reason, more water could be drawn from Okanagan Lake or wells or vice versa. While the plan to use Mission Creek as a city-wide water source is implemented over time, Okanagan Lake will supply water to areas identified in Phase 1 of the plan.

The withdrawal of water from streams in British Columbia is governed by acts enforced by the Provincial and Federal governments to ensure the health of streams, including flows required for environmental reasons.

The City is committed to continued restoration of fish and wildlife stock and habitat in Mission Creek and is an active partner in the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative, a multi-phase, multi-stakeholder partnership formed in 2008 to restore natural functions to the lower sections of Mission Creek.  

The new plan also suggests a comprehensive approach to protecting the Mission Creek watershed and looking at ways to store excess capacity. 

As stated in your article, “the 60,000 city residents who currently rely on the municipal system already have clean, safe water at reasonable rates, thanks to the city’s technically expert and financially prudent management of the municipal utility.”

That same “technically expert and financially prudent management” would be at work on the integrated system to ensure water quality remains at standards that exceed Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. Technical analysis of the water in Mission Creek shows it is of high quality for most of the year. Black Mountain Irrigation District currently uses Mission Creek for the majority of the year to provide its customers with high quality drinking water.  Using water from Mission Creek for the majority of the year will save significant operational costs as using gravity is much less expensive than pumping from Okanagan Lake.

The 2017 Integrated Water Supply Plan has the benefits of ensuring rate equity no matter where residents live, along with efficiencies in operations and administration. An integrated system will also help maximize the ability to defer advanced treatment and when required will significantly reduce costs.

The team that developed the 2017 Kelowna Integrated Water Supply Plan included objective third-party water related experts from the United States, with specialties ranging from planning to building cost estimates to rate setting, along with representatives from local engineering firms who have extensive experience with Kelowna’s water systems and sources such as Mission Creek and Okanagan Lake. The team was supported by provincial representatives Interior Health, the ministries of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations and representatives from the City of Kelowna and South East Kelowna Irrigation District(SEKID).  

I would like to assure residents that careful planning and testing will occur to ensure water quality and supply remain at the high standard enjoyed by city water utility customers for the past 20 years.

Ron Westlake
City of Kelowna

November 29, 2016 - In light of recent media reports by some news outlets, that did not include comment from the City of Kelowna, I would like to personally respond to concerns being raised regarding a recent bylaw change pertaining to sidewalks.

I want to be abundantly clear that the City of Kelowna is not targeting people sleeping on our streets with the purpose of harassing or incarcerating our most vulnerable residents.  

The purpose of this bylaw is to prevent people from obstructing sidewalks and preventing accessibility for residents. The bylaw also prevents people from congregating on sidewalks and intimidating others.

Before the changes, the bylaw could only be enforced between the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.. With a growing and more vibrant downtown, this bylaw update extends the existing bylaw enforcement to include nighttime, as people who live and work in the downtown core have identified sidewalk obstructions as a problem.

Most often, the complaint involves someone blocking the sidewalk with their stuff in front of a business or residence in the morning.  I want to be clear that action will only be needed if someone is obstructing the sidewalk and impeding others from using it.

It's important to note that this program works in conjunction with the new storage service at the Gospel Mission (a program the City helped establish), letting people know they can safely store their belongings there.

Enforcement staff are trained to address these situations with compassion and ensure the person obstructing the sidewalk is aware of services available to them. Again, contrary to some uninformed media reports and social media comments, this is not a targeted program to harass the homeless in the middle of the night. Enforcement in these matters is always in response to complaints – officers are not out there searching the streets for someone to fine.

Fines may be issued, but we know in many cases collection is not possible nor realistic. What it does is create a file that can be turned over to law enforcement if the offender is involved in criminal activity. We want to ensure that downtown is a safe and welcoming place for all our residents.

Bylaw enforcement is just one small part of a more holistic approach to dealing with homelessness and street issues in Kelowna, both of which are the top priorities of Council. There are many things we are doing to address these issues. The following are just a few examples.

Hiring a Social Development Manager in 2016 was the first step in a process to develop a Homelessness Strategy and bring together partners within the community to help address this growing issue facing communities across the country.

The new Social Development Manager is currently working on a strategy for the next three years. This position was created to convene and/or collaborate among City departments and partnering social agencies with the long-term goal of developing a made-in/for-Kelowna approach to address homelessness and related issues.

While no one individual or agency is able to solve these complex social issues on their own, this dedicated City presence will contribute to the joint efforts of government, community groups, businesses and social agencies to address our community’s issues and develop a coordinated, strategic approach.

Like most cities in Canada, Kelowna has a population of residents who are chronically or occasionally homeless – most gather in our downtown core because that’s where the services are.

A Point in Time homelessness count was conducted this spring and counted 223 people living on the streets in Kelowna, but we know the true number is much higher. The population tends to grow in the summer, which raises the profile and concern among residents and businesses;
 
This is a complex social issue being targeted by a number of committed local organizations that do good work to help those in need. Outside of hiring a social development manager, City staff already participate in a number of community projects and strategies to address homelessness and other associated social issues. Some of these include:

• Partners for a Healthy Downtown;
• Sharps Action Team (to deal with needle disposal and clean up);
• Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Community Advisory Committee to help those living on the streets with mental health and addiction issues;
• Housing projects;
  • Leading a strategy to encourage the development of more family-friendly affordable housing through the Rental Housing Grants program, zoning bylaw changes and tax incentives. As a result, more than 1,600 purpose-built rental housing units have been approved by Council over the past two years and are either under construction or soon will be
  • The City of Kelowna continues to partner with BC Housing on social housing projects, typically providing the land as it has for recent projects like Pleasantvale, Ki-Lo-Na Friendship Society (at Central Green) as well as land for two other affordable housing projects announced for our City last week

These are just a few examples of the many things we as a municipality are doing. A fair but firm approach will help balance the needs of all of our residents. 

These are complex issues we can't solve alone. We will continue to work with higher levels of government, social agencies and concerned residents to improve the lives of those who need our help. 

Sincerely,  Mayor Colin Basran

November 10, 2016 - The City of Kelowna believes it is important to explain roles and responsibilities for the delivery of transit services in the Central Okanagan, given the potential for job action as early as Thursday, Nov. 10.

BC Transit contracts with First Canada to operate transit services for the Regional District of Central Okanagan, Kelowna, Lake Country, West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Peachland. Each municipality holds its own service contract with BC Transit and funding is cost shared.

On Friday, Nov. 4, the unionized employees for First Canada served 72-hour strike notice. Labour negotiations are between First Canada and its employees. The operating company, First Canada, is independent of BC Transit and local transit partners.

As such, we must respect the collective bargaining process and therefore not interfere with, or influence in any way, the negotiations being conducted between First Canada and its employees. The City of Kelowna is not involved in negotiations, as these are First Canada’s employees, not City employees.

City of Kelowna staff are monitoring the situation closely and are hopeful that First Canada and its unionized employees will reach resolution without disruption to transit services. We apologize to our valued customers for any inconvenience this matter may cause.

Customers can visit bctransit.com/kelowna or call 250-860-9121 for more information and updates.

Rafael Villarreal, P.Eng.
Department Manager Integrated Transportation
City of Kelowna

May 27, 2016 - This is in response to the May 25 letter in the Kelowna Capital News, “Kelowna does not support cycling to work or anywhere else.”
 
The writer might have missed the news that the city is preparing to begin construction of a path under the Highway 97 overpass this summer that will give cyclists a safer route to UBCO.
 
Another safe path to UBCO from the Glenmore will be under construction this year, with John Hindle Drive providing another bike path separated from the road.
 
While these works have not progressed at a speed satisfactory to the letter writer, the fact is Kelowna already has the most extensive bicycle network in Canada for a city its size. Statistics Canada says Kelowna has, per capita, the second-highest commuter cycling population in the country.
 
We believe this high participation level is helped by the more than 300 kilometres of marked on-street bicycle lanes and more than 35 kilometres of multi-use pathways the City has constructed over the past 20 years.
 
The city’s new Cycling Master Plan was developed with input from the public and outlines an All Ages and Abilities (AAA) primary network. The AAA network consists of existing and future separated bicycle facilities on key corridors that are being connected over time. This network allows people to avoid on-street riding for many trips.
 
The network continues to grow and improve with the addition of new cycling infrastructure such as wider on-street bike lanes, multi-use paths and, separated bikeways on streets such as Clifton, Cawston, Gordon, Barrera, Sutherland, Ethel and Lakeshore.
 
We are also adding to our Rails With Trails infrastructure and are excited about developing a world-class facility with the acquisition of the old CN Rail line connecting Kelowna to Coldstream – a $22-million investment in non-motorized transportation options by the partnership of local municipalities and provincial government.
 
Highway 97 is a provincial road and the widening work referred to in Mr. Cadger’s letter is being done by the Ministry of Transportation Infrastructure. The City of Kelowna, meanwhile, will continue to expand its extensive off-road bicycle path network.

May 4, 2016 - In response to a letter published by Castanet April 19, here is some information about the practice of sports field watering and maintenance.

Sports fields are not your average lawn – they are subject to more severe damage due to the types of activities and foot wear used on the grass. Keeping the grounds maintained requires more watering than a normal lawn to repair the damage and ensure the ground is level and safe for players.

Some more information about the special care of sport fields:

• they require summer closure and some light daily watering to germinate grass seed
• they are mowed and watered more frequently than other areas of the park to provide optimum playing conditions
• some sports fields are sand-based to guard against compaction, because sand doesn’t hold water as well as soil, it requires more frequent watering
• after re-seeding, the fields require more frequent watering and occasional light day time watering to promote seed germination

Kelowna has an excellent reputation about provincial sports associations for the quality of its playing fields. This quality is achieved with irrigation technology that makes the most efficient use of water.

Overall, the amount of water used on local parks has decreased in recent years through irrigation improvements and rigorous monitoring of field conditions.

Ian Wilson
Park Manager
City of Kelowna

[Original letter]
Sports fields overwatering
Castanet
April 19, 2016

To our city council:

Seeing as water is apparently your top priority this year, why not cut back on the wasteful use of it on the sports fields?

Try the conservative approach. Water twice a week and see how it goes instead of the daily deluge. The pitcher’s mounds alone could save hundreds of liters. Do you need grass to pitch a baseball?

There is so much overwatering of these sports fields it is criminal. No excuse for it in this day and age.

Heather Hamilton

April 12, 2016 -  A letter on Castanet April 12 from a Southeast Kelowna resident concerned about the muddy water in her bathtub contained some incorrect information.

The water in this case is from South East Kelowna Irrigation District (SEKID), not the City of Kelowna as stated in the letter.

Kelowna City Council has made water quality its top priority for its term in office and, while the city has no authority to fix the water problems facing our city, it is advocating for the province to move toward an integrated city-wide water system.

There are five independent and separate water systems operating within the City of Kelowna boundary, all supplying water of varying quality at different rates.  The irrigation districts are independent public authorities subject to supervision by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. They have their own elected boards and staff, their own water sources and distribution systems, and their own user fees.

The City believes its time to have a single, integrated system that supplies safe and secure water at equitable rates to all citizens with oversight by Kelowna City Council and the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

The Province’s long standing policy is to phase out irrigation districts. To access grants and improve water quality, irrigation districts throughout the Province have always had the option of voluntary dissolution. Some have chosen self-preservation over provision of clean water to their ratepayers.

On their own the small ratepayer base in the irrigation districts can face large rate increases to fund improvements that will bring their water quality up to Canadian Drinking Water Quality standards. With integration, there are more options to fund the projects. The City has ongoing access to grants and a larger rate base to potentially fund a city-wide Water Quality Improvement Fee.

Citizens concerned about water quality should express those concerns to their irrigation district, MLAs and the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

March 10, 2016 - This is in response to the Castanet letter to the editor, March 7, 2016, about fees and/or taxes for natural gas.

The fee referred to in this letter is actually a long-standing Franchise Fee that FortisBC Gas pays to the City of Kelowna. Three per cent of the gas company’s gross revenue received from properties within Kelowna boundaries is paid to the City - payment for ongoing use of City property (i.e. access to road right-of-way to install and maintain infrastructure).

This type of fee is a common practice among utilities such as FortisBC Gas and other municipalities, and it’s a fee that has been in place since 1957 for the City of Kelowna.