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City Of Kelowna

Kelowna city council aims to take lead on homelessness

KELOWNA - Admitting it’s out of touch with current community efforts to combat homelessness, Kelowna city council is hoping to jump into a leadership role by hiring a homeless coordinator and adopting a new, more direct housing strategy. The initiative comes amid signs of increased homelessness in Kelowna, including a doubling in the number of...

Some Kelowna infrastructure grants could be in limbo after Liberal election win

KELOWNA - Despite election promises about investment in infrastructure, the advent of a new Liberal government will likely delay some Kelowna projects already in the works. “We do have various applications out there, but with the election, it’s been very quiet,” infrastructure director Alan Newcombe says. While he expects the Liberal government will honour applications...

Mission Creek restoration project begins Monday in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Regular users of the popular Mission Creek Greenway will lose access to part of the creekside trail for almost six months, starting on Monday. But in exchange, the whole of Kelowna will eventually be gaining a revitalized and restored waterway that will look a lot like the lower part of the creek did...

Culture Days brings out the wild and wonderful in Kelowna

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - With more than 40 events planned for this weekend in Kelowna, culture is definitely what you make of it during the sixth annual Culture Days. More than 40 events are planned for various venues around the city Friday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 27, and will include a wild mix of everything...

Kelowna golf clubs want to start serving liquor at 9 a.m.

KELOWNA - Golfers at Gallagher’s Canyon and the Okanagan Golf Club aren’t likely to be able to get a drink any earlier or later than they already do. City staff are recommending against an application from the owner of the two golf courses to add an extra hour of drinking time on either end of...

Pool and gym at Parkinson Rec to shut down for cleaning

KELOWNA - Annual maintenance is leaving pool and gymnasium users out of luck at Parkinson Recreation Centre. The aquatic facilities will be closed from August 31 reopening September 20 should everything work out according to plan. The gymnasium will also be shut down during the same time period. Parkinson pass holders can use the aquatic...

Pick up your dog’s poop or pay $150

KELOWNA – Nobody wants to step in dog droppings while trying to enjoy a public park in Kelowna. In an effort to get the message “if they poop, you must scoop” out there, the city has recently put up new signs in some of the parks. “While most owners are responsible and pick up after...

Kelowna councillor seeks change to council meeting schedule

KELOWNA - City councillor Charlie Hodge needs more homework time and wants to move council meetings to another day. “This is what I get Friday morning in my agenda package,” Hodge says, brandishing a three-inch thick stack of reports. “I’m supposed to know all this by Monday morning or at least have an understanding of...

Water meters help keep lid on consumption in Kelowna

KELOWNA - As the province deals with the one of the most widespread droughts on record, municipalities and other water providers are increasingly looking for ways to alter consumption patterns amongst their users. While staged watering restrictions can force short term changes in use, the gold standard for long term change is the water meter,...

Urgent dredging at busy boat launch put off until fall

KELOWNA - A mechanical failure in specialized equipment has forced the City of Kelowna to reschedule urgent dredging at the Cook Road boat launch. The city announced just two days ago it’s largest boat launch would close for a week at the height of the boating season, but now says the work will have to...

High-risk water pipe on Dilworth fast-tracked for replacement

KELOWNA - A dodgy water main, the only water link for dozens of homes on top of Dilworth Mountain in Kelowna, is being replaced before something more serious happens than a burst pipe. “We had a complete failure a couple of months ago and when we looked at the pipe, pulled it out of the...

Kelowna water providers in no hurry to comply with voluntary water cuts

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Kelowna’s five water providers will decide next week whether to comply with a request from the provincial government to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 30 per cent. Darwyn Kutney, general manager of the Glenmore Ellison Irrigation District, says the Kelowna Joint Water Committee will meet July 30 to discuss the request. “I...

What happens when your music becomes noise in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Nothing spurs political action like personal experience. When Kelowna city bylaw officers shut down a garden concert last weekend by local legends The Cruzeros, city councillor Charlie Hodge was in the front row. “It was not over the top. The didn’t even have the full band. There were no drums,” Hodge says. When...

Paving season is underway in Kelowna

KELOWNA – There’s an old adage which says there are two seasons in Canada, winter and paving season. The 2015 paving season is off and running in Kelowna with the city planning to repave about 18 kilometres of road before October. “The pavement management program ensures a longer life for our roads,” roadways construction manager...

Property tax exemption? How do I get me one of those?

KELOWNA - It's hard to see what Valley First Credit Union in Rutland, the yet-to-be-built luxury Westcorp hotel near Kerry Park and the newly-rebuilt Kelowna Yacht Club might have in common. But what links them is all are either eligible or have already received a ten-year property tax holiday under Kelowna’s revitalization tax exemption bylaw,...

City puts cash behind Strong Neighbourhoods program

KELOWNA - Strong neighbourhoods make for strong towns and cities; that’s the basic premise behind a new program launched by the City of Kelowna and they are putting some cash behind it. It’s early days but Strong Neighbourhoods hopes to tap into growing evidence that getting to know your neighbours is good for your physical...

Cost of new downtown Kelowna parkade on the rise

KELOWNA - The number of parking stalls planned for the city’s latest downtown parkade has jumped but so has the price tag. In a report to council, director of infrastructure Allan Newcombe says capacity of the new parkade will jump from 438 stalls under the original proposal to 566 stalls. The original budget of $15.83...

Kelowna Fire Department calls up two per cent

KELOWNA - The release of the 2014 annual report by the Kelowna Fire Department provides a glimpse of what the largest fire department in the B.C. Interior goes through in a year. “Kelowna Fire Department responded to just over 9,500 calls for service which was a two per cent increase from 2013,” says fire chief...

Kelowna serves up steady increase of new restaurants

KELOWNA - You’re not imagining it. Kelowna has seen a steady increase in the number of new restaurants opening their doors in the last few years. Probably the most obvious example would be the gleaming new Cactus Club Cafe, soon to open right on the waterfront inside the Kelowna Yacht Club. The extremely competitive restaurant...

Open access media policy pays off for city

KELOWNA - The 2015 citizens survey is due out in a couple of weeks and the city is expecting to do as good or better in most categories. But city officials might be surprised to find they’re doing great in a category they don’t even measure — communications with the media. While journalists love to...

New traffic pattern on Doyle Avenue next Tuesday

KELOWNA - Doyle Avenue between Ellis Street and St. Paul Street will be reduced to one lane of eastbound traffic on Tuesday March 24, from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Doyle Avenue will be closed to westbound traffic, except for transit. Construction crews will be pouring concrete as part of the Interior Health building project....

Downtown Kelowna to get cleaner, safer

KELOWNA - Visitors to downtown should soon notice the place is a fair bit tidier and safer with a significant boost to the Downtown Kelowna Association’s cleaning and security budgets. Kelowna city council approved this week an increase in the association’s annual levy to $804,000 from $781,000 last year. The levy is applied to all...