Kelowna’s Innovation centre to get some sorely-needed signage

KELOWNA – What’s the point of being innovative if no one knows you’re there?

Kelowna city council has approved a comprehensive sign package today, Aug. 13, including building identification, for the Okanagan Centre for Innovation on Doyle Avenue and Ellis Street.

The centre opened in 2017, and along with the Madison high-rise and the Interior Health Authority building across the street, has quickly formed Kelowna’s most urban intersection.

Community planning manager Ryan Smith told council, staff began working with building tenants after the earlier approval of a sign for the Business Development Bank of Canada.

Ryan said the sign package already meets the standards set out in the city’s new sign bylaw, to which council has given initial approval.

It includes four possible types of signs that could be installed in eight possible sign locations, including some retail tenants like Blenz Coffee.

Coun. Gail Given said she had to point out the Innovation Centre to someone from out of town and felt it was “quite critical” the city get some identification on an important building before moving acceptance of the package.

The rest of council agreed and it was passed unanimously.


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John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca

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