Elevate your local knowledge
Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!
City of Kelowna to pay Hotel Eldorado for the boardwalk it illegally blocked
The Hotel Eldorado boardwalk has been closed off to the public, despite court orders protecting access, and now the City of Kelowna plans to buy it.
Kelowna’s city council has started the process to expropriate the boardwalk even though the Supreme Court of BC and BC Court of Appeal already ruled the public should have access, according to a press release from the city.
“Public access to this section of the waterfront has been limited at times over the past several years, despite the statutory right of way. After years of efforts to address access issues through all other reasonable means, the city has determined that expropriation is necessary to secure the future of this section of boardwalk,” the city said in the release.
Expropriation allows the city to forcibly acquire a property while ensuring the owner “receives fair compensation” without having to make a deal with the owner like in a normal sale. The plan is to expropriate the section of boardwalk in front of the hotel and make sure it’s repaired and safe.
The conflict between the city and the hotel has been going on for years and it seemed like it was settled in court. Then the hotel locked the gates again, preventing people from walking along the boardwalk.
The city has been going back and forth with the hotel for the past year since the hotel locked the gates.
“The city does not pursue expropriation lightly and has only taken this step after all other reasonable options were exhausted,” the city said. “Acquiring this section of the boardwalk will help preserve a continuous waterfront connection for residents and visitors for years to come.”
The city did not say how much it plans on paying Hotel Eldorado for the boardwalk.
News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Join the Conversation!
Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
2 responses
I’m surprised any locals would go to the hotel or restaurant. We should instead boycott the Eldorado. What the Eldorado is doing is not in any way supportive of our local community. Very disappointing to see a business loxated in our community act this way.
You won’t see me spending any of my dollars there going forward based on their selfish and illegal actions.
Rewarding the Eldorado for their repeated breaches of a court order??? File an application for a finding of contempt and seek special and punitive costs. They are not free to simply do as they like. There are consequences for breaching a court order but not if the City doesn’t seek those consequences.