Kelowna’s largest neighbourhood is unrepresented after council again declined to ensure it would be

Last month’s election once again saw candidates from Rutland fall short of getting elected to Kelowna City Council and the region of nearly 35,000 people is once again unrepresented.

It’s not an uncommon scenario across BC municipalities where they commonly reject voting systems common even in other provinces that reward and protect individual neighbourhoods.

Kelowna and nearly all of BC elects candidates to council city-wide, known as the “at-large” system. A change to a ward system would give each part of town their own councillor.

“We need to have a complete review as to what the benefits are and the drawbacks are,” Councillor Mohini Singh told iNFOnews.ca. “If it is something that will help our city and citizens, I would be open to a discussion and to look at how it would be implemented.”

A lot of cities around the country use the ward system, which breaks a municipality up into electoral districts, similar to federal and provincial elections. Under a ward system each part of town would elect a councillor, rather than the whole city picking eight at large.

Lake Country uses the ward system, and Vancouver and Surrey used to have it, but it’s rare in B.C.

“It’s not just about the size of the municipality, it’s about how effective it will be and how will the citizens’ concerns be represented,” Singh said.

Rutland locals Chris Bocskei and Indy Dhial were at the top of the list at polling stations in Rutland but failed to win a seat in a race with 37 candidates.

Singh said the ward system could help voters parse through busy elections like the recent one, and make sure each neighbourhood gets a representative, but it could also make it harder for council to look at the city as a whole.

“With a ward system, then there’s always a constant fight about what am I getting versus what you’re getting. We’re not thinking of the city as a whole. But each one of the councillors starts fighting for their little neighbourhood,” Singh said.

It needn’t be all or nothing, Lake Country has a dual system to address both concerns. It’s broken into four wards and each ward elects one councillor, but they also vote for two councillors at large.

Singh said even though there isn’t a councillor from every neighbourhood they all have reasons to care about different parts of town including Rutland.

“I live in Kettle Valley, but I do so much in Rutland,” she said. “I’m going out for lunch in Rutland. I’m getting my hair done in Rutland. . . I worship in Rutland.”

Kelowna has flirted with the ward system several times in the past.

In the 1970s when the city first absorbed Rutland and other surrounding neighbourhoods, the following election used the ward system to make sure those areas had representation. The idea came up again in the 2000s when Kelowna almost absorbed the westside. But, when West Kelowna incorporated the idea of the ward system went back out the window.

Recently, on Oct. 27, 2025, When Ron Cannan was a councillor, he suggested the city look into changing to a ward system but his motion was denied. At that meeting city manager Doug Gilchrist said it would be difficult for city staff to do the necessary research because they were already preparing for this year’s election and it would cost more than $200,000.

Cannan’s motion to council suggested that since the city is growing there are concerns that each neighbourhood has a voice.

“While this system has served Kelowna for many years and provides simplicity and a
citywide perspective, residents have raised concerns about whether it still provides fair and balanced representation as the city expands and neighbourhoods diversify,” Cannan said.