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City Hall
What goes down, must come up — city crews begin annual street-sweeping program
KELOWNA - With such a mild winter, city crews put down less sand and salt this winter, but what they put down they still have to pick up. “We’ve been holding back until this week because we’ve still had some temperatures below freezing,” said roadways supervisor Stephen Bryan. “You can’t sweep and do a good...
Developer must pay $80,000 in upgrades before building drive-through Timmies across from elementary school
VERNON - A group of Vernon parents fear a new drive-through Tim Hortons and gas bar will worsen traffic around an adjacent elementary school, but the city claims the opposite. City planner Dale Rintoul says the developer has agreed to provide $80,000 for intersection upgrades at 35 Avenue and 27 Street, where both Beairsto Elementary...
Social housing starting to rise on Central Green site
KELOWNA - Ground-breaking on one of the first phases of the long-awaited Central Green development should take place within a few months after city council approved a long-term lease with the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society to develop affordable housing on the site. In a report to council, Graham Hood, strategic land development manager for the city,...
Exemption for micro suites from development charges could mean millions in lost revenue
KELOWNA - Micro suites may be a trend that gains no traction in Kelowna, but if it does the city is looking at ways to replace the revenue lost to their exemption by the province from development cost charges. “If we see 400 suites next year and 400 the year after that, then we might...
Micro suite exemptions from development charges prompts policy review by city staff
KELOWNA - It’s the third micro suite project to come before Kelowna city council in the last month and there’s already concerns about the latest housing trend. Councillor Luke Stack says micro suites are exempt from development cost charges under a provincial policy. It means the city can't collect money from the developers to help...
Money talks, experience walks: Here’s what Sharon Shepherd thinks cost her the election
KELOWNA - It was supposed to be the political comeback for two-term mayor Sharon Shepherd. Edged out by Walter Gray in 2011, Shepherd was pushed by many to take another crack at it when Gray announced he would not run again in 2014. In the minds of her supporters it was supposed to be an...
Race on to save CN Rail corridor deal despite no vote
KELOWNA - Whether it takes a referendum in Lake Country or Kelowna buying the whole thing outright, both politicians and staff in the two municipalities say they’re determined to find a way to make the CN Rail corridor purchase a reality. “We see this as too good an opportunity to pass up,” said City of...
No such thing as free parking; budget for parkade expansion takes off
KELOWNA - City councillors have found out what the rest of us have known for years — that parking doesn’t come cheap in Kelowna. City staff have asked council to transfer $762,000 from the future Ellis St. parkade budget to the current Library parkade expansion, allowing the project to be complete for summer, 2016. The...
How the city is going to try to make it easier for tourists in downtown Kelowna this summer
KELOWNA - Summer in downtown in Kelowna is going to be all about construction, traffic congestion and scarce parking as the city deals with an unusual number of big, building projects. “The biggest concern is construction during the summer when the volumes are highest and parking stalls are used the most,” Purvez Irani says. He's...
Shoebox suites are the trend and Kelowna residents better get used to it
KELOWNA - A pair of micro-suite projects set to go ahead in Kelowna are part of a trend across Canada to smaller and smaller living spaces, says Kelowna city councillor Gail Given, one that the older generation had better get used to. “This generation is exploring different options, and these two projects have opened the...
Road hogging continues as big block construction projects dominate downtown
KELOWNA - If you think Kelowna has endured a lot of big-ticket construction projects in the last few years, you would be right. If you thought it was over, you would be wrong. A number of large building projects, and all that goes with it — detours, lost parking spaces, narrowed roadways — have either...
Developer-financed road to the Mission a first for city hall
KELOWNA - The city's director of corporate ventures has never heard of developers both financing and constructing a road, but that's the proposal for the new South Perimeter Way. “We have never delivered a road in this manner,” said John Vos. “In fact, this is unique in my experience.” A group of developers active in...
Utilty rate increases gets water users coming and going
KELOWNA - They get you if you pour or flush. Kelowna city council has approved a two per cent increase in rates for both city water and waste water utilities. Beginning in May, rates for customers drawing city water — about half the businesses and houses in Kelowna — will climb about $.59 a month...
City keeps cultural incubator cooking, gives out cash grants
KELOWNA - If there was an elephant in the room, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran addressed it directly. “A lot of times people think ‘there goes the city spending money on culture’ without having the complete picture of what creative culture does for our community,” said the Mayor, as council received a report outlining $180,000 in...
City doing swimmingly despite economic uncertainty
KELOWNA - The rest of the world may be in financial turmoil, but Kelowna continues to do fine, at least as measured by our performance as a community last quarter. “There is lots of volatility in the global economic climate,” the city’s community planning director Doug Gilchrist told council, while presenting them with positive numbers...
Councillor Hodge bounces back, shrugs off lung infection
KELOWNA – Coun. Charlie Hodge was back in his chair at Kelowna city council Monday afternoon after being hospitalized for pneumonia last week. “Once you get here it’s like sitting at your kitchen table,” said Hodge, who added he was just glad to be back. “It knocked the wind out of me that’s for sure."...
City councillor Hodge could be out of hospital this weekend
KELOWNA – City councillor Charlie Hodge is on the mend and could be released from hospital soon, says his wife Teresa Hodge, although it’s not clear when he will return to work. "Charlie is slowly feeling better and we hope he can come home very soon,” she says. "Doctor will decide when he is ready...
The unique approach Vernon is taking to selling itself
VERNON - A new City of Vernon tourism initiative is focussing more on recommendations shared by word of mouth than snagging a write up in a guide book. The city understands many people rely on reviews from friends and family when picking a place to visit, and it’s found a way to track how often...
Kelowna councillor in hospital with lung infection
KELOWNA - Kelowna city councillor Charlie Hodge has been admitted to Kelowna General Hospital suffering from pneumonia. The two-term councillor’s confirmed his condition on his Facebook page, saying the infection was confined to his lower left lung and that a CT scan had shown there were no blood clots. Hodge is also known to suffer...
Park downtown Vernon for free on the following days
VERNON - There are several opportunities to park downtown Vernon without plugging the meter over the next few months. At the request of the Downtown Vernon Association, council approved free parking on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 12-3 p.m. for the Winter Carnival Chili Cook-Off event. The association also requested free parking on Feb. 21, May...
Downtown Penticton speed limits now consistent at 30 km/h
PENTICTON - The City of Penticton wants you to slow down and take a look at what the city has to offer. Speed limits in the commercial downtown core are now a uniform 30 km/h. Following last year’s Martin Street upgrades, a need to have a more pedestrian-friendly downtown was envisioned by mayor and council....
Say good-bye to confusing rail crossings with completion of CN Rail corridor purchase
KELOWNA - The CN Rail corridor purchase will be defined in Kelowna by what it gains — a multi-use transportation corridor — and what it loses — a bunch of annoying level crossings on local roads. “CN has an obligation to remove the railway ties and remediate the land,” said Doug Gilchrist, director of community...
Parking the tipping point for micro-suite apartment approval
KELOWNA - For such small suites, Kelowna city council has some big problems with a high-density apartment building proposed for Dickson Avenue near the Landmark complex. Designs submitted by the developer Dickson Avenue Holdings call for 90 suites, about half of which would be 29 square metres with one parking space included for each unit....
Firefighters to get new ride after council approves truck replacement
KELOWNA - Looking to buy a fire engine? Get ready for some sticker shock and a lengthy wait because it turns out buying one of the specialized emergency response vehicles is nothing like buying a new car. “You can’t just walk into a dealership and buy a fire truck,” says Larry Hollier, deputy chief of...