City Hall
Early spring means Knox Mountain Park now fully open
KELOWNA - Continued good weather means the road to the top of Knox Mountain Park, Kelowna's signature greenspace, is opening a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The City of Kelowna says it was opening Knox Mountain Drive because night time temperatures have consistently been above zero. Vehicle access is restricted in winter months as...
City toilets, fountains and landfills open Easter weekend
KELOWNA - You can get in a workout and take a load to the landfill this holiday long weekend, but don't expect to be able to pay your back taxes or make a development variance application. Kelowna City Hall will be closed both Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Monday, April 6, for the Easter...
Controlled burns could be coming to a neighbourhood near you
CITY COUNCIL AGREES TO "TEST BURN" IN MCKINLEY LANDING KELOWNA - Forest fires are a touchy subject in the Okanagan so it was no surprise proponents of a controlled burn in McKinley Landing had some explaining to do to city councillors. City staff want to conduct a controlled burn in McKinley Landing as part of...
Kelowna city councillors balk at unexpected request for new fire engine
KELOWNA - A majority of Kelowna city council has said no to spending $730,000 for a new fire engine a year earlier than scheduled despite a warning from Kelowna Fire Department chief Jeff Carlisle it could result in “response capacity gaps” in rural areas of the city. “We need to put our planning hats on and...
City ups the bounty for graffiti vandals
KELOWNA - Taggers beware! The City of Kelowna and Crimestoppers have just upped the bounty on spray-paint vandalism. Previously, a would-be whistle-blower could only count on a reward of up to $500. The new initiative promises the full $500 as soon as an arrest is made. “Cleaning up graffiti comes with a price tag and...
Surging greenback, failing fire truck means Kelowna taxpayers on the hook for more money
KELOWNA - The plunging Canadian dollar and a failed mechanical assessment on one of its big rigs means the Kelowna Fire Department needs to ask city council for more money. Fire chief Jeff Carlisle, in a report to council, says the department needs an additional $130,000 to complete the purchase of a fire engine originally...
Big dump of snow cost Kelowna taxpayers big bucks
KELOWNA - The big dump of 2015 dropped a near-record amount of snow on Kelowna and cost taxpayers over a half-million dollars to clean up. During the two-day snow storm, which began Jan. 3 and ended Jan. 5, about 37 centimetres of snow fell in and around the Central Okanagan. At one point, snow was...
What do drones, e-cigarettes and geocaches have in common?
KELOWNA - Flying drones, e-cigarettes and geocaches are all soon to be targetted in Kelowna’s updated parks bylaw. “Things change, new issues emerge,” says parks supervisor Ian Wilson, who will present the proposed changes to city council on Monday, March 23. E-cigarettes will be banned in all public parks under the revamped bylaw. Wilson says...
Surge in Kelowna rental housing construction
KELOWNA - Rental housing construction is undergoing a renaissance of sorts with the City of Kelowna reporting a surge of construction activity in the last 18 months. Recent focus has been on so-called micro-suites — units with a floor area under 29 square metres — but Doug Gilchrist, director of community planning for the city,...
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."...
Future of iconic downtown buildings in question as city considers civic area’s future
KELOWNA - It’s time to focus on the 10,000-foot view of Kelowna’s civic area and how residents see it developing over time - that’s the thrust of a report city councillors will consider Monday. “The city owns a large majority of the land within the study area,” said Ross Soward, a planning specialist with the...
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...