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City Of Kelowna

Urgent dredging at busy boat launch put off until fall

KELOWNA - A mechanical failure in specialized equipment has forced the City of Kelowna to reschedule urgent dredging at the Cook Road boat launch. The city announced just two days ago it’s largest boat launch would close for a week at the height of the boating season, but now says the work will have to...

High-risk water pipe on Dilworth fast-tracked for replacement

KELOWNA - A dodgy water main, the only water link for dozens of homes on top of Dilworth Mountain in Kelowna, is being replaced before something more serious happens than a burst pipe. “We had a complete failure a couple of months ago and when we looked at the pipe, pulled it out of the...

Kelowna water providers in no hurry to comply with voluntary water cuts

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Kelowna’s five water providers will decide next week whether to comply with a request from the provincial government to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 30 per cent. Darwyn Kutney, general manager of the Glenmore Ellison Irrigation District, says the Kelowna Joint Water Committee will meet July 30 to discuss the request. “I...

What happens when your music becomes noise in Kelowna

KELOWNA - Nothing spurs political action like personal experience. When Kelowna city bylaw officers shut down a garden concert last weekend by local legends The Cruzeros, city councillor Charlie Hodge was in the front row. “It was not over the top. The didn’t even have the full band. There were no drums,” Hodge says. When...

Paving season is underway in Kelowna

KELOWNA – There’s an old adage which says there are two seasons in Canada, winter and paving season. The 2015 paving season is off and running in Kelowna with the city planning to repave about 18 kilometres of road before October. “The pavement management program ensures a longer life for our roads,” roadways construction manager...

Property tax exemption? How do I get me one of those?

KELOWNA - It's hard to see what Valley First Credit Union in Rutland, the yet-to-be-built luxury Westcorp hotel near Kerry Park and the newly-rebuilt Kelowna Yacht Club might have in common. But what links them is all are either eligible or have already received a ten-year property tax holiday under Kelowna’s revitalization tax exemption bylaw,...

City puts cash behind Strong Neighbourhoods program

KELOWNA - Strong neighbourhoods make for strong towns and cities; that’s the basic premise behind a new program launched by the City of Kelowna and they are putting some cash behind it. It’s early days but Strong Neighbourhoods hopes to tap into growing evidence that getting to know your neighbours is good for your physical...

Cost of new downtown Kelowna parkade on the rise

KELOWNA - The number of parking stalls planned for the city’s latest downtown parkade has jumped but so has the price tag. In a report to council, director of infrastructure Allan Newcombe says capacity of the new parkade will jump from 438 stalls under the original proposal to 566 stalls. The original budget of $15.83...

Kelowna Fire Department calls up two per cent

KELOWNA - The release of the 2014 annual report by the Kelowna Fire Department provides a glimpse of what the largest fire department in the B.C. Interior goes through in a year. “Kelowna Fire Department responded to just over 9,500 calls for service which was a two per cent increase from 2013,” says fire chief...

Kelowna serves up steady increase of new restaurants

KELOWNA - You’re not imagining it. Kelowna has seen a steady increase in the number of new restaurants opening their doors in the last few years. Probably the most obvious example would be the gleaming new Cactus Club Cafe, soon to open right on the waterfront inside the Kelowna Yacht Club. The extremely competitive restaurant...

Open access media policy pays off for city

KELOWNA - The 2015 citizens survey is due out in a couple of weeks and the city is expecting to do as good or better in most categories. But city officials might be surprised to find they’re doing great in a category they don’t even measure — communications with the media. While journalists love to...

New traffic pattern on Doyle Avenue next Tuesday

KELOWNA - Doyle Avenue between Ellis Street and St. Paul Street will be reduced to one lane of eastbound traffic on Tuesday March 24, from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Doyle Avenue will be closed to westbound traffic, except for transit. Construction crews will be pouring concrete as part of the Interior Health building project....

Downtown Kelowna to get cleaner, safer

KELOWNA - Visitors to downtown should soon notice the place is a fair bit tidier and safer with a significant boost to the Downtown Kelowna Association’s cleaning and security budgets. Kelowna city council approved this week an increase in the association’s annual levy to $804,000 from $781,000 last year. The levy is applied to all...

Find the kids something to do for spring break

KELOWNA – There are no shortage of things to do with the kids, or places to send the kids, over the two-week spring break in Kelowna. Spring break kicks off Monday, March 16 before wrapping up on Friday, March 27 with all kinds of activities and day camps planned by various organizations around town. The...

Kelowna Mountain developer made a massive contribution to Taxpayers First

KELOWNA — Taxpayers First—the City of Kelowna’s first slate of candidates—spent more than $50,000 trying to get elected in the November municipal election, nearly all of it coming from the five candidates themselves except for the nearly $19,000 from the man behind Kelowna Mountain. Mark Consiglio contributed $18,960 in two separate donations, according to campaign...

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...

Big improvements coming for Rutland Centennial Park

KELOWNA - Rutland Centennial Park was officially aquired by the City of Kelowna recently as part of the memorandum of agreement with Rutland Park Society. The purchase price of the park, and right-of-way through the existing parking lot beside Centennial Hall, rang in at $800,000, according to a City of Kelowna media release. The City...

Kelowna is the fastest growing city in B.C.

KELOWNA – For the third year in a row Kelowna has grown faster than any other city in the province, according to Statistics Canada. Based on population estimates from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, Kelowna, with a growth rate of 1.8 per cent, was one of only six cities that outpaced the national...

Malfunctioning water filter closes Parkinson pool

KELOWNA – The slightly murky water forced the closure of the pool at the Parkinson Recreation Centre Sunday. The main pool was closed Jan. 25 after a malfunctioning filter produced the cloudy water. While it wasn’t a health issue, it’s problematic if lifeguards can’t see through murk. “Lifeguarding standards require a certain amount of water...

Grave concerns lead city to cemetery master plan

KELOWNA - The first phase of a 25-year plan to ensure the eternal viability of Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, the municipally-owned cemetery, begins this year giving new meaning to the phrase rest in peace. With an aging infrastructure, changing consumer trends and limited space, cemetery manager David Gatzke says the time was right for a...

How to get the city to do a great job clearing snow on your street

KELOWNA - The city of Kelowna is working to get the snow off area roads and residents can help by moving vehicles from curbs and into driveways and parking lots. With heavy snowfall in the past 24 hours and more on the way the city of Kelowna is requesting cars parked curbside be moved to...

City wants your help when the snow flies

KELOWNA – Don’t leave you vehicle parked on the street once the snow starts falling in Kelowna, that way city crews can do a better job of plowing and sanding. That’s the word the City of Kelowna is trying to spread in advance of the snowfall forecast for Friday. Environment Canada is calling for flurries Friday...