Mayor Colin Basran
East Kelowna farm earns council support for distillery and weddings
KELOWNA - An agri-tourism operation on a small plot of farm land in East Kelowna got a rare endorsement from city council this week, despite plans to include weddings and a distillery. Kristi and James Caldwell requested council support for their application to the Agriculatural Land Commision to allow a portion of their land to...
City announces new beachfront park for Kelowna
KELOWNA - The City of Kelowna has announced the purchase of a piece of lakeshore property that will allow for the creation of a new beachfront park. Mayor Colin Basran says the city has spent $12 million acquiring the property located on Lakeshore Drive near Lexington Road. "This will create a legacy for our community...
Mediator to intervene in dispute between irrigation districts and City of Kelowna over drinking water plan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - The provincial government is stepping into the dispute between city council and the four irrigation districts that supply domestic water in Kelowna. Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran confirms the province, through the Ministry of Communities, has provided a mediator to help get a mandatory review of the Kelowna integrated water supply plan back...
Years of bad water convinces Kelowna man irrigation districts have to go
KELOWNA - A Glenmore man says Kelowna residents need to get educated on how water is delivered in the city and the turf war going on behind the scenes with local irrigation districts. “I understand how we came to have four irrigation districts, but we’re not the same city anymore, it isn’t 80 years ago....
Kelowna mayor plays it safe with policy for lighting up The Sails
KELOWNA - Tourists and locals alike have long flocked to The Sails at the foot of Bernard Avenue for postcard moments in the Okanagan sun. The sculpture’s graceful curves can also be lit up at night in a variety of colours. At the discretion of the Mayor’s Office, community groups can ask to have The...
Kelowna council won’t follow Vancouver’s lead on medical marijuana dispensaries
KELOWNA – More than 80 new medical marijuana dispensaries have opened in Vancouver in the last year, prompting city council there to consider implementing business regulations to keep them from getting out of control. But the mayor of the Interior's largest city says Kelowna council is not planning on revisiting the issue any time soon....
Kelowna school to host living library this week
KELOWNA – Students of a Kelowna middle school will get an education in their library this week — but not from any books. The fourth annual Human Library event is a chance for students of KLO Middle School to meet with and ask questions of around 30 professionals from diverse backgrounds. According to a School...
City budget ‘bare bones’ despite sizeable tax increase
KELOWNA — Even Kelowna’s mayor concedes it sounds odd calling a possible 3.5 per cent tax increase a “bare bones budget." “It sounds crazy but this is actually a very lean budget,” says Colin Basran, who blames two big-ticket items — Kelowna’s new police station and recent union contract settlement — for the increase. “Both...