KELOWNA – Kelowna is leading the country in population growth. New numbers from Statistics Canada show Kelowna’s population jumped up 3.1 per cent from July 2014 to June 2015.
That’s a faster growth rate than any other metropolitan area in the country.
Barnabas Tacskovics and his family are among those who have recently settled in Kelowna. The construction worker moved to the Okanagan from Calgary two years ago for a change of pace. He understands why others would want to move to the area.
“I think it is just because it is a super nice place to live. It’s sunny. It’s hot,” he says.
While the population growth is expected to be good for industries like construction, more people can also mean big changes.
“Talking to some of the local people they are not especially keen on a huge population explosion,” says Tacskovics. “At the same time it does require growth to sustain the community.”
Kelowna city councillor Mohini Singh is welcoming the news.
“I see it as being very exciting. Obviously everybody wants to live here. They are coming here. It is a great place to be,” she says. “Kelowna is a growing city and with that growth comes I hope economic development.”
The Statistics Canada numbers also show that in 2015 seniors made up 20.6 per cent of Kelowna’s population. That’s well above the national average of 16.1 per cent.
– with files from Kimberly Davidson
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