Kelowna’s new sign bylaw tries to balance business, beauty

The Kelowna business landscape is about to change — at least when it comes to portable signs.

The catalyst is a new city bylaw that was passed unanimously Monday night.

Kelowna city council and staff are hoping to crack down on the numerous temporary business signs that seem to have become permanent fixtures around the city.

“When you look along some of our major corridors, they’re everywhere,” said Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran.

But some business owners say if you take away their signs, it will affect they’re bottom line.

“It’s a big impact for us without a sign,” said Jiffy Lube owner Colin Friess.

Just down the street at Premium Oil Change Centre, owner Doug Wood says the crackdown may force him to lay off two of his favourite employees.

“Patty and Penny,” said Wood.

Patty and Penny are two mannequin signs that Doug uses to attract customers; customers that provide business he says he needs to stay in business.

“There’s a lot of large corporations that do oil changes and I’m local and independent, so we have to be creative,” said Wood.

However, the city of Kelowna’s bottom line is different.

“At the end of the day, there has been a proliferation of portable signs. People weren’t following the rules and a lot of them are there illegally and we needed to crack down on that
and make our city look a little better,” said Basran

So while the city tries to strike a balance between business and beauty, if you’re a business owner with a temporary business sign out front, you should be prepared for temporary visit from a bylaw officer for a compliance check.