First-of-its-kind study reveals Kelowna has plenty of room for improvement

It may be succeeding on the economic front but when it comes to social components, the city of Kelowna has some improving to do.

That according to the city’s first ever economic development scorecard that was released by the City of Kelowna and the Chamber of Commerce Monday morning.

“That is the whole purpose of this, we’re taking an honest look at who we are, where we are, what we need to do to improve,” said Robert Fine, the business and entrepreneurial development director for the City of Kelowna.

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The 18-month study, which involved 25 organizations and individuals, pitted Kelowna against 16 other comparable cities in Canada and around the world.

It looked at 24 social and economic indicators.

Overall Kelowna came out middle of the pack, placing 10th out of the 17 cities that were examined.

“We’re sort of middle of the road,” Fine said. “We had nine communities that finished above us, we had seven communities that finished below us and I think, you know, you would argue, yeah we have areas to improve, we’re doing better than some communities, working harder than others and maybe not being as effective.”

When broken down into the economic category alone, Kelowna fared very well, earning sixth spot.

But in the social category, Kelowna was pulled down into 14th spot.

It received “C” grades for housing affordability, air quality, crime rate and low rate of immigrant population as well as low population 25-to-34 year olds.

Boulder, Colorado ranked 1st overall, followed by Ann Arbor, Michigan and Victoria, B.C.

Click here for the full report.