Top Results For: city of kelowna

On Thursday, the City of Kelowna announced its latest response to the ongoing issues plaguing downtown: temporary overnight security patrols.

'It doesn’t take a lot of research to find out that nothing new is coming to the table,' said Todd Daniels, owner of Gallery Streetwear in downtown Kelowna.

City of Kelowna officials say the QR codes were not authorized by either the municipality or its mobile payment provider, PayByPhone.

“It’s sad. You don’t want to see people on the street,” Daniels said. “I’m not against helping people in poverty, but there are definitely more people.”

This weekend's reversal came after business operators blasted the city for implementing a $5 fee to attend the Jan. 27 event at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

Kelowna is flooded with empty condo and rental units, with the city's vacancy rate now the highest in all of Canada at more than six per cent.

There's optimism for better tourism days ahead as the City of Kelowna looks at loosening restrictions on short-term rental accommodations.

The City of Kelowna plans to increase RCMP and bylaw patrols and is launching a program aimed at freeing up police officers, among others. But for some, it doesn’t go far enough.

In a 7-2 vote, Kelowna city council overwhelmingly voted down the proposed amendment.

Kelowna RCMP Supt. Chris Goebel addressed city council on Monday, acknowledging the day-to-day realities many businesses are facing.

At a news conference on Tuesday, RCMP said with Kelowna being a growing city with growing challenges, priorities have to be triaged.

The City of Kelowna, in partnership with BC Housing, plans to build a 40-unit supportive and complex care facility on Pacific Avenue near Capri Mall.

'We need to be able to go home at night and sleep and feel comfortable,' said a Kelowna store owner after a break-in. His online video prompted a visit from the mayor.

The more than two-hour meeting, which brought together business owners, city officials, police, and provincial representatives, quickly revealed deep frustration in the room.

Despite data saying otherwise, Kelowna, B.C. business owners say break and enters, thefts and property crime are through the roof.

“There’s more inventory than we’ve seen in years, record inventory last year, and for buyers right now there’s more choice than they’ve ever had,” he said.

The new program will train more people to safely plan and carry out prescribed burns, create national training standards and provide hands-on experience in the field.

Council also passed a resolution to try and lobby the province to fast-track the process and exemption as a final approval would not be granted until November 2026.

'My wife woke me up and the whole street was covered in cop cars all over the place. They did have their guns drawn,' said neighbour Martin Stairs.

The city is considering a land swap that would see development company Denciti receive 9.1 acres of municipally-owned industrial land in exchange for a nine-hole golf course.