Our guide the City害羞草研究所檚 business planning and investment decisions, in the ongoing service delivery that our residents value.
We regularly monitor and report our progress on council priorities every six months and adjust the priorities as needed 害羞草研究所� a process that represents our continuous improvement and commitment to transparency and accountability as an organization.
The recently updated Council Priorities were adopted on July 22 and include a total of 30 action items and now, with the addition of a new priority, seven priority areas. Let us review our achievements thus far and outline the future actions we will take to address the challenges and opportunities we face as a growing city.
Crime and Safety
Some notable updates to this priority area include advancing implementation of Mayor害羞草研究所檚 Task Force on Crime Reduction recommendations, increasing RCMP and Bylaw visibility to focus on high-risk traffic behaviour and crime, and a continued focus on reducing property crime. To address repeat offenders, we will be advocating for more crown prosecutors as well as the establishment of a future sobering centre. We have completed many actions in this area already, including the establishment of the URBA On Call team and the establishment of the Business Safety Toolkit. We害羞草研究所檝e seen the RCMP respond directly to Task Force recommendations with the relaunch of the Speed Watch Program. Council also received a progress report in March 2024, where the RCMP reported a 44% drop in Break and Enters and, most recently, the latest Crime Severity Index data revealed that Kelowna is no longer leading the nation in Police reported crime statistics.
Housing
In 2023 Council advanced 4000 permits for new homes. Although this is a positive step forward, we recognize that many of these units may not be built for several years, and we need more action now. We will meet provincial/local affordable housing targets with support from the Province and to increasing number of rental units with below market rents. On top of this we will complete the Housing Action Plan, including incentive options, and want to partner with the private sector on the creation of more low-cost affordable housing pilot projects. We will work alongside the development community to explore more options to protect renters impacted by redevelopment projects and protect existing rental stock.
Homelessness
We害羞草研究所檝e been able to further focus in on actions in this area and are committed to the completion of the delivery of 180 tiny homes via BC Housing as well as work to facilitate the creation of a new purpose-built shelter with warp around support and graduated housing options. Council will advocate for a regional care facility, additional Complex Care beds and explore what options we need to implement more care and delivery models such as a multi-care site in the Okanagan. We realize these are complex issues that fall outside the City害羞草研究所檚 realm of influence, meaning we will continue to advocate to the Province and other agencies for assistance in completing these actions.
Transportation
Our updated Transportation actions focus on improving mobility and movement throughout the City. This includes creating an additional connection to north Kelowna and YLW through the completion of the functional design of the Hwy 33 multi-modal traffic corridor, securing funding for a new transit operations centre, and improving both transit services and traffic flow on major road networks. To accomplish these actions we will use approaches like road bundling to decrease costs, while expediting delivery, and increase advocacy with external agencies and senior levels of government, with the goal to create further interconnectivity and alleviating traffic congestion through simple solutions.
Agriculture
Protecting our agricultural land base continues to be a priority for Council and we commit to further protect agricultural lands through continued enforcement to ensure farmland is used for permitted uses. We celebrated a win earlier this year with the announcement of a new permanent home for the Kelowna Farmers and Crafters Market within the Landmark District. Beyond that, we realize the need to keep water usage and strategies top of mind to ensure our water supply is not only maintained but also secured for future generations. We害羞草研究所檝e already started down this path with the transition of GEID to the City water Utility and are working to help the fruit producers and packers find solutions so Kelowna orchardists can get their fruit to market in the coming months.
Climate and Environment
We have committed to completing the City害羞草研究所檚 and continue to include 害羞草研究所楥limate Lens害羞草研究所� in all of our decision making. Focusing on the power of the natural environment, we will continue to further increase the urban tree canopy, especially along boulevards and medians. Realizing the impact civic facilities have on green house gas emissions, we commit to finding ways to reduce them, with the goal of net-zero solutions. Finally, we want to incentivize more green choices through the pilot energy concierge program to enable retrofits in buildings.
Economy
This new priority area is grounded in what we害羞草研究所檝e heard from residents, businesses and the communities we serve. We know that a thriving and resilient economy underpins a good quality of life today and in the future, and we will seek more opportunities to enhance economic diversification and attract new employment and support existing business growth.
Council is committed to assessing the City害羞草研究所檚 supply of employment lands and want to further consider the City害羞草研究所檚 investment into economic development. This means investing in substantial infrastructure delivery to set the stage and ensure Kelowna is ready for a suite of exciting upcoming major events like the Canadian Country Music Awards, the 2025 Brier, and the possibility of developing our own CPL team and hosting the 2026 Memorial Cup.
These are exciting developments and staff have now been given direction to begin work on all action areas. As August rolls in, I wish everyone an enjoyable and relaxing end to the summer season.
Monthly update from Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas on Council decisions, City business and more.
