Residents want to draw attention to access issues
A walk to draw attention to access along the Okanagan Lake foreshore, specifically south of the bridge, was held Sunday – about 200 people took part.
Brenda Bachmann, who helped organize the walk from City Park to Rotary Beach, says the lack of access has been a sticking point for years.
"So many people (who walked with us) said when they saw the no trespass – private beach signs they turned away – and now they know. I think city-wide people now know they can walk the foreshore," she says.
Bachmann says for the most part homeowners were supportive of the walk, but she says others were not getting it.
"Another party ( a strata development) said to people if you want to walk along this beach, then you need to all come and clean this beach. But I think these people just aren't getting it that the foreshore part never was their beach," she says.
Bachmann says now is a good time for the province to address the issue, as lakefront homeowners need permits to rebuild docks and fences damaged by flooding. She says some homeowners have already made some positive changes.
"We saw a couple of docks that actually had steps going up one side and down the other, and these were newer, one of these was new within the last couple of weeks allowing people to walk the foreshore," she says.
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran has called on the province, which has jurisdiction over the foreshore, to ensure access to those areas are protected – especially now as homeowners begin rebuilding and repairing after the spring flooding.
Bachman says they'd like to hold similar beach walks the last Sunday of every August to keep the issue top of mind.
