Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran will deliver his State of the City Address next Wednesday.
He'll outline highlights from 2016, and unveil future plans for Kelowna, at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Basran says when new census numbers are released next week - stats are expected to show Kelowna, and the surrounding region, will continue to trend as the fastest growing area in Canada - and this poses big challenges.
"We know that sprawl is not good for communities, and has many detrimental effects, not to mention health effects on individuals, so you're going to hear a lot about what we're trying to do to get people to live in smaller spaces, to live closer to town centres - where they work and recreate - and increase transportation options," he says.
Basran says homelessness has also created challenges for Kelowna in the past year, but he feels a new strategy, unveiled this week to consolidate services, is a huge step forward.
He says (It's designed to) "get the social agencies in our community working toward a common goal, and a unified program, so that nobody falls through the cracks, and that the money we get from higher levels of government is more directed toward specific projects where the need is the highest."
Basran says he'll also touch on the issue of how city bylaws officers interact with the homeless.
The mayor will deliver his annual State of the City Address to Kelowna's business community at the Coast Capri Hotel on February 8th.