The City of Kelowna conducts the bi-annual citizen survey through IPSOS to keep us continuously informed in order to ensure that we are basing our decisions and plans on what our citizens are voicing and prioritizing.
Our job, as Council, is to interpret the data presented to us and use it to inform our decisions to ensure we are aligned with what are residents want and more importantly need.
There are positives that have been presented that I would like to highlight, including:
With that said, there are areas that we need to find solutions to improve upon.
The most important issue facing our citizens is addressing homelessness. We are continuing to invest heavily in this area and measuring those results will take time. The partnership with BC Housing to implement both STEP Place and Trailside Transitional Housing has brought 120 units to the city in less than eight months of signing the MOU. We realize this is a complex issue and continue to advocate and collaborate with the Province and Interior Health for more complex care resources.
Community Safety sentiment has flat lined, and this is something to acknowledge, as it is no longer decreasing. In fact, the number of people feeling “very safe” has increased since the 2022 survey. However, we need to commit to increasing this perception and prioritize safety for all communities in Kelowna.
Since the start of our Council term, we have approved a historic number of new positions to RCMP, Bylaw, and Fire Safety Services. We continue to advocate and collaborate with external agencies and higher levels of government to achieve increased community safety in areas beyond our control, including legislative changes on drug decriminalization and bail reform. Recently, I had discussions with our Director of Public Safety and our local Crown Prosecutor to add more prosecution resources to Kelowna to assist with issues around repeat offenders.
Finally, we will be implementing the Task Force recommendations that were approved by Council last week. Specifically, the recommendations to advocate for tiered responses to community concerns and for measures to address repeat property offenders
It’s important that residents know the significance of this survey to Council. Our residents have told us what is most important to them, the areas where they are satisfied, and, more importantly, where we can improve as a city.
It is clear today that our Priorities continue to align with their responses, and we continue to commit to increasing quality of life in this place we all call home.