City Council reviewed results of the 2020 Citizen Survey at today’s regular Council meeting.
“The outcomes of the Citizen Survey align with the resources we’ve committed over the past few years to address social issues and transportation in our community,” said Mayor Colin Basran. “The timing of the report is ideal as it will help inform any adjustments to our priorities for the remainder of this Council term and give staff insight into perceptions around service delivery and citizen satisfaction.”
A majority of citizens continue to say they receive good value for their municipal tax dollars and highly value City services, on par with other communities in B.C.
Survey Highlights
Although citizen’s believe Kelowna’s overall quality of life is good, indicators point to a continued focus on addressing homelessness, transportation, and crime and safety.
The public agenda continues to see social issues (46%) and transportation (22%) as the top mentions. The COVID pandemic (8%), growth and development (7%), and the economy (7%) are secondary mentions.
Kelowna continues to be seen as a safe community (87%). Citizens’ top five priorities for investment include addressing social issues, encouraging a diverse supply of housing options, drinking water, police and fire services. Citizens continue to prioritize “renewing exiting infrastructure” (64%) versus “building new” (34%).
“What we’ve heard is that Kelowna continues to be a great place to live where the majority of people feel safe, and they enjoy our parks and sports fields, our bike lanes and overall cleanliness in the community,” said Basran. “We also recognize that there are areas we must continue to pay attention to, and we must continue to invest in Journey Home and working with our partners at Interior Health, BC Housing and others.”
The statistically significant telephone/mobile phone survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs to ensure that it was demographically and geographically representative of Kelowna’s population. The last survey was conducted in 2018.