Watch meetings live or via the webcast archive
Council meetings are livestreamed at westkelownacity.ca/webcasts and archived within one business day. To view the March 11 webcast archive, please visit pub-westkelowna.escribemeetings.com.
Key business award winners congratulated
Council congratulated the recipients of the Greater Westside Board of Trade’s annual Key Business Awards on Feb. 27. Nicole Richard of Wax Pencil Imagery received the Geoffrey Paynter Citizen of the Year Award. Lakesider Brewing was awarded Business of the Year. Other winners were:
· Brent Ducharme Marketing
· Bylands Garden Centre
· Dr. Cara Curtis and NEXT Clinic
· Hergott Law
· Okanagan Pasta Company
· Potentia Human Resources
· Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital
· Sncewips Heritage Museum
· The Cake Mama
· Westbank Museum
Housing Accelerator Fund contributions announced
Council thanked the Government of Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing for providing the City with nearly $8 million under the Housing Accelerator Fund to help fast-track 233 additional homes within the next three years and support the construction of 780 units over the next decade. The funding will support new incentives to:
· Increase infill housing.
· Fast-track standardized housing designs.
· Complete zoning updates that will encourage more rental, affordable and missing middle housing.
· Seek opportunities to develop affordable non-market housing on public lands through a land inventory.
· Improve technologies, such e-permitting, to help streamline developmental approvals.
Council and staff will work together to best invest the funds and support new housing units.
Audited Financial Statement process presented
BDO provided a presentation to Council on the process for preparing the 2024 Audited Financial Statements, which will be presented to Council for review during a public meeting later this spring, once ready, and then be posted on the City’s website after being received. The statements will also be included in the Annual Report, which will be published online by the end of June.
Utility rates bylaw amendments proceed to adoption
Council gave three readings to the Utility and Financial Fee Amendments Bylaw that, if adopted, will increase sewer and water rates by an average of $31.51 per quarter per customer in the Powers Creek Service Area and $ 21.51 per quarter per household in the Rose Valley Service Area. Sewer fee increases of 6.3 per cent account for higher than anticipated costs for the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) sewer contract and more staff hours to maintain the distribution system. Water rate increases of 5.7 per cent for Rose Valley and 9.4 per cent for Powers Creek account for price increases for treatment chemicals, higher contractor costs and greater maintenance needs for aging systems. Curbside waste collection fees did not increase.
Five-Year Financial Plan and Ten-Year Capital Plan adopted
Council adopted the 2025 to 2029 Financial Plan Bylaw with a budget increase of 7.31 per cent for municipal taxes to fund current operations, requested and required service increases in bylaw, policing, fire protection, technology and other areas, and capital improvement in parks, active transportation, facilities and other infrastructure. The full financial plan can be found online at westkelownacity.ca/budget.
Provincial Housing Target Order – Interim Progress Report
Council received a staff update on progress towards achieving the Provincial Housing Target Order of 2,266 net new completed housing units by July 31, 2029, and accepted a progress report for the first six-months, from Aug. 1, 2024, to Jan. 31, 2025. In the first six months, 100 units were completed and 36 were demolished, for 64 net new units. The City’s target for the first reporting year, ending July 31, 2025, is 289 net new units. During the period, the City also approved 563 new units through rezoning, development permits, and issued building permits to help toward achieving future targets.
Council supports 2025 Emergency Training and Equipment grant application
Council supported the RDCO making a joint application, on behalf of partnering local governments, to the provincial 2025 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Training and Equipment Supports grant program, seeking $240,000 to support staff training and additional technology and equipment for the region’s EOC, which is activated during States of Local Emergency to support response and recovery.
Zoning Bylaw No. 320 Update
Staff provided additional information and clarification, which Council requested during the Jan. 14, meeting, when adoption of proposed Zoning Bylaw No. 0320 was deferred. Council received clarification on maximum floor size for carriage houses and optional parking reductions in the Westbank and Boucherie Urban Centres. Council also made decisions on five discussion points related to residential electric vehicle charging requirements, and conditions for height, parcel size, setbacks and frontage in the Neighbourhood Centre (NC1) Zone. Staff will incorporate Council’s decisions into the Zoning Bylaw, which will be considered for adoption at a future meeting. View the complete presentation and discussion via the webcast archive.
Notice of Motion
Councillor Stephen Johnston provided a notice of motion that would direct staff to conduct a preliminary, high-level review of the portion of 2490 Shannon Woods Drive, fronting Shannon Lake Road, to generally determine whether there are potential challenges, such as encumbrances on the land, that would prevent the construction of a Community Centre/Day Care Facility as proposed by the Shannon Lake Neighbourhood Association, and to report back to Council with a brief report summarizing their findings. Council may consider the motion as early as the March 25 meeting.