West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom delivered a virtual State of the City address hosted by the Greater Westside Board of Trade that reflects West Kelowna’s continued strong economy despite the effects of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
Sponsored by Kelly O’Bryan’s restaurant, the virtual presentation included a background package sent to participants in advance of Mayor Milsom’s address that highlighted key accomplishments, provided a glimpse into the City’s current strong financial and operational state with record-breaking development statistics, along with Council’s adopted 2021 - 2022 Strategic Priorities and Budget that positions West Kelowna for continued success and prosperity.
“With the strong economic indicators reflecting our steady growth rate, a record number of construction permit values in the first quarter of 2021 along with the services we provide, West Kelowna is truly the place to be,” says Mayor Gord Milsom. “BC Business magazine just identified West Kelowna as the 8th most resilient City in the province with our strong economic health even during mid-pandemic conditions. Our Council’s focus continues to reflect significant community investments that foster well-planned growth, including greater infrastructure and economic investments, long-range official community planning, community safety and other strategies that continue to help our residents and businesses prosper,” says Milsom.
BC Statistics estimates West Kelowna’s population reached 36,496 in 2020, a steady 1.5 per cent increase over 2019. “West Kelowna continues to attract residents who are seeking to live, work and play in our beautiful city and we’re so proud of how our positive community growth contributes to the Okanagan region,” says Mayor Milsom.
Economic growth and prosperity remains one of four pillars of Council’s 2021 – 2022 Strategic Priorities, which focusses on providing diverse housing, increasing commercial and residential vitality and growth, and offering an attractive community to invest in for generations to come. “We also look forward to working in collaboration with Westbank First Nation on our future planning, as they conduct theirs, to benefit the Greater Westside,” says Milsom. “The Greater Westside continues to evolve and we are excited to implement our plans to further grow the local economy.”
To view the State of the City address visit the City of West Kelowna website.