Kelowna council endorses updated priorities, with added focus on economy

Kelowna City Council has endorsed updated council priorities with an added focus on the economy.

During the Monday afternoon meeting, council “reaffirmed” the existing priorities, which were originally endorsed in March 2023.

Council also reflected on some of the progress made on their six priority areas and over 20 action items, some of which were updated to match council’s goal for the rest of the term, a news release said.

“We’ve accomplished many of the original actions, added new actions that we can significantly advance, as well as realigned some of our priority outcomes based on what we’ve learned,” said Mayor Tom Dyas in the release.

“The new priority area focuses on the economy and is grounded in what we’ve heard from residents, businesses and the communities we serve. It acknowledges that a thriving and resilient economy underpins a good quality of life today and in the future.”

Some of the existing six priorities include crime and safety, affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, agriculture and climate and environment.

Some updated actions from those include:

• Advancing the implementation of Mayor’s Task Force on Crime Reduction recommendations, including Business Improvement Area support

• Meeting provincial/local affordable housing targets with support from the Province

• Completing an Housing Action Plan including incentive options

• Advocating for a regional care facility

• Completing the delivery of tiny home units

• Completing the functional design of the Hwy 33 multi-modal traffic corridor and proposing a partnership delivery model to the Province

• Securing funding for a new transit operations center

• Enhancing traffic safety

• Ensuring sufficient & high-quality agricultural water supply

• Completing the Climate Resilient Kelowna Strategy

Under the new economy focus area, Kelowna City Council wants to “seek opportunities to enhance economic diversification,” attract new employment and support existing business growth, assess the City’s supply of employment lands and consider the City’s investment into economic development, the news release explained.

Dyas says Kelowna is an “entrepreneurial city” and there’s room to build from an economic view.

The next planned review of the priorities is six months from now.