message from the mayor

Kelowna is in a pivotal time in its evolution—one full of great opportunities and some pressing priorities. As I reflect on the past year, I am filled with gratitude and admiration for all that we have accomplished together.

As your Mayor, I have had the privilege of working with a Council that is committed to tackling the strategic shifts, improvements and changes that are important to the community. Over the past year, together with our community partners and other levels of government, we took bold and decisive actions to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of our residents and businesses.

Despite the devastating wildfire season that impacted our residents and community on many levels, we have shown resilience, collaboration, and innovation in our collective efforts to build a stronger, safer, and more sustainable city.

We invested in crime and safety, affordable housing, homelessness, transportation, agriculture, and climate and environment. We also leveraged our partnerships with the Province of BC and Government of Canada, community organizations, and the private sector to secure funding, resources, and support for important programs and projects to improve quality of life for our residents.

Kelowna stands at the cusp of an exciting era. Tackling our community’s priorities head on, and making way for some of the most ambitious capital and infrastructure projects in the city’s history, underscores our focus on action. And preserving what we already love about our city demonstrates a commitment to both tradition and progress.

Through our 2040 Official Community Plan, we are strategically managing our community’s incredible growth, while seizing the opportunity to create a city like no other. As we move forward, our focus on action remains unwavering. We're not just addressing issues; we're leveraging opportunities to create a city that exemplifies resilience, progress, and inclusivity. Kelowna's future is a testament to the strength of unity, innovation, and a collective determination to turn challenges into triumphs.

Through a fiscally responsible manner, work is continually being done to ensure we deliver on more infrastructure projects that our community, growing at an exponential rate, not only deserves, but needs. This year we will invest $95 million in infrastructure projects that improve quality of life for residents, including $21 million toward creating and improving spaces where community gathers. We will invest approximately $422 million in upgrades to airport infrastructure in the next 10 years to better meet the needs of our growing region, and significant progress is being made in advancing key infrastructure projects across Kelowna through the Building a Stronger Kelowna initiative. We are making these investments because we believe that they are essential for the future of our city, our business community and quality of life. We want to create a city that is safe, livable, accessible, and prosperous—a city that is ready for growth, and ready for the future.

While there is much to celebrate from last year, we also recognize we have a lot of work to do. As we look ahead to 2024, we are committed to continuing our pace forward. We have an ambitious and strategic plan to continue investing in our city’s future, and to deliver on the Imagine Kelowna vision. To achieve the best possible future for Kelowna, we must continue to collaborate to seize its potential and find innovative solutions that foster our collective progress. We have a bright future ahead of us, and the opportunity to shape it together.

Read the 2023 Annual Report to learn more.