Exciting future ahead for Kelowna as mayor looks back on 2021

While the past year brought tremendous climate change and pandemic related challenges, Kelowna’s mayor maintains there is plenty of reason to remain optimistic about the city’s future.

Colin Basran said the community is the envy of many, with people flocking to the Central Okanagan in droves.

“I am really proud we are building a city so many people want to be a part of,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to see what 2022 brings. But there appears to be no signs of things slowing down. People want to be in Kelowna because there is a lot of great things happening here.”

In 2021, Basran said city lawmakers took several steps to set the stage for future growth by getting some major initiatives across the line.

Topping the list, signing off on the official community plan (OCP). The comprehensive document - essentially a blueprint for the future - will steer the direction of the city for the next 20 years.

Approving the new downtown University of British Columbia Okanagan campus is a project Basran was personally proud to see move ahead.

“That to me is really indicative of where we are going as a community. And having a UBCO campus downtown is really a game changer for our city,” he said.

Another highlight on the calendar; Meet Me on Bernard, the closure of Bernard Ave. for alfresco dining, expanded retail space, public art, and performances. The mayor is not shy in admitting his support for an extended closure of Bernard to traffic.

“The fact we were able to roll that out and see how welcome and embraced it was by the community, that was really special,” he said.

The year offered ample opportunity for lessons, Basran said, with his belief in science strengthened.

Kelowna was not spared from the impacts of climate change, with supply lines severed in the fall and suffocating smoke washing over the city in the summer. It all came alongside record-breaking heat and cold.

City lawmakers are not blind to the challenges posed by a more unpredictable and extreme climate, with Basran pegging it as one of the biggest hurdles ahead for the city. He said these and other events have influenced planning, with reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate resiliency baked into guiding documents like the OCP.

“We as a city will do the best that we can within the things that we can control,” he said. “At the end of the day this city is still going to be progressing forward.”

Another headwind facing the city, affordable housing, and a lack thereof. The mayor believes the city is doing a “good job controlling the things we can control,” touting the speed at which the city processes development applications and pointing to the fact more housing than ever is going up.

However, he said the city needs support from the provincial and federal government when it comes to affordable rental housing.

“Given the escalating price of rent, it’s getting harder for people to be able to afford that, so we are going to need the help of higher levels of government,” he said, noting housing, affordability, and housing for the homeless remain top priorities for the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus, which he co-chairs.

The coming year will see voters head to the polls to elect municipal governments. The mayor continues to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to his political future. With just shy of a year left in the term, Basran said he remains focused on working with his colleagues to accomplish as much as they can before the writ drops.

He said an announcement will come in the months ahead.