Capital News Editorial October 24 - Alistair Waters
I want to thank all the citizen's of Kelowna that voted for me on election day. It is an honor and a pleasure to serve you. I look forward to working with Mayor Basran and the other 7 Council members during the next four years. We also welcome Loyal Wooldridge to Council. I look forward to working with him.
Luke Stack
Results for Councillor
What a wonderful day for the annual Uptown Rutland Scarecrow Festival. Lots of families out for a great day in the sun. Being the last week of the municipal campaign there were lots of scarecrows and politicians in attendance. Thanks URBA.
Stephen Fuhr, MP for Kelowna Lake Country wrote:
As our communities grow and change, so do the challenges. Homelessness, which has a social and economic impact on every community in Canada, remains one of the most urgent.
Recently, I received a copy of Journey Home, the City of Kelowna’s strategy to address homelessness. The report provides a five-year framework that will ensure a coordinated and accessible system of care for those in Kelowna who have lost, or are at risk of losing their home.
As noted in the report, Kelowna is home to many excellent services run by dedicated people and is a community ready and willing to collaborate to be effective. I want to commend the City of Kelowna and all those who contributed to this comprehensive and well thought-out plan.
What a glorius day to celebrate the opening of the Okanagan Rail trail. This amazing trail runs from down town Kelowna to Coldstream in the norh. It will prove to be one of the Okanagn's greatest treasures. The City of Kelowna played a pivotal role in securing this trail, both in leadership and financing. It is one of thengs I am most proud of. Secondly, the teamwork in achieving this day was unprecendented. Federal, Provincial and municipal governments worked together and the citizens of the valley, working with the ORT committee, they raised the money for the trail improvements. Millions of dollars raised and invested into this great asset. Congradulations are in order for all who made this happen.
Council had a challenging week as we debated the best way to move forward on the Capri Landmark Town Center plan. Please note that I am in favor of implementing the new plan - particularly in the Capri area. It is a great plan with the exception of the Sutherland Road extension that is proposed. If staff can come up with a more practical solution for improving transportation in the Landmark area the plan can be finalized and moved forward. The vast majority of City staff's work on this is really good and will not go to waste.
I want to thank the volunteers that helped me put my election signs in place.Special appreciation goes to Anne, Gary, Ryan, Pam, Trevor and Lauren for all you help this last week. You made this job really fun.
Today, Friday, September 7, the official ribbon cutting took place to celebrate, along with our funding partners, the completion of John Hindle Drive and pedestrian and cycling network improvements. John Hindle Drive opened to public Friday, August 31.
The $12 million John Hindle Drive project provides alternative access to UBC Okanagan and Kelowna Airport, reduces congestion and travel times along Highway 97 and provides an alternate connection to Glenmore Road, improving network connectivity and increasing mobility.
This important road and cycling network addition, connects the City’s north end with UBC Okanagan and Hollywood Road North as well as completes the final segment of John Hindle Drive, connecting Glenmore Landfill with UBC Okanagan.
L-R - Kelowna Counclllors - Brad Sieben, Maxine Dehart, Mohini Singh, Luke Stack, Ryan Donn, Mayor Colin Basran and Gail Given. The new road is below us.
“Over the next 20 years, by encouraging future growth in urban centres and making investments like John Hindle Drive that make sustainable transportation options easier and more convenient, we will be able to meet the increasing demand for travel with less need for expensive road expansions,” said Mayor Colin Basran.
Work getting under way to improve water services for Kelowna residents. The budget is a whopping $85.9 million dollars.
Kelowna, British Columbia, July 11, 2018—The governments of Canada and British Columbia recognize how important investing in modern reliable water services is to building healthy sustainable communities.
The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Colin Basran, Mayor of Kelowna, today attended the ground-breaking of Phase 1 of the Kelowna Integrated Water Project. Member of Parliament for Kelowna‒Lake Country, Stephen Fuhr, also participated in the event.
Phase 1 is a multi-year project that involves separating agricultural and domestic systems in Southeast Kelowna and providing a sustainable water supply for agriculture in South Mission. The federal government is providing $26,450,000 and the provincial government is providing $17,457,000 for the project through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. The City of Kelowna is providing $19,100,000.
This work will improve the City’s core south-end water infrastructure with upgrades to its two main pumping stations, increased reservoir capacity and the installation of a larger diameter transmission main. A new separated water distribution system will also be created to provide South East Kelowna Irrigation District residents with year-round clean water and improve storage capacity.
Once complete, the project will provide cleaner drinking water to almost 2,000 households in Southeast Kelowna and bring the City into early compliance with Interior Heath’s 2025 clean drinking water mandate.