Alistair Waters

1 month ago | castanet.net | Alistair Waters

The eyes of the world will be on, and in, Kelowna later this week. Newly installed B.C. Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia will lead a large delegation of dignitaries—representatives stationed in B.C. of more than 30 counties—to Kelowna on Thursday and Friday for a largely private tour of several companies to look at local technology in action.

1 month ago | castanet.net | Kathy Michaels |Nich Johansen |Alistair Waters

UPDATE 12:30 p.m.Former fighter pilot Stephen Fuhr is Kelowna's next MP. Elections Canada finished counting the nearly 5,000 special ballots that were remaining from Monday night just after noon on Tuesday, and Fuhr maintained the narrow lead he set early in the race. He appears to have won the race with just 235 votes. "We’re thrilled," Fuhr said.

1 month ago | castanet.net | Alistair Waters

It turns out, West Kelowna was buying Canadian before it became the thing to do in light of U.S. tariffs. According to the city, a review it conducted of its 2023 and 2024 purchasing showed 99.6% of its purchases were from Canadian suppliers, with only 0.4% from U.S. suppliers. The city says it has also reviewed its capital budget for 2025 and 2026, as well as carry forward projects from previous years, and as a result is projecting less than a 7% risk of price escalation due to tariffs.

1 month ago | castanet.net | Alistair Waters

Kelowna is once again accepting business licence applications for short-term rentals. The move comes after city council adopted several bylaw updates Monday to align Kelowna’s short-term rental regulations with new provincial standards. Council was told that after an extensive review of the city’s short-term rental regulations, and supported by a strong long-term rental vacancy rate, city staff were recommending the update to align the city’s rules with the provincial rules.

1 month ago | castanetkamloops.net | Alistair Waters

Kelowna is once again accepting business licence applications for short-term rentals. The move comes after city council adopted several bylaw updates Monday to align Kelowna’s short-term rental regulations with new provincial standards. Council was told that after an extensive review of the city’s short-term rental regulations, and supported by a strong long-term rental vacancy rate, city staff were recommending the update to align the city’s rules with the provincial rules.