Alistair Waters

1 week 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 week 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 week 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.

1 week ago | castanet.net | Alistair Waters

Kelowna city council has given the green light to new tenant protection measures aimed at supporting renters during redevelopment projects. But in doing so, it dropped a key recommended provision that would have seen developers able to avoid paying evicted tenants an extra two months' rent if the vacancy rate is greater than four per cent at the time of the eviction. Councillors approved the measures in a 7-1 vote, with only Coun. Ron Cannan opposing the measures.

1 week ago | castanet.net | Alistair Waters

Describing the project as one that may well become a “legacy” of the current city council, Kelowna councillors moved the $242.3 million plan to build a new Parkinson Recreation Centre in the city a major step closer to construction Monday by approving a development permit for the project. The move means construction can begin in the next month or two, according to city staff, with a goal of having it up and running by 2027.