Photo: Contributed

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.

The City of West Kelowna is advising the public that it is not involved in negotiations related to the current transit service disruption affecting the Kelowna Regional Transit System.

The City of West Kelowna provides funding to BC Transit to provide transit service in West Kelowna. The current labour dispute which has disrupted transit service to the community involves First Canada, BC Transit’s service provider, and its unionized employees.

Similarily, Kelowna, Peachland and Lake Country are also not involved in negotiations.

Information sheets handed out by striking transit workers include contact information for mayor and council in all four communities.

City vehicles are being prevented from entering the city works yard on Hardy Street in Kelowna.

The works yard is behind picket lines set up this morning by striking members of Local 1722 of the Amalgamated Transit Union.

Trucks were allowed to leave. However, pickets are preventing the trucks from re-entering the works yard.

CUPE employees are being allowed access to get their belongings and leave. President Lee Mossman visited the picket lines and urged his members to honour the lines set up by transit workers.

Entrance to both the city works yard and transit yards are accessed at the end of Hardy Street.

City human relations director Stu Leatherdale said the city was taken by surprise by today's picket lines.

Leatherdale said the city expected strike workers would picket the entrance to their facility, not the city works yard.

"It has caused some disruption," said Leatherdale.

"But we're doing our best to try and do some work around it."

One concern is where the fleet of trucks will be stored over the long weekend.

"We are investigating some different options. There are some different things we can do, park them on the street.

"But we're just kind of looking into how we'll deal with that right now. It's hard to give an exact answer."