West Kelowna

The ball is in the BC government’s court now that the West Kelowna Mayor has laid out the crucial needs of the young district.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo

West Kelowna Mayor, Doug Findlater

West Kelowna mayor and council stressed the need for ongoing sustainable infrastructure funding from Ottawa and Victoria on the opening day of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention, held in Victoria all this week.

“When the District of West Kelowna incorporated, the province advised us that we would be supported in securing appropriate crown land for municipal purposes,” said Mayor Doug Findlater. “The District needs land for a variety of our functions, including a works yard, fire hall, and municipal hall. As yet we have not been successful in securing crown land grants, and we asked Mr. Bennett for much-needed support from his ministry to reach this goal. ”

Findlater and his council advised Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, that the district has undertaken an informal review of services the municipality receives from other governments and is looking forward to opening the dialogue with service providers on its findings.

“When West Kelowna incorporated and took over many services previously provided by other governments, there was no formal review of services at the time,” the mayor went on. “Five years later, we are taking a look at what services we receive from others and analyzing them with what is best for the West Kelowna taxpayer in mind. ”

Findlater, who also took part in the BC Mayor’s Caucus, added that Bennett “was very receptive” to the information West Kelowna provided and promised to follow up on these topics.

The Mayor’s Caucus endorsed the following statement:

“We agree that our communities require immediate action to provide stable, predictable, long-term infrastructure funding from federal and provincial governments, to meet municipal needs as defined by each community’s priorities. This statement affirms and complements the efforts of UBCM and FCM to address the infrastructure needs of communities to ensure social, economic, and environmental well-being.”