Respect the covenant

I question just how stupid Toursim Kelowna thinks the people of Kelowna are? 

The argument that the visitor centre needs to be on the lakefront to showcase the beauty of the area and entice visitors to stay and do more is pathetic.  In case the folks from Tourism Kelowna haven’t noticed, unless you come into the city blind folded, you can’t miss the beauty of the area long before you ever reach their preferred location.
 
Short of heavy fog, when flying into YWL it’s kind of hard to miss the scenery of the mountains and the lake.  After all, the lake is what, 135 km long?  I’d imagine it looks pretty darn impressive from up there too. Once you get in the terminal they have a kiosk with brochures on all the things to do in the area. I seem to remember the odd shop with locally made or themed gift items too.
 
Driving in from 33, you get past that pesky hairpin and around the next corner what do you see? Oh there’s that lake and a pretty good view of the city.  Driving up from Penticton you drive right beside the lake and can’t help but take in the beautiful scenery. Coming in from Vancouver, off the connector and what the first thing you see... there’s that lake again! Coming in from the north? If you’re feeling adventurous you can take Westside Rd., where if one is not careful while taking in the beauty of the lake you might wind up in it. Or for the less adventurous you can take Hwy 97 where you pass three other beautiful lakes on the way in.
 
I can understand the desire to have a visitor centre in close proximity to the downtown core to allow for foot traffic. Are you kidding me that there isn’t any other vacant or soon to be vacant locations remotely near downtown? Last I checked there is still a boarded up former fast food restaurant right on the highway, the RCMP will be moving into a new location and couldn’t space for this have been accommodated for in the Central Green development?
 
Tourism Kelowna’s proposal to put the new visitor centre right on the lake is nothing more than a ploy to have the city hand them a prime spot on the lake for a shiny new building. With a towering new hotel planned for the area we don’t need more buildings right on the lakefront, we can’t make more open public space on the lakefront.  
 
I see now that Tourism Kelowna’s proposal could contradict the terms of the Simpson covenant. How much money is the city going to pour into trying to side step it this time?  I ask city council to do what’s right. Respect the covenant, don’t throw away our lakefront for future generations and put the visitor centre somewhere else.

Brian Parke