Investing in community safety to better serve Kelowna

Public safety is the number one priority for me, Kelowna city council, and the City of Kelowna.

We know the challenges facing our city—crime, homelessness, mental health and addiction—are complex, and they are being felt in municipalities across the country.

While long-term solutions such as bail reform and increased access to mandatory compassionate care require action and legislation from federal and provincial governments, here in Kelowna we are taking action—local, tangible, and bold steps to make our city safer. A key part of that action is the work underway to strengthen and restructure our bylaw services team.

Bylaw officers play a crucial front-line role in our local community safety force. They are out in neighbourhoods every day responding to concerns, keeping public spaces safe and building relationships across our community.

Since 2022, we have increased the size of our bylaw department operations by 71 per cent. Those changes are not about growth for growth’s sake—they are strategic, purposeful investments to improve how we respond to community needs. The team serves to support two of council’s top priorities—crime and safety and homelessness.

One of the most important changes was expanding the leadership team with back-end support. Additional front-line supervisors mean better coordination, greater accountability, improved professionalism and a closer connection between front-line officers and community partners to respond to operational demands.

Notably, the Encampment Response Unit has received major investment over the past few years and has included a dedicated supervisor, two front-line supervisors and an additional six officers since 2022. Those key investments help ensure the team has the tools and oversight needed to ensure our streets, parks and public spaces are safe.

We now have two permanent bylaw officers stationed in Rutland, with additional officers to be deployed this summer. Those changes will help ensure consistent seven-day-a-week coverage in that area, reducing response times and improving service for residents.

We have also created a new Investigative Services section to handle more complex files, including those responsible for interagency enforcement, whether that be with the RCMP, Kelowna Fire Services or the Agricultural Land Commission Compliance and Enforcement Unit.

That allows front-line general duty officers to stay focused on community presence and rapid response—putting more boots on the ground where they are needed most.

What sets our bylaw team apart is their commitment to collaboration. Bylaw officers are not working alone—they are part of a broader effort that includes non-profit organizations, health and social service providers, the RCMP and the city’s own Community Safety Team.

Together, we are building partnerships that help us respond faster, smarter, and more compassionately.

I want to express my gratitude to every bylaw officer serving our city. Their dedication to community safety is essential and their work is making a real difference.

The restructuring of the Bylaw Services department has made a real positive impact in our community and it is just one part of our broader commitment to building a safer Kelowna.

In our 2025 budget, we committed $1.3 million to fund new RCMP officers, a criminal intelligence analyst and additional bylaw enforcement personnel. That builds on investments made since 2023, including the addition of more than 23 RCMP officers, 10 bylaw officers, and 10 firefighters.

We are also taking a strategic, long-term approach. In 2023, I initiated the Mayor’s Task Force on Crime Reduction, made up of 13 local leaders and community members. Last May, council unanimously adopted all seven of their recommendations, including both immediate actions and longer-term strategies that will strengthen safety for residents, businesses, and neighbourhoods.

Those actions are making a difference. According to the RCMP, since 2022:

• Business break-ins are down 55 per cent.

• Bike thefts have dropped by 49 per cent.

• Overall property crime is down 17 per cent.

Those are encouraging signs that our approach is working but we know there is still more to do. That is why I travelled to Victoria last month to meet with the premier, the attorney general, and the public safety minister.

Public safety was at the forefront of those discussions, including the urgent need for bail reform to address repeat property offenders and the establishment of a mandatory, compassionate care facility in the Okanagan to better support people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges.

I echoed the calls that the B.C. Crown Counsel Association recently made for the need to hire more Crown prosecutors for the Kelowna office.

We have bolstered our public safety resources and it is imperative that the province does the same with provincial justice and safety teams, working together to impact change. The safety of our community will always be this council’s top priority.

We are taking action, we are seeing results and by continuing to work together, we can build a safer Kelowna for everyone.

Tom Dyas is the mayor of Kelowna.