Dyas: Kelowna taking action on public safety

Dealing with city disorder

The start of 2026 continues to bring positive milestones, including the opening of the new departures lounge at the airport and the announcement that Kelowna will host the 2028 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, and there is more to come.

At the same time, we know there is work to do, particularly when it comes to public safety.

Last week, we brought together members of Kelowna’s business community, RCMP, bylaw, provincial government representatives and Interior Health for an important conversation about public safety.

More than 200 business owners took the time to attend, hear about actions being taken and share their experiences. I want to thank everyone who participated, including our panelists and partners, for engaging respectfully.

These are not easy conversations, and these are complex problems.

This was Kelowna’s first forum of this kind and while it was not perfect, I want to thank city staff who did a great job organizing the event. It was an important step in continuing direct dialogue. We are committed to having direct conversations and engaging on this topic going forward.

Tom Dyas is the mayor of Kelowna.

One of our next steps will be scheduling follow-up conversations with businesses to ensure we answer any questions that were not fully addressed at the forum, and also hear their solutions.

Additionally, we are inviting people to share their experiences through our online engagement platform, which will remain open until Feb. 10 at getinvolved.kelowna.ca.

While we continue these discussions, I want to be clear, we are not waiting. We are taking immediate action.

As you have seen, we have increased RCMP and bylaw presence in the areas that need it most, at the times that matter most, particularly in our downtown and urban centres. Kelowna is strengthening how we respond to disorder and repeat issues through faster cleanup, better coordination, and moving people along from storefronts.

We are also supporting stronger collaboration and restructuring between the Downtown Kelowna Association and the Uptown Rutland Business Association on-call team, so businesses are not left dealing with these challenges on their own.

In addition, we are launching a business CCTV registry to help RCMP more quickly identify nearby cameras during investigations, reducing response times and improving follow-up. The city is also introducing a business security enhancement rebate program to help offset one-time security improvements for businesses that are investing to protect their staff and property.

We are taking the actions we can as a municipality. Where we cannot directly make changes, we are advocating strongly for the systemic reforms needed to address the root causes of crime and public disorder.

Kelowna has been clear and direct in our advocacy to provincial and federal governments.

We need at least five additional Crown prosecutors in Kelowna. While our city has experienced rapid growth, the number of Crown prosecutors has not maintained pace. As a result, the Crown and courts are often forced to focus only on the most serious cases, while others stall. When accountability breaks down, repeat offenders cycle back into the community, and businesses and residents feel the impacts.

We also urgently need mandatory compassionate care using the facility capacity we already have.

The correctional facility in Oliver was built in 2016 at a cost of approximately $200 million and has capacity for 378 beds. Today, the facility remains underused, while people in our community are living in crisis, committing repeat offences. All Okanagan mayors and area First Nations have signed a letter asking to advance the Oliver site, and there will be more direct advocacy to follow.

Leaving vulnerable people suffering on the street is not compassionate, it’s neglect. It is not humane and it is not fair to the public, to businesses or to those who need support.

Compassion means getting people into care and keeping them there long enough to stabilize, recover, and turn their lives around.

We also need to work with Interior Health to make changes to the operations of the downtown outreach urban health site. The current location of the site and its proximity to other services is creating havoc and serious public safety concerns for nearby businesses, employees and residents.

The city does not have jurisdiction to make these changes, but we are actively working with Interior Health to advocate for changes that improve safety for everyone.

Kelowna is a community built by people who work hard, take risks, and care deeply about this city.

That is why the current situation cuts so deep and feels so frustrating for so many.

As a city, we recognize we need to put immediate actions in place to support our community.

But it does not end there. We will continue to meet with business owners, explore new local actions we can take, and carry the voice of our community forward to provincial and federal governments.

Kelowna cannot accept a future where disorder becomes our identity.

That is not who we are, and it is not what we stand for. City council will continue working every day to make Kelowna safer for everyone.