Okanagan Falls community pushing to revamp itself

“Business-wise, it’s lost a lot now.” 

A town down on its luck needs help revitalizing the community.

Okanagan Falls businesses are hoping to see work put in the town to help bring it forward into the future.

“A lot of cleanup could be done,” said Mike Arcand, Owner of the Raven’s Oddities in Okanagan Falls. “Every part of the town, things like highways could be painted better.

“It’s a great traffic area for business, you can just see the people coming by every day. So it has promise, it has hope.”

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen was presented with the 2020 Economic Development & Recovery Plan for the community on Thursday. It was prepared by Okanagan Falls Community Association and RDOS members, and the document outlines what is needed for the town to get back on its feet over the next three years . 

“Business keeps closing up and opening, it's tough. For the small community…. We [need] more businesses to open up and more people can [start] coming here,” said Ken Tuan, owner of Falls Restaurant.

The community saw the only grocery store in the small town, IGA, close during the summer of 2019. Only a few restaurants and shops populate the main street now, where the economic decline has hit. 

Residents' biggest concerns still revolve around getting a grocery store and making the community more attractive for young families to move in.