Kelowna Construction

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Just heard from Destination Castlegar that the top city inquiring about moving here is Vancouver.

People, especially Vancouverities, are grossly underestimating how off-putting the City has become. Not on in one regard, but for a whole ensemble of reasons.

I expect this trend to continue, and I actually think its amazing for BC.

This is what's needed. Younger, mobile, educated, risk taking populations moving into less dense centers and spreading some of that love throughout the province.

This means better food in small town BC, more incomes being spent in small town BC, more business opening in small town BC.

Its a very positive trend - we need some decentralization.

[Denscity]

Ya I'm all for it!

[DKaz]

The major reasons people stay in Vancouver are they're already established there in terms of work and housing, they have family there (this is huge), or they like the really big city.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by DKaz

The major reasons people stay in Vancouver are they're already established there in terms of work and housing, they have family there (this is huge), or they like the really big city.

This is true, I also love the big city, but sadly Vancouver’s push negatives are starting to really battle against its pull positives, while the pull positives of Kelowna and surrounding areas are really starting to outweigh the push negatives.

To put it short, let’s just say Kelowna is a far more attractive alternative to Vancouver both socially and economically today than it was 15 years ago.

[Repthe250]

My boyfriend and I plan to relocate to Kelowna from the Lower Mainland this summer, and we know of several others who have or are planning on doing so within the next year. Young families too. I can honestly say, while Vancouver provided some “fun” in our 20s, we are now 30 and Kelowna is extremely appealing for all the right reasons.

[KelownaResident]

Originally Posted by Repthe250

My boyfriend and I plan to relocate to Kelowna from the Lower Mainland this summer, and we know of several others who have or are planning on doing so within the next year. Young families too. I can honestly say, while Vancouver provided some “fun” in our 20s, we are now 30 and Kelowna is extremely appealing for all the right reasons.

May I ask what type of place you're looking for? SFM, TH, 2br condo, etc...

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

This is true, I also love the big city, but sadly Vancouver’s push negatives are starting to really battle against its pull positives, while the pull positives of Kelowna and surrounding areas are really starting to outweigh the push negatives.

To put it short, let’s just say Kelowna is a far more attractive alternative to Vancouver both socially and economically today than it was 15 years ago.

This is exactly correct.

22 years of my life I invested into this city, my business here, my place here.

From where I sit, and everyone has different perspectives, the confluence of trends all headed in the wrong direction, and the complete lack of leadership on any level, or even really an honest acknowledgement of things going wrong is pushing me out.

I prefer being in the big City, as I say, I been in East Van or North Burnaby for 2 decades. More food, more to do, more everything.

But the negatives are outweighing the positives. Many people are doing the same calculation.

[davee930]

I'm surprised Kelowna doesn't have 10 times as many high rises. Seems like an ideal place for lots of Canadians.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by rofina

This is exactly correct.

22 years of my life I invested into this city, my business here, my place here.

From where I sit, and everyone has different perspectives, the confluence of trends all headed in the wrong direction, and the complete lack of leadership on any level, or even really an honest acknowledgement of things going wrong is pushing me out.

I prefer being in the big City, as I say, I been in East Van or North Burnaby for 2 decades. More food, more to do, more everything.

But the negatives are outweighing the positives. Many people are doing the same calculation.

Me and my partner are considering the same thing - it is dependent on whether Kelowna's food scene can sustain a restaurant from a well-known chef in Montreal...I grew up in the Valley, never though I'd return, but Vancouver is not interesting enough of a city anymore to justify it's prices, nor is the pay good enough. High home prices definitely slashed the City down just as it was about to mature. Now it's at risk of becoming a Panama of the North Pacific. In fact, Canadian cities in general are horrendously overpriced for what you get. Everyone buying a multi-million dollar stucco McMansion in Scarborough or Burnaby should look at what you could get in more well known, more desirable major cities around the world, and then look at their pay, and consider their life choices.

[Prometheus]

The problem is that many city councils across BC are making the fatal mistake of following the City of Vancouver's dead end policies of fetishizing drug addicts and the homeless, abdicating their responsibility to enforce basic laws regarding public order, and surrendering their public spaces to illegal occupations and encampments.

Moreover, the few city councils which refuse to go down that suicidal route just end up being undermined by the provincial NDP government which can and has exercised its unilateral power to to plop down homeless shelters and "temporary" modular housing in any neighbourhood in any town it likes. There really isn't anywhere half-desirable in BC which isn't being thrown under the bus of failed policies by either the local city council or the province or both:

Penticton won't allow emergency winter homeless shelter to remain open after March 31

March 2, 2021 CBC

Penticton city council has voted unanimously to deny B.C. Housing a temporary-use permit that the agency needs to continue to run an emergency winter homeless shelter past March 31.

The decision was made at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon where the mayor and councillors discussed the future of the 42-bed shelter at 352 Winnipeg Street in the Okanagan city's downtown.

Upon hearing the news of the rejected permit, B.C. Housing Minister David Eby said he was "profoundly disappointed" and told CBC News he would do everything in his power to ensure that the people currently staying at the shelter do not end up living in a tent encampment.

The move comes amid growing frustration from Penticton's mayor and council over issues with the city's homeless population and B.C. Housing's three supportive housing projects.

In late January, Penticton asked the agency for an independent audit of how it runs them before considering a fourth such building in the city.

And last month, Mayor John Vassilaki attributed the Penticton RCMP's heavy caseload and an influx of homeless people to the three supportive housing projects.

Source: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/penticton-wont-allow-emergency-winter-044921543.html

Well, good luck with that:

Fight dramatically escalates between BC Housing, Penticton council over downtown winter shelter

By Doyle Potenteau Global News
Posted March 10, 2021

It appears BC Housing isn’t taking no for an answer in its emergency-shelter fight with Penticton city council.

Earlier this month, in a unanimous decision, Penticton council flatly denied BC Housing’s request to extend the 42-bed shelter on Winnipeg Street.

The controversial downtown site was given a temporary-use permit in October, albeit reluctantly by council, with the permit good until April 1.

With the expiration date nearing, BC Housing recently asked council if the temporary-use permit could be extended for a calendar year, to which the city said no.

“We made it very clear at that time that it was just temporary,” Coun. Katie Robinson said during a council meeting earlier this month, “and I believe it’s incumbent upon us to go forward and do what we said we were going to do, which was to shut it down on March 31 when it was over.”

On Wednesday, BC Housing fired a warning shot over council’s bow, stating it has the legal authority to override council’s decision.

In a letter dated March 8 to city council, BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsay said Section 14(2) of the Interpretation Act grants “paramountcy” powers to the provincial government.

Section 14(2) of the Act therefore authorizes the provincial government to proceed with the ‘use of development of land or … improvements’ in particular instances without complying with the bylaws (including zoning bylaws) of a municipal government,” wrote Ramsay. “The province would prefer not to exercise its extraordinary powers under Section 14(2) of the Act to override the bylaws of the City of Penticton and allow for the continued use of the property for the shelter. However, the province may be left with no alternative but to do so if an accommodation between the province and the City of Penticton cannot be reached."

Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/7688684/winter-shelter-fight-b-c-housing-penticton-council/

Anyone hoping to escape the destructive direction the City of Vancouver is going in may be seriously disappointed with what they find happening in other small towns across the province.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

The problem is that many city councils across BC are making the fatal mistake of following the City of Vancouver's dead end policies of fetishizing drug addicts and homelessness, abdicating their responsibility to enforce basic laws regarding public order, and surrendering their public spaces to illegal occupations and encampments.

Moreover, the few city councils which refuse to go down that suicidal route just end up being undermined by the provincial NDP government which can and has exercised its unilateral power to to plop down homeless shelters and "temporary" modular housing in any neighbourhood in any town it likes. There really isn't anywhere half-desirable in BC which isn't being thrown under the bus of failed policies by either the local city council or the province or both:





Well, good luck with that:




Anyone hoping to escape the destructive direction the City of Vancouver is going in may be seriously disappointed with what they find happening in other small towns across the province.

God, this infuriates me.

You have a view into the future, a literal crustal ball, by looking to Vancouver.

Why, why, why, why would we ever spread such a failure of a model around the rest of the province? I just cant wrap my mind around it.

[csbvan]

Oof, some dinosaurs in this thread.

[Metro-One]

Let’s not go too extreme here, homeless shelters and facilities are still needed and important to have, the mistake that Vancouver has done that other cities should take note of is completely having given up on enforcement.

For example, not enforcing overnight campers in parks to pack up in the morning, which then enables the creation of tent cities.

Not cracking down on illegal panhandling / harassment.

[DKaz]

The first step to getting someone off drugs and homelessness is to give them a place to call home.

[Twindragon]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Let’s not go too extreme here, homeless shelters and facilities are still needed and important to have, the mistake that Vancouver has done that other cities should take note of is completely having given up on enforcement.

For example, not enforcing overnight campers in parks to pack up in the morning, which then enables the creation of tent cities.

Not cracking down on illegal panhandling / harassment.

Do other cities crack down though? It seems to me all major cities have a homeless problem. Difference with Vancouver is it’s a coastal city with a mild temp so it’s going to have more homeless there than some place freezing in the winter.

[DKaz]

I heard Victoria was worse off per capita than Vancouver so I went looking for the number of homeless people in different regions:

Metro Vancouver as a whole: 3,634
City of Vancouver: 2,095
Source: https://www.vancitycommunityfoundation.c.../2020%20HomelessCount%20PressRelease.pdf

Greater Victoria: 1,523
Source: https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/victoria-homeless-count-movement

Kelowna: 286 (minimum)
Source: https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/kelowna

Kamloops: 153? I don't know which number to pull.
Source: https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/kamloops

Edmonton: around 2000
Sources: https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/edmonton
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmonton-to-set-up-new-temporary-24-7-homeless-shelter

[svlt]

Massive thread derailment that probably qualifies for some mod policing incoming in 3, 2, 1...

I really enjoy looking at the pictures people are taking of Kelowna as it takes shape. Maybe a future relocation for us as well

FWIW, people pay obscene amounts for McMansions in GTA/GVRD suburbia likely because they can't go to another country, or they chose to come to Canada and bring their wealth and families for a reason. The problem is endemic to the entire nation. Simply, there aren't enough desirable cities in a country that has recently become very desirable to much of the rest of the world, leading to the world's second largest country by area having most of its real estate wealth and speculation concentrated into just two nodes.

One of the best ways to relieve some of this pressure is to invest in making other regional parts of the country - Kelowna, Victoria, and later Nanaimo and Kamloops in BC - more desirable and attractive and incentivize businesses and residents to relocate. An Asian family considering Vancouver or Toronto isn't going to consider Edmonton or Saskatoon, but they really just might look at Victoria or Kelowna if the opportunities are there.

[DKaz]

Keeping in mind that Kelowna has only a handful of Asian food markets and Asian restaurants that just don't compare to Vancouver's and Toronto's. Victoria does a little better. I'm surprised they don't have a T&T Supermarket yet.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by DKaz

The first step to getting someone off drugs and homelessness is to give them a place to call home.

Yes. But you have to follow through on steps 2,3,4 and more. There is no follow through or accountability, ever.

[rofina]

Originally Posted by csbvan

Oof, some dinosaurs in this thread.

Dinosaur = person that finds underlying conditions that allow encampments like Strathcona to become a reality completely unpalatable and in need of change to decrease human misery and pain.

Got it.

Lets turn City Park into Strathcona, because why not? I love needles.