Public amenities to support our quality of life.
Sports
I support a renewed sports strategy in order to ensure adequate supply of indoor and outdoor recreational space. This includes:
- Hockey rinks and sports field additions to match our population growth. Waitlists and high costs need to come down, and every part of town should be treated fairly. I do not support the cutbacks made to the Rutland sports improvements.
- Apple Bowl upgrades as proposed by the current city council.
- Support a neighborhood-based spots amenity survey to determine future demand for sports fields, including permanent cricket fields, a second disc golf course, a skatepark, and access to public indoor pickleball courts.
Parks
Public outdoor space is incredibly important. We need enough sports fields for our kids, linear parks for recreation, and pleasant spaces for our many cultural events.
Of course, we need to prevent overnight sheltering in parks while ensuring no needles or broken glass are ever found, but park planning and park activation is so much more than that. Here are some changes I support:
Of course, we need to prevent overnight sheltering in parks while ensuring no needles or broken glass are ever found, but park planning and park activation is so much more than that. Here are some changes I support:
- Expand linear parks and off-street connections between neighbourhoods, schools, and services while championing an expanded creekside and lakeshore linear park strategy. Shift land acquisition towards continuous Millbridge-park style connections along our various waterways
- Expand Kelowna's tree canopy with a 3-30-300 approach to urban park and street tree strategies. Renew Kelowna's urban tree strategy by aligning the OCP and zoning bylaw to the tree canopy objectives.
- Investment in neighborhoods-based community bandshells such as Victoria's Cameron Bandshell in parks to support Parks Alive! events and other music festivals or concerts.
- No further purchases of golf courses to convert into non-golf use, and preservation of currently-private courses in future OCPs. Continue long-term recreation conversion plans for Michaelbrook.
- Focus on a riverfront and waterfront land acquisition through a buy-sever-sell and predesignating strategy.
- Expand park activations with greater investments in active-use and, in the case of urban parks, recreational / food retail opportunities.
- Ban the sale of City parks and ensure no-net-loss of public canopy and natural areas.
- Expand recreational cycling and hiking paths.
- Retrofit older parks with amenities that support Parks Alive, sports, socializing, and more.
Arts and Recreation
I support calls from community organizations for action on a New Performing Arts Center. Having performed numerous times in the Kelowna Community Theatre with the Theatre Kelowna Society, Kelowna Actors' Studio, during the BC Interior Jazz Festival, the Kiwanis Music Festival, and many other events, I understand the importance of a modern center capable of bringing tourism and economic growth to Kelowna. It will not happen overnight, but the theatre should be added to the capital plan. It is for these same reasons that the City should conduct market analysis on the feasibility of incentives for a privately-built convention centre.
Preservation and revitalization of the remaining heritage commercial buildings in the Tolko Mill site, along with a fully public waterfront during development of the area.
I support a decentralized Okanagan Regional Library model, with small pickup branches serving every town centre in Kelowna.
Preservation and revitalization of the remaining heritage commercial buildings in the Tolko Mill site, along with a fully public waterfront during development of the area.
I support a decentralized Okanagan Regional Library model, with small pickup branches serving every town centre in Kelowna.
