Mayor Tom Dyas shared his vision for the city's future at the annual State of the City address hosted by the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 15, for a sold-out audience of nearly 300 people. The mayor highlighted the city's achievements in 2023 and outlined the key priorities and challenges for 2024 and beyond. "We have continued to invest in our infrastructure, services, and amenities to meet the needs of our growing and diverse community,” said Mayor Dyas. “We have also strengthened our partnerships with other levels of government, Indigenous communities, businesses, and non-profit organizations to address the complex issues facing our city, such as housing affordability, homelessness, climate change, and economic recovery."

He noted that in 2023, the City of Kelowna issued a record-breaking $1.76 billion dollars’ worth of building permits – up 46 per cent from 2022.

“This not only reflects the strong demand for development in our city, but also the confidence that investors have in our market,” he said. The mayor focused on Council’s six key priorities and 22 corresponding actions taken to guide the City’s business planning and investment decisions. The six Council Priorities are Crime and Safety,  Affordable Housing, Homelessness, Transportation, Agriculture and Climate and Environment Mayor Dyas also highlighted accountability as a hallmark of Council, noting the introduction of:

• A lobbyist registry,

• The Council code of conduct,

• Six-month Council Priority progress reporting,

• In-house value-for-money audits, in addition to our existing third-party audits,

• An Accessibility Advisory Committee,

• Committee of the Whole presentations,

• Grant support for community organizations,

And a financial health dashboard to show how the City is performing financially year-to-year.

Looking ahead, the mayor highlighted:

• Plans for an Uptown Rutland Business Association on-call program to provide security and outreach services to Rutland, similar to the Downtown Kelowna red shirt on-call team.

• The start of the hotel and parkade project and Kelowna International Airport, enhancing its role as a regional hub and economic driver.

• That is in addition to the largest infrastructure project in the airport's history – a $108-million terminal building expansion, fully funded by travellers.

• Continued advocacy to other levels of government on issues such as short-term rental plan and legislation, homelessness, boundaries for illicit drug use, infrastructure funding and health supports for complex care housing and other forms of supportive housing.

“Kelowna is a great city. It is getting better every day. We have a strong and diverse economy, a vibrant and dynamic community, and a stunning natural setting,” said Mayor Dyas. “We are in a strong financial position, we have a vision and a plan for our growth, and we have the resources and the partnerships to make it happen.”