Kelowna continues to attract new residents from across the country and around the world. Encouraging the development of more housing to accommodate everyone who wants to call Kelowna home is a challenge council has embraced and has propelled Kelowna into a leadership role among municipalities in Canada.

Meanwhile, the number of people experiencing homelessness in our city has more than doubled in the past year.

City council is focused on finding solutions to both these challenges and we work every day to encourage actions that move us forward and make Kelowna a model for other communities to emulate.

Statistics Canada data found the Kelowna Census Metropolitan Area91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s population grew by 14 per cent from 2016 to 2021 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ the fastest rate of growth in Canada 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ and indications are that pace will continue. Our city91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s population is projected to increase by 40,000 in the next 17 or 18 years.

Our well-diversified local economy, an international airport, large university and college campuses, our beautiful natural environment, Okanagan Lake, the spectacular parks, beaches and recreation facilities we91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™ve developed, ski resorts, golf courses and more than 200 wineries in the region all combine to explain why so many people want to live here.

According to data published by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Kelowna recorded 1,853 housing starts as of July, almost 85 per cent of which were townhouses or condominiums.

That housing construction pace puts Kelowna ahead of the entire province of New Brunswick (1,685) and is behind only Canada91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s largest cities. The city has topped the $1 billion mark for the third consecutive year in terms of the value of construction projects underway in 2023.

Since Council was sworn in 11 months ago, we have prioritized the development of a variety of housing types, including affordable housing and finding solutions for the critical need to better support our homeless population. We are doing this in a number of ways:

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Allocating $1.5 million of surplus to City91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s Housing Opportunities Reserve Fund to purchase lands to meet the most urgent housing needs of our community

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Providing City-owned land to build affordable housing, as we did with the 75 homes at Pleasantvale 2, with housing for seniors, low-income families and people with disabilities, along with the 68 new homes at Hadgraf-Wilson Place on City-owned land on Bertram Avenue.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ These housing developments support another Council objective to increase number of rental units with below-market rents.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ We continue to advocate for additional Complex Care Centre, including a model similar to

the Red Fish Healing Centre.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Staff continue to work with partners to identify a site that is suitably located and zoned for Kelowna91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s first purpose-built shelter.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ I have met numerous times with Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, most recently at the Union of BC Municipalities convention, to advocate for increased BC Housing investments and supports for shelter, supportive and affordable housing spaces in our community.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Work progresses on solutions to provide transitional housing with details of the year91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s approach to be shared with residents shortly.

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ¢ Applying for funding through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund to accelerate housing in

Kelowna through adjusting regulations, investing in land and infrastructure, and updating systems.

Last Thursday, B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, joined me in Kelowna to announce a partnership that will see the addition of 120 units of transitional emergency shelter over multiple sites in the coming months. This marks a significant step forward in our collective commitment to tackling homelessness. The city will provide land and the province will provide capital and operating investments and supports for this and other solutions into the future.

Kelowna will be the first location in the Interior to use a tiny-home solution, which features small single-room units that are quick and easy to install. The first 60 units will be a Pallet village, which is just one example of the city91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s ongoing efforts to explore all options for people experiencing homelessness. I traveled to Everett, Wash., with staff earlier this year to visit the Pallet warehouse and village. We saw first-hand how these transitional, modular, single- and double-occupancy housing units are constructed and operated for people who would otherwise have no roof over their heads. Each shelter can be assembled in under an hour.

We continue to advocate for additional Complex Care Centre, including a model similar to the Red Fish Healing Centre.

Work progresses on solutions to provide transitional housing, with details of this year91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s approach to be shared with residents shortly.

Applying for funding through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund to accelerate housing in Kelowna through adjusting regulations, investing in land and infrastructure, and updating systems.

Getting back to affordable housing side of things, our latest Housing Needs Assessment found that affordability challenges, smaller household sizes and shifting preferences have led to increased demand for smaller units in multiple-dwelling buildings. There is a need for a significant increase in the delivery of subsidized rental housing, which will require unprecedented collaboration and partnership. Staff is currently working on a Housing Strategy to ensure Kelowna has the breadth of housing required to meet the varied needs of our citizens.

That is a big reason why we are moving into the next phase of our infill housing for urban centres. Efficiently using city infrastructure by adding new housing to central neighbourhoods is vital to the long-term health of our community.

The city is working to ensure that infill housing is high-quality and designed to complement surrounding neighbourhoods. This form of housing is more financially attainable, and it is far more financially and environmentally sustainable compared to suburban development.

The City of Kelowna has demonstrated we can approve housing quickly enough to meet demand, but it is the pace of housing construction that needs to increase.

Based on permitting trends and our engagement with the development community, we know the sector is experiencing challenges in terms of sourcing labour, along with supply chain issues, rising costs and interest rates.

Finally, I want to say that the City of Kelowna is having a very close look at short-term rentals. After a preliminary report to Council this summer, Council has directed staff to return to Council with an approach that is more restrictive moving forward. Short-term rentals have had a negative impact on our long-term house stock and in part has contributed to the raising costs of both home ownership and rentals.

Housing and shelter needs are not unique to Kelowna. We certainly feel the pressure more because of our rapid population growth, but I know from speaking to mayors all across our province that this housing crunch is a provincial and national crisis.

We understand that more people are going to move to Kelowna for the same reasons many of us live here 91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ“ for the quality of life we enjoy. Council is committed to balancing growth and the related future infrastructure needs to ensure we are a healthy community with quality-of-life investments in parks, recreation, transportation and opportunities to enhance our housing stock.

â–ª Monthly update from Mayor Tom Dyas on Council decisions, City business and more.

(This column has been adjusted from its orginal form to fit publication standards)