Ask West Kelowna
COVID-19: Action, Response and Service Continuation
The safety and well-being of our West Kelowna community is very important to Council and staff. We’re following the recommendations from the BC Ministry of Health and the BC Centre for Disease Control and remaining vigilant to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Our sincere gratitude goes out to our community members and visitors for helping to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Our Senior Management Team is working with emergency management organizations to implement local-to-regional measures to help protect our communities. As we know, the status of COVID-19 is changing daily and we must adhere to the health authority’s recommendation for social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. Here is a summary of the actions the City has taken to support the community through COVID-19.
- The City's playgrounds are reopening on June 1, 2020.
- The City is working on a plan to reopen City facilities that follows the Province's Restart strategy. As a first step, the City reopened the skate park and tennis and pickleball courts with enhanced protocols on May 16, 2020.
- All other City facilities remain closed to the public until further notice to support requirements for social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- The City has adjusted services to improve resident access to staff online and by phone, email and mail to retain the best customer service levels possible during the closures.
- Communication with residents has increased communication to ensure timely access to information about West Kelowna’s response. Activities in the early stages of the response included messages from the Mayor, daily videos, press releases and social media posts.
- The City introduced electronic Council meetings to enable City business to continue while ensuring transparency, openness and engagement through the continued practice of webcasting the meeting live. Public Hearings are also resuming for eligible applications.
- The City introduced measures to lessen the financial hardship and provide greater flexibility for residents. City Council has reduced the proposed tax rate increase from 4.8 to 2.8 per cent and waived the one per cent interest charged on outstanding balances on utility bills through to the end of 2020.
- City Council unanimously approved extending the 2020 property tax penalty effective date from July 3 to October 1 for residents and businesses as an additional measure to help during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- City Council and staff are working alongside our partners at the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, Westbank First Nation, Greater Westside Board of Trade and others to support the immediate needs of local business and drive for full economic recovery in the Central Okanagan.
More information about these measures can be found below. Council continues to evaluate the need for support in the community.
COVID-19: Operational changes and facilities status |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The City has closed all civic facilities to the public until further notice to support requirements for social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The table below lists the status of services and facilities in the City of West Kelowna during COVID-19.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19: Stay connected with the City |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The City adjusted services to improve resident access to city staff online and by phone, email and mail while retaining the best customer service levels possible. Please use the list below for information on how to get to the right place for the service you are seeking. You can always call and email the city for assistance at 778.797.1000 and/or info@westkelownacity.ca .
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19: City Communications with You |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
As part of our commitment to serve you and keep you connected during COVID-19, we released several communications during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included press releases that you can find here, a series of daily videos featuring our Mayor and Directors as they explained adjustments to service and an initial message from Mayor Gord Milsom. These past communications can be found below:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19: Council meetings continue digitally |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The City introduced electronic Council meetings to enable City business to continue while ensuring transparency, openness and engagement through the continued practice of webcasting the meeting live. The Council meeting will be available to the public through a live webcast available on the City’s website at www.westkelownacity.ca/webcasts. Council members will be attending the meeting virtually, and the live webcasting will allow the public to stay connected to full deliberations. The City also records and archives the meetings on the website, so members of the public who cannot watch live can view at their convenience. During these difficult times, Council and staff will try to limit reports to ones that are time sensitive, financial or for information only. The City will continue to meet legislative requirements for public notice, comment and engagement. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19: Supporting you during the Pandemic |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Staff amended the plan to include the lower rate as per Council’s request that the City explore measures to help support local residents and businesses during COVID-19. Council also approved an amendment to the Water Rates Schedule in the Fees and Charges Bylaw to waive the one per cent interest charged on outstanding balances through to the end of 2020. To read more on both these initiatives click here. Public access to all civic facilities is restricted until further notice to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but City Hall continues to remain operational in a socially distanced manner; staff are fully committed to the best customer service levels possible, via phone, email, mail and digital services. Please use the list above for information on how to get to the right place for the service you are seeking. You can always call and email the city for assistance at 778.797.1000 and/or info@westkelownacity.ca . |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19: Support for businesses |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
City Council and staff are working alongside our partners at the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission, Westbank First Nation, Greater Westside Board of Trade and others to support the immediate needs of local business and drive for full economic recovery in the Central Okanagan. Mayor Gord Milsom recently joined the Regional Mayors’ and WFN Chief’s Economic Recovery Task Force (Economic Recovery Task Force). Initiated by the Mayors of Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake County and Peachland, as well as the Regional Board Chair and Chief of Westbank First Nation. They will act to support the immediate needs of local business and drive for full economic recovery in the Central Okanagan. The City has recently released its first co-hosted video with Mayor Milsom and the Greater Westside Board of Trade President Craig Garries encouraging residents to support businesses in operation on the Westside. The City has also kicked off its Spotlight on Business feature. To encourage resiliency during this unprecedented time and put a spotlight on local business, we’re highlighting local business sectors that are adapting to stay open for you and now need your support. You can watch for these posts and follow along on the City's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts in the days and weeks ahead. The Provincial and Federal Governments and the private sector are also providing a wide-range of supports for businesses in British Columbia affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of B.C.’s COVID-19 Action Plan, the B.C. government is providing an additional $5 billion in income supports, tax relief and funding for people, businesses and services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Please click here for a resource document entitled Suppport for Small Businesses in B.C. from the Province of British Columbia and Small Business BC. For a comprehensive resource on federal support programs and services for individuals and businesses, as well as Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, please click here. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COVID-19: Public Health – Where to get COVID-19 information |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
As we move forward, we all must ensure we are reading and seeking accurate, reliable information about the COVID-19 situation and how we should all respond. Please use trusted sources such as the BC Centre for Disease Control, IHA, the B.C. Ministry of Health, and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada has set up a COVID-19 information telephone line at: Anyone exposed to, or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, should contact their primary care provider or call 8-1-1. |
Contact Us