A Year In Review by Mayor Milsom

A Year In Review by Mayor Gord Milsom

As we revisit the events of 2021, it comes with a mix of emotions, from heartbreak and loss, to gratitude and inspiration, ignited by our compassionate community.

It was a time of the tragic discovery of the remains of the 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, shining a light on the truths of our country’s darkest past. An unprecedented BC flood shattered records and cut off communities, separating families and emptying store shelves. Hundreds of our residents experienced displacement from their homes, during the Mt. Law wildfire after record-breaking heat that brought drought conditions, health risks and contributed to one of the worst wildfire seasons in our region. As firefighters and emergency personnel fought tirelessly to protect our communities, residents rallied together showing an outpouring of appreciation and offers of assistance that warmed our hearts.

We built infrastructure to connect people to places, to enhance our neighbourhoods and to support our active community. Significant progress was made and continues on the construction of the Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant. Our development community has been busy, too. We saw a record-breaking year of development applications as West Kelowna became home to many new residents. It was a year of recognition as we celebrated the prestigious Community Excellence Award from the Union of BC Municipalities, made possible by outstanding public involvement to help shape our first Community Visioning document.

It was a year of significant collaboration and partnerships with the province as we advocated for public safety, redundant power supply, more child-care spaces, housing, mental health services, and access to a vaccine clinic for the Westside. The City and our equity partner, the Okanagan Regional Library, broke ground for West Kelowna’s first purpose-built City Hall and permanent home for the Library. We also celebrated the opening of our new Skatepark with our good neighbour, Westbank First Nation.

We continue to be a resilient and compassionate community as experienced during the City’s Light-up event early in December. The feelings of joy and the many smiles brightened up the evening as our community gathered to take in the lights and sounds of the holidays.

West Kelowna is the place to be and I’m proud of our community and the accomplishments we have achieved. I share my hopes and optimism for a very bright future, and on behalf of West Kelowna Council and staff, I wish you and your families a safe and peaceful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Originally published in the WestK News on Dec. 29, 2021.