Advocacy update from Mayor Milsom

Date of Issue: Tuesday, May 19, 2026

At the May 19 Regular Council Meeting, West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom shared an update on Council’s advocacy priorities for 2026.

Mayor Milsom met with Premier David Eby on May 5 to speak about some of the pressing matters affecting West Kelowna and the Greater Westside area. The key topics discussed were:

• Mental health services needed for West Kelowna;
• FireSmart grant program cancellation;
• Fire mitigation funding;
• Redundant power supply; and
• Affordable housing capital funding.

“There are a number of pressing matters affecting West Kelowna that we need provincial support on,” said Mayor Milsom. “Sitting down with Premier Eby, we spoke about the importance and value of wildfire mitigation funding and the need for continued provincial support. We are very concerned with the cancellation of the Community Resiliency Investment that supports the FireSmart program – a vital program that in our experience has been instrumental in safeguarding homes.

“We are concerned that some social services haven’t kept up with the growth West Kelowna has recently seen, and we are advocating for mental health and substance use services to expand to West Kelowna. With that growth, we are also facing demand for affordable housing options, and as we have housing projects that are ready to build, we need the province ready to support us. This is a message I provided loud and clear.”

Mental health services

West Kelowna does not have any dedicated mental health and substance use services, with residents having to travel to Kelowna. West Kelowna has experienced significant population growth, but the service levels have not kept up. The Mayor and Premier discussed the lack of mental health and substance use services in West Kelowna and the need for provincial support to pave the way for mental health services on the Westside and mitigate the service deficiencies that West Kelowna residents face.

FireSmart grant program cancellation

Since 2019, the Province of BC has provided up to $200,000 of support funding to the City of West Kelowna through the Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) and FireSmart Community Funding and Supports Program. The Province’s recent decision to discontinue the CRI grant program has generated substantial concern within West Kelowna and the Greater Westside. The CRI grant has served as a foundational element of West Kelowna’s wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts by providing vital education and resources that empower both residents and local governments to proactively reduce wildfire risks using FireSmart principles. The Mayor strongly urged the Premier to reconsider this decision and either reinstate the CRI grant program or, at a minimum, introduce alternative measures that enable effective local fire risk management employing the FireSmart principles.

Fire mitigation funding

West Kelowna continues to encounter complex fire mitigation challenges resulting from its unique geography, dense urban-wildland interface, and evolving climate conditions. The community is highly dependent upon provincial partnerships and funding to implement critical fire mitigation strategies. West Kelowna has recently completed a comprehensive wildfire mitigation plan identifying priority areas, but available local funding remains insufficient. The Mayor requested that the Province provide sustained and targeted support for fire mitigation programs, ensuring that West Kelowna and the Greater Westside are adequately equipped to protect lives, property, and reduce the Province’s annual wildfire response.

BC Hydro’s redundant power project

The timely completion of the BC Hydro redundant power project is of paramount importance for West Kelowna and the Greater Westside region. The economic stability and overall well-being of the region is contingent upon dependable power infrastructure, especially in the context of natural disasters and rapidly growing demand. The current reliance on a single power line from the Merritt substation to West Kelowna renders the region highly susceptible to disruption. With BC Hydro’s projected completion date for the West Kelowna Transmission Project estimated for 2032-2033, the Mayor stressed the importance to the Premier that this timeline is strictly adhered to. The well-being of residents and the vitality of the westside economy are intrinsically linked to the achievement of power redundancy.

Affordable housing capital funding

The City of West Kelowna is confronted with pressing housing challenges and accelerated population growth has surpassed the rate at which accessible and affordable housing options are being developed, resulting in a significant risk of housing insecurity among families, seniors, and vulnerable populations. West Kelowna has been addressing both the Provincial and Federal Governments’ housing mandates and have taken actions to reorganize the City’s corporate structure, established a Housing Department, realigned both the City’s land-use legislation and housing policies, and hyper-focused the development processes on affordable and mixed-use housing. West Kelowna recently created a West Kelowna Builds program to incentivize affordable housing in today’s tough marketplace. The Mayor specifically requested support from the Premier for West Kelowna’s Delray Road affordable housing project which is rapidly nearing full shovel-ready status and BC Housing project funding needs to be available to support West Kelowna to deliver a 44-unit housing project.