City of West Kelowna discusses key priorities during advocacy trip to Victoria

Date of issue: Tuesday, April 14, 2026

On behalf of West Kelowna Council, Mayor Gord Milsom travelled to Victoria at the end of March to meet with provincial representatives to continue to push for action on key issues important to West Kelowna. Top of the agenda was policing on the Westside, affordable housing opportunities, increasing mental health services, and building relationships with provincial representatives in Victoria.

Mayor Milsom was joined by Peachland Mayor Patrick Van Minsel and Peachland Councillor David Collins to meet with the Green Party of B.C. leader Emily Lowan to discuss Central Okanagan opportunities including policing, affordable housing, mental health services and homelessness. Mayor Milsom was impressed with the new leader’s interest in Okanagan issues and looks forward to joint advocacy and growing the relationship together.

Mayor Milsom, Mayor Van Minsel and Westbank First Nation Councillor Jordan Coble, met with the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Krieger to discuss the chronic provincial police officer shortage on the Greater Westside. The Minister happily reported that the Province and the RCMP will allocate six new officers and one civilian support person to make the Westside an even safer place, adding to proactive police patrols in our growing area. This represents a 38 per cent increase in provincial staffing and only the second time provincial officers have been increased since the policing agreement was signed in 2009.

This investment in policing by the Province is good news, but it’s vital that service levels don’t fall behind again at a time when policing needs are already increasing. West Kelowna has been responsibly planning its police staffing based on guidance from the RCMP and their 2024-2028 Strategic Plan to keep our community safe. However, some of the data being used by the Province to assess the need for provincially-funded officers are now several years old and no longer reflects today’s population growth and service demands.

To avoid ongoing service gaps, it is important that a clear and forward‑looking staffing plan be put in place now — one that keeps a sustained pace with community growth and meets the Province’s responsibility to ensure adequate policing for residents. To address this concern by the local governments, the Minister and RCMP also agreed to meet annually with the Westside local governments to review provincial resources for the Greater Westside.

“West Kelowna Council and our neighbours have been asking the Province to step up since 2018. Now they have,” said Mayor Milsom. “This is a celebration of many years of negotiations and the Province recognizing their obligation to adequate and effective policing. Greater Westside residents and business can feel safer as the RCMP committed to immediately begin these new placements.”

With the recent splitting up of the Central Okanagan RCMP Detachment, West Kelowna realized the provincially funded officer shortage would be concentrated on the westside of Okanagan Lake. Frustrated last fall, West Kelowna's Council called out the Province. This voice was soon amplified by neighbouring Council's from Westbank First Nation and Peachland, as well as West Kelowna-Peachland MLA Macklin McCall and Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna MP Dan Albas.

 The Westside stood united, along with a renewed policing partnership with the province and an advocate voice from RCMP leadership, which resulted in proactive improvements," said Mayor Milsom. "We had tough conversations about a complex problem, and the province did the right thing."

Mayor Milsom also met with Ministry of Finance staff to discuss provincial investment in affordable housing projects using the revenue from Speculation and Vacancy Tax collected in West Kelowna. Investment in low-income supportive housing continues to grow in other communities in the Okanagan, but not in West Kelowna. The cancellation of the Community Housing Fund by the Province means affordable housing in West Kelowna faces another setback.

The City of West Kelowna continues to advocate on issues that are important to the community. Meeting with local and provincial representatives to collaborate on issues and opportunities that are important to West Kelowna is a key part of the strategy.