Oct 21st, 2024 KelownaNow
Killing jobs? Hardly!
It has been suggested (Your Voice: Should Kelowna buy a golf course? No – too many families don’t have the luxury of killing jobs) that if the city of Kelowna bought Kelowna Springs to operate it as a municipal golf course (city-owned and operated, as described in my proposal), this could be equated to killing jobs. Quite the opposite. This would open more opportunities for higher paid jobs as Kelowna civic workers have good union positions with benefits and they are generally paid well above a warehouse worker.
Warehouses on this greenspace? Isn’t it better to put warehouses on the land already zoned industrial rather that destroying our greenspace? Why would we do this as the Central Okanagan industrial real estate vacancy jumped 28% in 2023 (Vacancy grows in Central Okanagan as industrial market shifts – Business in Vancouver) (Sept. 10 2024) increasing in Kelowna from 1% four years ago to 4.1% in 2023? If it is accepted that the city needs to preserve its natural beauty for future generations, I am not sure how that would be accomplished by paving over 106 acres of greenspace for industrial use.
Another point brought up is that we need more soccer fields, ice rinks, and multi-use sports facilities such as H20 and the Parkinson Recreational Centre (with a new one estimated at $242 million). The city already provides these as well as tennis courts, pickleball courts, playgrounds, bike paths, linear parks for walking and cycling, swimming pools, etc., and a municipal golf course would provide another sport to add to this wide range of city-supported recreational activities. Not everyone uses the same amenities or plays the same sports.
<img alt=” Photo Courtesy: Kelowna Springs Golf Course” src=”https://imagedelivery.net/rCY_-t_NaBnc_UkEr8yoCA/5acafd78-57b9-4917-4f35-312312a22900/instory”>
Photo Courtesy: Kelowna Springs Golf Course
Let’s recognize that Kelowna Springs is more than a golf course to the city.
- As a municipal golf course, it would not only provide for good-paying jobs, but it would also attract tourists which will support our economy.
- It would continue to provide for stormwater management to protect the adjacent agricultural land and downstream infrastructure such as the Kelowna International Airport, saving the city millions of dollars in natural stormwater management.
- It would continue to provide greenspace with 600 trees which are important for countering climate change.
- It would continue to provide wildlife habitat.
- It would provide an affordable, social, and healthy recreational activity for kids and seniors and those in between for all their lives.
- It could provide year-around public recreation with snowshoeing, crosscountry skiing, dog walking, fresh air outings for families, etc. – a true community asset in a parklike setting.
- As a municipal golf course, it can pay for itself and could provide financial assistance to other recreational facilities in the city.
Is the city’s economy struggling, as suggested? Heavens, no. Kelowna is the fastest-growing city in BC. In fact, the city is operating with an annual surplus of $137 million with an accumulated surplus of $2.5 billion (May 13, 2024). It was pointed out that there was sandbagging along Mill Creek in 2017. It is only logical that paving over this greenspace would result in more sandbagging along Mill Creek than in the 2017 floods. The city should not leave flood protection and stormwater management in the hands of a developer.
The city has allocated $358 million this year for parks so part of this ($30 million or so) can be used to purchase Kelowna Springs.
Finally, it was suggested that “too often” I have advocated for a weaker local economy for our residents. To the contrary. I have advocated for a better quality of life for our residents and financial sensibility. Just because a development creates jobs, doesn’t mean that all projects are good/feasible. Jobs at any cost would be a fool’s philosophy.
Susan Ames
Kelowna
