Chamber makes case for fourth Kelowna riding

A Kelowna business group is joining the three Liberal MLAs in the area to call for a new provincial riding in the Central Okanagan.

The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce made its case to the Electoral Boundaries Commission during its stop in Kelowna Wednesday.

Chamber executive director Dan Rogers cited the rapid growth in the region and the need for additional representation in the B.C. Legislature, and also suggested a potential boundary alignment.

The chamber said a proposed new riding, called Kelowna Centre, would encompass Kelowna’s current and predicted expansion of residents in the downtown area — currently included in the riding that primarily serves West Kelowna. A new downtown riding would see the Kelowna West riding boundary move westward across Okanagan Lake.

“As we are a business organization, we will leave it to you to determine, and others to suggest, what the redefined boundaries for such a new riding would look like, but we believe that the significant increases in development, business, and population growth in Kelowna’s urban core lends themselves well to a new city centre riding,” said Rogers.

Rogers also gave support to the idea to move Big White into one of the Kelowna area ridings, out of the Boundary Similkameen riding, saying the businesses, residents and the tourists of Big White are dependent on Kelowna businesses, schools (over Grade six), services and other supports.

Kelowna area MLAs Ben Stewart (Kelowna West) Norm Letnick (Kelowna-Lake Country) and Renee Merrifield (Kelowna-Mission) also made a presentation to the commission in support of a fourth MLA.

Rogers also advised the commission to consider the much-talked about urban rural divide.

“It is real and tangibly reflected in the legislature by a shifting of representation to more MLAs who hail from the province’s metropolitan regions. This shift is understandable given the need to respect population growth, but the unintended consequence is that the frequency of policy discussions related to issues important to citizens in highly urbanized areas draws attention and time away from critical policy issues related to our resource-based economy, something that creates prosperity for all British Columbians whether they are aware of it or not,” said the chamber spokesperson.

The commission is visiting communities in B.C., gathering input on possible changes to electoral boundaries and the number of MLAs.

The B.C. government is expected to make decisions in 2023.