In its attempt to provide the public with all the news, occasionally the media misses a very important story. Such was the case when BC Statistics recently reported that Kelowna’s year end population for 2007 was 116,479 which amounts to an increase of 4,677 residents from the previous year and an annual growth rate of 4.2%. Perhaps the media is just getting tired of reporting on the city’s rapid growth, but these figures merit special attention because never before in the city’s history has it grown by so much in one year. Furthermore, the 2007 figures come on the back of growth rates of 3.2% and 3.0% for 2005 and 2006 respectively, and show that Kelowna’s growth is not slowing as some had forecast but accelerating.
Why should this be of concern to us? If our growth continues at last year’s rate, the city’s population will double by the year 2025 which is clearly unsustainable as it puts serious strains on our community. The most obvious strains will be on our infrastructure, in particular our road network as more vehicles are added increasing an already serious problem with traffic congestion. Also such a torrid rate of growth weakens our social networks as new residents cannot be assimilated that quickly into the community. Finally, it portends large future tax increases in order to provide for the public services needed by the expanded population such as policing.
Some communities elsewhere have identified that an annual growth rate beyond 2% is clearly undesirable and have taken steps to limit their growth to that amount. I would suggest a 2% solution to Kelowna’s rapid growth as well and that such a growth rate cap be incorporated into the city’s Official Community Plan which will be revised over the next two years. However, what is still needed is a city council that has the will to implement such a policy as our present mayor and council are lacking the vision, courage, and determination to act in the best interests of the majority of residents as opposed to those sectors of the community (such as developers and builders) that benefit from rapid growth.
Tags: Kelowna, urban growth
March 19, 2008 at 7:34 pm |
Here is a response to my above letter as published on Castanet on March 19, 2008:
City growth inevitable
To the editor:
RE: Media missed big story
I just read the letter, “Media missed big story”, and I’m sorry but I don’t know how you can say that a city should limit their growth. Cities are going to expand, it’s inevitable. With Kelowna being such a desirable place to live, for the time being, people are going to want to move here. It’s all in how a city can deal with the growth, upgrading roads and utilities, which this city is constantly doing, but it is not an overnight fix. These things take some time.
How do you propose we limit our growth? You can’t exactly tell a family that they can’t move here because we might break the 2% limit. Or perhaps we could just build a giant wall around the city and only let in a certain amount. I mean it worked for the east Germans, why not us? You have got to be kidding me! But with the way this town is shooting down events this expansion may not be that big of an issue for too much longer.
M.D. – Kelowna
March 20, 2008 at 2:46 pm |
And here is my answer to M.D.’s letter:
In response to M.D.’s letter entitled “City growth inevitable”, urban growth especially rapid growth is not inevitable but can be and has been controlled by municipal councils as has been the case elsewhere. In 2006 Brampton, Ont. (which is located in Canada and not in East Germany) controlled the rapid growth there, which was overburdening its infrastructure and overtaxing its residents, without building any walls or drawbridges but rather by passing a simple bylaw that limited the number of building permits issued annually. See how easy it is? It is the cities that have elected representatives like we have here in Kelowna with the attitude that the market should determine the rate of growth that have the worst experiences with traffic congestion and over-crowded hospital emergency rooms.
No, M.D., growth especially rapid growth is not inevitable, but the fatalistic attitude of many people like yourself who resort to unimaginative and cliché-ridden thinking when confronting the problems that growth brings makes the inevitability of the demise of communities and the quality of life of their residents a self-fulfilling prophecy.