WEST KELOWNA - West Kelowna’s 30,000-plus citizens are now the proud residents of British Columbia’s newest city, Premier Christy Clark announced today.

“West Kelowna is an energetic, entrepreneurial community with a long and proud history - and for some time now, it has been a city in all but name,” said Premier Clark. “The City of West Kelowna has a lot to be proud of - and a very bright future.”

With official city status granted by the B.C. government, the District of West Kelowna becomes the City of West Kelowna - British Columbia’s 51st city. The new city retains the same elected mayor and council as the former district. All bylaws, permits, resolutions, licences and decisions approved by the District of West Kelowna remain in full force.

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“I want to welcome West Kelowna to the ranks of British Columbia’s diverse and dynamic cities,” said Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Coralee Oakes. “Set on the beautiful shores of Okanagan Lake, the City of West Kelowna is home to enterprising residents, proud of their new city status and confident in the future success of their community. The City of West Kelowna can look forward to a bright future as a flourishing, growing B.C. community.”

Backed by strong community support, the District of West Kelowna agreed to seek reclassification following the local elections last November. The Local Government Act allows for changes of classification for a municipality if the Lieutenant Governor in Council considers reclassification in the public interest.

“We are extremely pleased with this news and how quickly our MLA, Premier Christy Clark, helped us achieve our goal to attain city designation,” said Doug Findlater, mayor of the City of West Kelowna. “With a population of over 30,000 residents and an increasing agricultural, business and industrial sector, the title ‘City’ resonates well for our economic growth. As well, the change in designation helps alleviate confusion in terminology between City and District of West Kelowna, Regional District and School District.”

Quick Facts:

• West Kelowna has a population of 32,600 (BC Stats estimate, 2014) and an area of 121.4 square kilometres.
• West Kelowna is the second most populous municipality in the Regional District of Central Okanagan and fourth in the Okanagan Valley.
• West Kelowna is a rapidly growing community, recording a 13.5% increase in population between 2006 and 2011 (Statistics Canada).
• The community is home to 1,400 businesses and a diverse economy including agriculture, construction, light industry, lumber manufacturing, retail, services, tourism and wineries.

Learn More:

Learn more about the provincial government’s role in supporting communities, sport, arts and culture through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development at: www.gov.bc.ca/cscd

For information about West Kelowna, visit http://ow.ly/ONB8X

Media Contacts:

Shane Mills
Office of the Premier
250 661-1015

Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
250 356-6334