B.C. municipal election 2018: Kelowna

Candidates

To be announced.

Boundary

The shore of Okanagan Lake is where you’ll find Kelowna, the centre of the Okanagan Valley.

Nearby communities include Westbank, Peachland, Lake Country and West Kelowna.

Population (2016)

127,380

History

First Nations spent thousands of years in the Okanagan Valley before fur traders with the Hudson’s Bay Company came to the region.

European settlement didn’t start until 1860, and then the Gold Rush brought more activity to the region two years later, spurring settlement growth.

Miners would go through the area as they headed north. Cattlemen would follow.

Along the way, people noticed that the valley had plenty of grass and water, and saw the potential for cattle ranching there.

A fruit industry sprung up in the 1890s and it’s only grown since then, producing orchards and vineyards that have made the Okanagan a key destination for wine lovers.

Median total income of couple economic families with children (2015)/B.C. median

$115,947/$111,736

Crime Severity Index (CSI) — 2016

RCMP – municipal/B.C.

115.60 (+1.64)/93.63 (-0.71)

RCMP – rural/B.C.

104.66 (+2.15)/93.63 (-0.71)

Violent Crime Severity Index (CSI) — 2016

RCMP – municipal/B.C.

68.40 (-13.42)/74.86 (-9.81)

RCMP – rural/B.C.

53.32 (-11.58)/74.86 (-9.81)

Political representation

Federal

Stephen Fuhr (Liberal)

Provincial

Norm Letnick (BC Liberal) — Kelowna-Lake Country

Ben Stewart (BC Liberal) — Kelowna West

Steve Thomson (BC Liberal) — Kelowna-Mission