Special Features - Progress 2015

Up, up and awayThe expandingKelowna Airport

Up, up and away

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A FOCUS ON BUSINESS IN THE CENTRAL OKANAGAN

CAPITAL newsResurgence in sales

Real Estate

Protecting a tourism icon

Okanagan Lake

Innovation Centre focus on high tech

Westbank First Nation making things happen

INSIDE…Downtown Kelowna continues to expand

West Kelowna new community hub

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PROGRESSPROGRESSPROGRESSPROGRESSPROGRESSPROGRESSPROGRESSA FOCUS ON BUSINESS IN THE CENTRAL OKANAGAN

PublisherKaren Hill

Managing EditorBarry Gerding

WritersBarry GerdingKathy MichaelsKevin ParnellJean RussellMike Strauss

Alistair WatersProduction Director

Tessa RingnessProduction Designers

Nancy BlowShayla Graf

Kiana Haner-WilkCourtney LarkanMary Matthews

Laura MillsipKelly Ulmer

Advertising ManagerKaren Hill

Account ExecutivesTeresa Huscroft-Brown

Sheri JacksonBob LindsayRick Methot

Christine MouldMegan Munro

Al TomiakKimberley VicoWayne Woollett

Expansion plans at YLW ............4Aberdeen Hall promotes awell-rounded education ............5Building for the future at Okanagan College ....................6Okanagan Koi - the largest Koi destination in Canada ...............8Boyd Autobody expands into a new Rutland facility .................10Transform your kitchen at an amazing price ..........................11The Hub launched byKelowna Cycle .........................12Best Western leads the way in environmentally friendly businesses ...............................13Bylands: over 60 years in the community ..............................14Downtown Innovation Centre set to open in 2016 .......................15Okanagan tourism remains robust 18Taylor Pro Training fills gap for retiring workers .......................18Marshall Business Centre development ..................... 20-21Kelowna Kia creates customers for life ......................................21We Care Health Services creates a win-winsituation ............................. 22-23Trout Waters celebrates its 20th anniversary ..............................24ReStore builds a new 23,000 sq. ft. facility ..................................25Food bank much more than emergency food relief ............26Downtown Kelowna growth ...27Heritage Retirement opens doors to the community ....................28Talent and innovation help drive Kelowna Chrysler ....................29Local growers expressing a positive attitude ......................30

CAPITAL news

BY BARRY GERDING While it is called Kelowna International Airport (YLW), the inter-national aspect of the destination travel points has so far ex-tended to across Canada, the U.S., Mexico and for a time to Hawaii.

That’s one reason why the announcement of flights to Varadaro, Cuba, starting in December of this year through to April 2016, are a significant service being provided to an Okanagan Valley passengers the airport serves.

“Something we’ve heard about from our surveys is people are looking for sunspots to travel to besides just in Mexico,” said YLW director Sam Samaddar. “Many people have gone to Mexico too many times now and are looking for a new destina-tion, and Cuba has frequently come up in those conversations.”

The flights to Cuba came at the expense of dropping the direct fights to Ixtapa, but other Mexican destina-tions will remain on the airport’s direct flight itin-erary.

Flying to Cuba also leads to the conversa-tion about inter-national airlines bringing flights from Western Europe destina-tion points to Ke-lowna, something which Samaddar says is realistic to see happen with-in the next five years.

He said they are doing the re-search on their end with local residents to see what destination countries would be of interest, how often they might go there and what choice of Western European cities they would fly to.

“We take that research data and pass it on to the airlines, which are doing the same kind of research on their end to test the interest levels in flying to Kelowna as a destination point. One thing we’ve heard that is very positive for the Okanagan is that airline surveys show there is a greater awareness than might have been first thought about Kelowna. That has been quite plesently surprising for them and speaks, I think, to the tourism promotion work that has been done by Big White Ski Resort and the Sparkling Hill resort. “

“Most likely those flights would occur in the peak summer vacation period where they would fly here once a week. For us that means providing customer satisfaction in that it becomes much easier to travel to Europe and it opens up marketing opportunities for our tourism industry.

Samaddar said Australia is currently the airport’s biggest international traffic draw, but the focus in Western Europe

would likely centre on the United Kingdom and Germany. “One thing I have been studying closely is the impact of a

summer program in Whitehorse, that sees a 767 bringing 250 people to Whitehorse from Frankfurt, Germany, on a week-ly basis,” he said. “There are tremendous spin-offs from that as some people fly in and go on two, three week or monthly excur-sions. It’s been a huge driver for the local economy during the summer.”

Last month, Kelowna airport officials unveiled their latest plans for expansion at YLW—a multi-year $55.6 million plan that will see improvements and additions to the baggage handling system, plane parking area, departure lounge, check-in area and taxiway.

The work, to be carried out over the next five years, is part of a $92-million airport improvement plan started in 2008.

“This is our most ambitious plan yet,” said Samaddar.The latest round of construction at the airport will start with

the building of a large, state-of-the art outbound baggage hall that will handle more than twice the number of bags the airport currently deals with and could be ramped up to handle three times more as the airport continues to grow.

Phillip Elchitz, airport development manager at YLW, said the new baggage facility will have the most advanced baggage screening equipment available today.

With construction slated to start in June, the new baggage hall is expected to be complete by 2018.

As part of that project, the existing baggage area will be re-juvenated as part of a plan to create more office space for air-lines behind the existing check-in area in the airport terminal.

Samaddar said the terminal’s check-in area will also be reno-vated and enlarged. Check-in is located in the oldest part of the terminal building, which dates back to 1967.

The total cost of the three-phase, three-year baggage, ter-minal and check-in area improvement work will be $40 million.

In addition, the airport will also improve the departures area, the plane and runway de-icing plant and three areas on the air-side portion of the facility, one taxiway and two aircraft parking aprons. The total cost for that will be $15.4 million.

With future growth in mind, the air-side operations will be built to a standard that could accommodate some of the largest aircraft currently in use, said Samaddar.

YLW has experienced unprecedented growth in the last 10 years and is currently riding a 25-month run of record-breaking numbers. It hit its 2015 target of serving 1.6 million passengers in 2014, one year ahead of schedule.

Samaddar said YLW is expanding as growth dictates and as a self-financing, municipally owned entity, it will pay for the improvements by raising revenue through its $15 per outbound passenger airport improvement fee, not by using city funds.

In addition to the terminal and air-side improvements, an-other planned addition at the airport, to be started this year, will be a project dubbed the airport plaza.

Costing a total of $5 million and built in two phases, the air-port plaza will be paid for by Royal Star Enterprises, the com-pany that operates parking and valet parking at the airport.

It will include an Esso gas station, two restaurants and retail space on a one-acre plot just off the Highway 97 entrance.

—with files from Alistair Waters

Ambitious expansion plansin store for YLW

PROGRESS 2015

some people fly in and go on two, three week or monthly excur-

TRAVEL TRADE FAIR


BY MIKE STRAUSWhen most of us think of our school days, the

first thing we remember is the curriculum. But at Aberdeen Hall, academics are only one piece of a comprehensive education designed to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world.

With a highly diverse student population, a thriving arts program, a variety of character de-velopment opportunities for students and an inspiring facility, Aberdeen Hall empowers stu-dents to develop a well-rounded set of skills that will be of great service both to them and the com-munity. As Kelowna’s growing population and new industries place new demands on citizens, it will become increasingly important for young people to have a dynamic education that empow-ers self-guided learning—Aberdeen Hall is meet-ing that need.

“We constantly try to educate students that they have certain privileges, but with privileges come responsibilities,” says Chris Grieve, Aber-deen Hall Head of School. “We want to create cit-izens who are interested in contributing to their communities. We talk about getting the best prep-aration possible for the next stage of education. Getting in (to a university) is one thing, but success is entirely different. We’re focused on success.”

Grieve says that a rapidly growing commun-ity like Kelowna offers lots of opportunities to the many families who are moving here, and with those opportunities come responsibilities. At Aberdeen Hall, community service is simply part of daily life.

“We’re lucky to have a dynamic, personal com-munity where we know each family individually.”

An independent school contributes to the re-gion’s growth in more ways than simply preparing students for future success in the Okanagan.

“We’re one of the few non-religious independ-ent schools in Kelowna,” he says. “Real estate agents tell us that when professionals are consid-

ering a move to Kelowna, an independent school is high on their list of preferred amenities. The recent growth in the number of professionals, entrepreneurs, and UBC professors means that demand for an independent school has reached critical mass. We were a bit ahead of the curve at Aberdeen Hall for a city of this size, but now the curve has caught up to us.”

This increasing demand for an independent school, Grieve says, is what has led the school to create its new senior campus.

“The Senior School is a state-of-the-art facility with 16 teaching spaces and a three-level dining area with beautiful valley views. We opened the facility just a few weeks ago. The Senior School houses specialized classrooms like language labs, modern science labs, a sound studio for music composition classes, and a design studio with 3D printers and a new digital arts centre.”

Aberdeen Hall’s official Senior School grand opening is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Sat-urday, May 9. The event is open to all community members.

Aberdeen Hall Promotes a Well-Rounded Educationfor the 21st Century

PROGRESS 2015 Capital News Capital News Wednesday, April 29Wednesday, April 29


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Tyler Tetlock is working only steps away from where he trained to become a Red Seal carpenter a few years ago.

As assistant superintendent with PCL Construction, he’s now helping build the facilities that will train the next generation of tradespeople at Okanagan College’s Kelowna cam-pus. It’s a coincidence that’s not lost on the career construction profes-sional.

“It’s amazing to see how the col-lege has grown and changed, even in the short time since I was a stu-dent,” says Tetlock.

The expanded and renovated trades complex is the latest chapter in the institution’s evolving history.

And Tetlock is just one of the approximately 23,000 people who have received credentials from the college since 2005, when the latest iteration of Okanagan College

emerged from the evolving post-secondary landscape in the region.

Much has changed in the intervening decade.

The college has grown substantially to ap-proximately 7,000 full-time equivalent students today (more than 19,000 people take courses at OC annu-ally). And so too has com-munity support grown. Witness the size of the Okanagan College Foun-dation endowment, which has built to $7.9 mil-

lion from $5.2 mil-lion. And the in-vestment in stu-dent support has kept pace too: in the last decade nearly $9 million in scholarships and bursaries have been disbursed to Okanagan Col-lege students. That support res-onates with stu-dents.

“The fact that people want to support my education means so much,” says Angie Pinchbeck, an Associate of Science student, who received the Canadian Ab-original /First Nation Fiction Writ-ing Award earlier this year. “Every

Monday morning, I wake up and say ‘It’s Monday! I get to go back. I get to learn.’ A donor’s generosity is one of the reasons why I am able to do that. Someone has chosen to invest in my future. There are no words to describe how grateful I am for that.”

“Community support has been integral to the growth of Oka-nagan College and will continue to be,” says Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton. “We’re very proud of the growth of our programs and the access we have been able to provide for students

in the region.“Our mission is to transform

lives and communities, but that is something we cannot fully achieve without strong buy-in from our sur-rounding communities. The way the people of the region have stepped up to support our stu-dents, help us grow our campuses, and provide so many opportunities for collaboration is very affirming.”

Support from the community has contributed to some remark-able developments at Okanagan College’s four campuses in Kelow-na, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm, since 2005. Highlights in-clude the opening of the $28-mil-lion Centre for Learning at the Ke-lowna Campus in September 2009 and the opening of the $28-million

Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence at the Penticton Campus in 2011.

In June of 2014, work began on new $33-million trades train-ing complex in Kelowna. The prov-incial government has commit-ted $28 million to the project; the Okanagan College Founda-tion launched the Bright Horizons, Building for Skills Campaign in Oc-tober to raise an additional $7 mil-lion—$5 million for capital con-struction and $2 million for pro-gram and student support. The new complex will accommodate more than 2,400 students per year

and is seeking to meet LEED Platinum and Liv-ing Building Challenge standards, making it one of the most sustainable post-secondary buildings in North America.

Support for the cam-paign from has been phe-nomenal, says Hamilton. One of the most inspiring examples has come from within: a $100,000 dona-tion by Okanagan College Students’ Union (OCSU). The students’ union also donated nearly $37,000 towards the Centre of Ex-cellence in 2011.

“With its donation, the Oka-nagan College Students’ Union is contributing to the students and the generations to come,” explains Hamilton. “We are very proud and appreciative of the fact that our students have chosen to invest in the future of their college.”

And, in a different way, alumnus and proud tradesperson Tetlock is doing the same thing as he helps build the facilities that will take the college into the next chapter in its future.

“Okanagan College helped pre-pare me for my career, so I’m very proud to help build a space where thousands of others will train to-wards a career in the trades.”

More information about Oka-nagan College is available at the website okanagan.bc.ca.

and is seeking to meet LEED Platinum and Liv-ing Building Challenge standards, making it one of the most sustainable post-secondary buildings in North America.

paign from has been phe-nomenal, says Hamilton. One of the most inspiring examples has come from within: a $100,000 dona-tion by Okanagan College Students’ Union (OCSU). The students’ union also donated nearly $37,000 towards the Centre of Ex-cellence in 2011.

Celebrating community support

Z6 www.kelownacapnews.comZ6 www.kelownacapnews.com

Tyler Tetlock is working only

emerged from the evolving post-secondary landscape in the region.

the intervening decade.

substantially to ap-proximately 7,000 full-time equivalent students today (more than 19,000 people take courses at OC annu-ally). And so too has com-munity support grown. Witness the size of the Okanagan College Foun-dation endowment, which has built to $7.9 mil-

Celebrating community supportCelebrating community support

OKANAGAN COLLEGE ALUMNI TYLER TETLOCK, A RED SEAL CARPENTER, AT THE TRADES TRAINING COMPLEX CONSTRUCTION SITE. TETLOCK IS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR PCL CONSTRUCTION.

ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE STUDENT ANGIE PINCHBECK, 2015 RECIPIENT OF THE CANADIAN ABORIGINAL /FIRST NATION FICTION WRITING AWARD, IS ONE OF APPROXIMATELY 1,500 ABORIGINAL STUDENTS ENROLLED AT OKANAGAN COLLEGE.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE AT OKANAGAN COLLEGE


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Buy Direct Truck Centre

A division of Kelowna Hyundai, Buy Direct Truck Centre is the Okanagan’s largest dealership for used vehicles. When the dealer-ship opened in September 2013, it aimed at targeting truck enthusiasts by proudly o� ering models from Dodge, Ram, Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, and GMC. No matter your personality or lifestyle, Buy Direct Truck Centre had the

pre-owned truck to suit your needs. In November 2014, after a successful � rst year of business, Buy Direct Truck Centre expanded to also include a large array of used cars and suvs. The success of the dealership has been a combination of factors, from constantly listening and meeting customer needs and wants, to pricing vehicles competitively, to having a great team that values their customers.

With over 250 trucks, cars and suvs in stock, and � nanc-ing options available regard-less of past credit history, Buy Direct Truck Centre is a� liat-ed with Kelowna Hyundai and

Maple Ridge Hyundai, which allows them to access over 250 used import trucks, cars and suvs.

In addition to a large inventory of vehicles, the dealership has a unique approach to every custom-er’s application because they understand that everyone’s credit situation is di� erent. Their team of expert Finance Managers have the knowl-

edge and tools that can help you get behind the wheel. They are able to o� er clients the best interest rates available to them by maintaining a close relationship with all major lending institu-tions, as well as o� ering their very own in-house leasing.

In addition, Buy Direct Truck Centre o� ers wholesale vehicles to the public. With over 100 wholesale vehicles price below $5,000, they have a vehicle for everyone. Check out buydirecttruckcentre.com for their inventory of whole-sale and retail vehicles.

In May 2015, they will be hosting their 2nd annual Operation 200 promotion. The goal of Operation 200 is to sell 200 vehicles between Buy Direct Truck Centre and Kelowna Hyundai during the month of May, resulting in a donation of $10,000 to a local charity. Last year they do-nated $10,000 to the Interior Heart and Surgical Centre for

new equipment. To guarantee they reach their target, they have reduced the price on all their cars, trucks, and suvs.

Owner, John Kot, and man-aging partner, Guy Lemieux are con� dent that every customer will � nd a vehicle they want, at an unbeatable price. Stop in today and visit General Sales Manager, Paul Sievwright to � nd out why ev-eryone is driving away in their

new vehicle from Buy Direct Truck Centre.

If you’re looking to up-grade your vehicle, make sure to visit Buy Direct Truck Centre on 1638 Cary Road in Kelowna, for the best deal in town. They guarantee, no matter which vehicle you choose you’re sure to love it!

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BY DANIELA INFANTYIf you have never been to Okanagan Koi &

Water Gardens, then you’ve really missed some-thing amazing! Not only do they have incredible demonstration gardens, but they have a myriad of different ponds filled with friendly Koi fish.

Under the advice of some friends who have a Koi pond, I decided to go take a look. The sheer enthusiasm in their voice as they excitedly spoke about “how great it is there” and “how helpful the Koi Lady was” would have been enough to peak my interest.

After all, I have wanted to put a pond in the backyard for a few years now, but the time hadn’t been right. This spring is the time, and I’m finally going to do it!

So, off to “The Koi place” I went. You know how you can tell you are at the right place, right

when you pull up? Well, that’s how I felt while parking my car. I could see two waterfalls and another one mid-construction, and that was just in the parking lot!

On one side of the parking area, there is the Koi Shop, and on the other end, you are greeted by a gorgeous Japanese style gate.

Through that gate, there are nine ponds and water features, all joined together by easy walk-ing paths. It really was like walking into a Garden of Eden, complete with squirrels and other crea-tures running around.

Not only was I completely impressed by the ponds themselves, but the sheer number of friendly Koi fish displayed, was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I found myself sitting by one of the ponds, kind of lost in thought about my own pond project. The sound of the waterfalls was very relaxing and quite inspiring. I even found myself making a few trips to the fish food dispen-ser, because it was so much fun feeding the Koi.

At the end of my “pond tour” I went over to the shop and met with the “Koi Lady” that my friends raved about. Dayleen is the owner of

Okanagan Koi, and was every bit the expert my friends said. She gave me more information and advice in the time we spoke, than I’ve gotten in years of looking online. Her passion and know-ledge is very evident and I’m truly inspired to get digging my pond.

I had no idea that Kelowna was home to such an amazing place! I had no idea that Okanagan Koi has been nominated twice as the best attrac-tion in the Okanagan. They are also the largest Koi and pond destination in Canada!

So, if you’ve ever thought about having Koi or a water feature, you really must go see them first. They have literally thousands of Koi fish, Gold-fish, aquatic plants and everything you’d ever need to build your own pond. And if you don’t want to do the work yourself, then the Koi Lady can do it for you.

Okanagan Koi & Water Gardens is locat-ed at 1605 Garner Rd., up Highway 33, just past Springfield Road. The shop is open seven days a week, March to November. The gardens open to the public May 1 and you can visit them online at okanagankoi.com or call 250-765-5641.

Z8 www.kelownacapnews.comZ8 www.kelownacapnews.com

BY DANIELA INFANTY

when you pull up? Well, that’s how I felt while parking my car. I could see two waterfalls and another one mid-construction, and that was just in the parking lot!

the Koi Shop, and on the other end, you are greeted by a gorgeous Japanese style gate.

Like walking into aGarden of Eden


Buy Direct Truck Centre

A division of Kelowna Hyundai, Buy Direct Truck Centre is the Okanagan’s largest dealership for used vehicles. When the dealer-ship opened in September 2013, it aimed at targeting truck enthusiasts by proudly o� ering models from Dodge, Ram, Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, and GMC. No matter your personality or lifestyle, Buy Direct Truck Centre had the

pre-owned truck to suit your needs. In November 2014, after a successful � rst year of business, Buy Direct Truck Centre expanded to also include a large array of used cars and suvs. The success of the dealership has been a combination of factors, from constantly listening and meeting customer needs and wants, to pricing vehicles competitively, to having a great team that values their customers.

With over 250 trucks, cars and suvs in stock, and � nanc-ing options available regard-less of past credit history, Buy Direct Truck Centre is a� liat-ed with Kelowna Hyundai and

Maple Ridge Hyundai, which allows them to access over 250 used import trucks, cars and suvs.

In addition to a large inventory of vehicles, the dealership has a unique approach to every custom-er’s application because they understand that everyone’s credit situation is di� erent. Their team of expert Finance Managers have the knowl-

edge and tools that can help you get behind the wheel. They are able to o� er clients the best interest rates available to them by maintaining a close relationship with all major lending institu-tions, as well as o� ering their very own in-house leasing.

In addition, Buy Direct Truck Centre o� ers wholesale vehicles to the public. With over 100 wholesale vehicles price below $5,000, they have a vehicle for everyone. Check out buydirecttruckcentre.com for their inventory of whole-sale and retail vehicles.

In May 2015, they will be hosting their 2nd annual Operation 200 promotion. The goal of Operation 200 is to sell 200 vehicles between Buy Direct Truck Centre and Kelowna Hyundai during the month of May, resulting in a donation of $10,000 to a local charity. Last year they do-nated $10,000 to the Interior Heart and Surgical Centre for

new equipment. To guarantee they reach their target, they have reduced the price on all their cars, trucks, and suvs.

Owner, John Kot, and man-aging partner, Guy Lemieux are con� dent that every customer will � nd a vehicle they want, at an unbeatable price. Stop in today and visit General Sales Manager, Paul Sievwright to � nd out why ev-eryone is driving away in their

new vehicle from Buy Direct Truck Centre.

If you’re looking to up-grade your vehicle, make sure to visit Buy Direct Truck Centre on 1638 Cary Road in Kelowna, for the best deal in town. They guarantee, no matter which vehicle you choose you’re sure to love it!

Kelowna Hyundai

3260 Highway 97 NorthKelowna, BC

Phone: 250-491-9467www.kelownahyundai.com

BUY DIRECTBUY DIRECTBUY DIRECTTRUCK CENTRETRUCK CENTRETRUCK CENTRE

Best Selection Best Prices

1638 Cary Road, Kelowna 778-478-7057

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Okanagan Koi, and was every bit the expert my friends said. She gave me more information and advice in the time we spoke, than I’ve gotten in years of looking online. Her passion and know-ledge is very evident and I’m truly inspired to get digging my pond.

I had no idea that Kelowna was home to such an amazing place! I had no idea that Okanagan Koi has been nominated twice as the best attrac-tion in the Okanagan. They are also the largest Koi and pond destination in Canada!

So, if you’ve ever thought about having Koi or a water feature, you really must go see them first. They have literally thousands of Koi fish, Gold-fish, aquatic plants and everything you’d ever need to build your own pond. And if you don’t want to do the work yourself, then the Koi Lady can do it for you.

Okanagan Koi & Water Gardens is locat-ed at 1605 Garner Rd., up Highway 33, just past Springfield Road. The shop is open seven days a week, March to November. The gardens open to the public May 1 and you can visit them online at okanagankoi.com or call 250-765-5641.


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BY MIKE STRAUSTo accommodate growth, Boyd

Autobody is moving out of its High-way 33 location to a larger facility. For the past five years, Boyd Auto-body has been running at maximum capacity, according to co-founder Methal Abougoush. That’s why, after 14 years in business, the auto shop is moving to a new location at the southwest corner of McCurdy Road and Highway 97.

“We’re making this move for two reasons,” Abougoush says. “First, we’ve simply outgrown our cur-rent facility. The new facility is twice the size of our current facility, and we also think it’s a better location. Second, the city won’t grant us a permit to expand. If something cat-astrophic like a fire happened, the city wouldn’t allow us to rebuild and re-open.”

Abougoush notes that the move

will bring a variety of benefits to the brand, including higher visibility and the ability to offer new services.

“With this new facility, we’ll be able to address new challenges—which includes repairing aluminum pickup trucks like the new Ford F-150. We’re seeing a lot of the new F-150s on the road, and our Rutland location in particular is servicing a large volume of them.”

Abougoush says the new alum-inum vehicles require separate maintenance areas in order to pre-vent cross contamination between steel and aluminum.

“There are also ventilation and

storage issues to consider. So this new, state-of-the-art facility will al-low us to repair aluminum vehicles without worrying about ventilation or cross contamination.”

Boyd Autobody’s growth is one example of the economic growth Kelowna has experienced in recent years, and Abougoush says that the influx of new businesses—and en-tirely new industries—to the Oka-nagan is cause to celebrate.

“The Okanagan has survived on tourism for so long that it’s been hard for young people to find jobs that let them stay in the valley. It’s great to see that we’ve turned a cor-ner and gone in a direction where there’s industry. Only positive things can come from bringing industry to the Okanagan.”

For Boyd Autobody and other lo-cal auto shops, though, a growing industrial base may create a need

that individual shops can’t meet.

“I think attracting tal-ent is going to be a prob-lem for several business-es in Kelowna,” Aboug-oush says.

“I chair the advisory committee for the Oka-nagan College appren-ticeship program. The plumbing, welding and electrical programs seem to be overfilled, but the collision and paint pro-

gram isn’t. A lot of people don’t realize that there are good paying jobs in the automotive sector.”

Abougoush says that as long as the industry and the community can continue attracting top talent, Ke-lowna will manage its growth well.

“The Okanagan has such a de-sirable climate and landscape. We won’t see a decline in growth. We have our ups and downs, but I think the City Council and the community leaders are opening up opportun-ities for business owners. I think that if we’re open-minded and continue in this direction, we’ll see nothing but good things to come.”

Boyd Autobody Expands Operations with aNew Rutland Facility

that individual shops can’t meet.

ent is going to be a prob-lem for several business-es in Kelowna,” Aboug-oush says.

committee for the Oka-nagan College appren-ticeship program. The plumbing, welding and electrical programs seem to be overfilled, but the collision and paint pro-


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Every now and then, something comes along that is so innovative it makes you wonder why nobody thought of it before. Granite Trans-formations is one of those inspired ideas. The company got its start in Australia in 1996.

Its first North American franchis-es opened in 2001, and was followed by a decade of explosive growth that led to more than 300 branch-es worldwide including Europe, the United States and Canada.

Kelowna franchise owner Greg Brown recalls the first time he came across a Granite Transformations product.

“It looked like a piece of slab granite that had been hollowed out to be able to be installed overtop of a laminate countertop, thus reducing the need for tear-out and all the nasty stuff that goes along with that,” said Brown. “I just really thought that the product was ingenious.”

The surfaces created by Granite Transformations are specifically en-gineered for each application using products that are 95 per cent gran-ite and five per cent proprietary polymer that permanently seals the stone.

As the polymer acts as a sealant, homeowners don’t have to worry about bacteria that can form in nat-urally porous stone surfaces. Creat-ing an outstandingly safe and virtu-

ally maintenance free counter. The combination forms a surface strong-er and more durable than traditional granite or quartz.

The natural stone used in the pro-cess is typically recycled from slab granite mining operations using the material left behind that is otherwise waste product. Thusly making it a much more environmentally friend-ly solution than traditional applica-tions. Brown says this practise keeps over 18 million pounds of waste out of landfills every year.

Yet perhaps the biggest bene-fit is how little disruption installa-tion causes. In a renovation scenar-io, the ¼ inch thick real stone prod-uct is installed on top of the current countertop, erasing the need to tear apart the kitchen and creating a more durable surface. “People are really averse to having their lives dis-rupted with major renovations. Be-cause of the way that they fabricate and install this product, most of our jobs are done inside of one day,” said Brown.

While the product offers installa-tion advantages, a big part of the pro-cess comes from the team that has de-veloped since Brown founded his first Alberta franchise originally based in Airdrie nearly five years ago. Since then, Brown has grown into both the Calgary and Kelowna markets.

Kelowna branch manager Tami

KitchenMAKEOVERSat a fraction of the cost

Weller heads up the com-pany’s day-to-day oper-ations in Kelowna working within a staff of five to pro-vide the highest level of service possible. “We cer-tainly pride ourselves on customer service,” said Weller. “Not always easy but still very important to us. We have a real team en-vironment here. Everyone here is sort of like a little family, I know that’s cliché, but it really is. We’re all working together to build up this business because we believe in it.

That level of dedication is on full display in Gran-ite Transformations’ new showroom at 100-740 McCurdy Rd. in Kelowna. Customers are greeted to an array of product displays that show off everything from counter-tops and shower walls to fireplaces, backsplash and cabinet options.

Along with granite and glass-granite countertops, the com-pany also offers tile products, includ-ing artfully crafted mosaic tiles, which are often used in conjunction with countertops to create backsplashes

or accents. The cabinet refacing option is an-

other clever service where the pro-cess involves leaving the existing cabinet boxes intact, but giving fresh life with new doors and functionality enhancements.

You get a complete makeover at about half the cost of a traditional tearout.

For more information, call 778-753-1733 or visit www.granitetras-formations.com/kelowna.

www.kelownacapnews.com Z11 www.kelownacapnews.com Z11

us. We have a real team en-

BEFORE

AFTER


Fresh

Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the

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Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the Across our beautiful Okanagan Valley, tree fruit growers work each day to produce the

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BY MIKE STRAUSRecovering from fire, this 70-year-old Kelowna

business has opened a new store for cyclists. Not even extensive fire damage and the loss

of most of their inventory could keep Kelowna Cycle closed for too long.

The business has been a popular destination for cyclists since the 1940s, and now, with Kelow-na’s continued population growth, it’s provenitself to be a pillar of the community.

“Kelowna’s growth has gotten us much more involved in the community,” says Patrick Rosen, who has owned the store since 2008. “We’re now doing two to four bike rodeos every year with School District 23. We’re also very involved in

events like Bike To Work Week, as well as our own events like the Kami-kaze Downhill and week-ly time trials.”

Rosen says that for Kelowna Cycle, the sup-port of a growing com-munity of cyclists is en-abling the business to give back in new and fun ways. For the past five

years, Rosen and his team of cycling experts have fixed old worn out bicycles and donated them to charities.

“Last year we gave away 18 bikes,” he says. “It’s a fun project. We’ve donated bikes to the Gospel Mission, the Kelowna Women’s Shel-ter, the Canadian Mental Health Association and even local schools like Raymer Elementary.”

Kelowna Cycle also freely provides bicycles to families in need and has a helmet giveaway pro-gram for children.

For Rosen and the Kelowna Cycle team, this charity program has a personal motivation.

“We’re trying to get people on bikes because it’s an opportunity for them to get places, pos-sibly to a job, and to give them some freedom. We help people who need help. I came from a modest upbringing, so I know what it’s like to have to go without.”

Helping people in need is exactly why Kelow-na Cycle sponsors the Ride Don’t Hide event, a fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health As-sociation. Kelowna Cycle, Rosen says, believes firmly that riding a bicycle is an easy way to live a healthy lifestyle and combat mental illness. That’s why they’ve been involved in the event since its first year.

Kelowna Cycle has also recognized that Kelowna seems to have a definite need for a bike shop in the central city. A growing number of professionals, Rosen says, now want to park their cars and bike to work instead. These profession-als may ride for a variety of reasons—to improve their health, to help the environment, or simply to save on the cost of fuel—but they all need a cen-tral hub where they can meet with like-minded people and find the best cycling gear and safety equipment.

“Kelowna is a fantastic place to ride a bike,” Rosen says, “and more people coming to Kelow-na want to get active. For Kelowna Cycle, a grow-ing city means a lot of things. Most importantly, it means investing more effort into making more people aware that cycling is a great lifestyle.”

Kelowna Cycle has also recognized that

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BY MIKE STRAUS Best Western Kelowna

owner Greg Salloum is lead-ing the charge for sustainable, environmentally friendly busi-ness growth through large-scale green initiatives.

Since 2002, the Kelowna Best Western hotel has been a local

leader in sustainability and a busi-ness with a reputation for being green.

That year, owner Greg Salloum invested in a solar-powered water heater for the hotel that can heat over 80,000 litres of water. Nearly 90 per cent of the hotel’s water—in its swimming pool, hot tubs, and 154 guest rooms—is heated with solar energy during the sum-mer, while the solar heating sys-tem can supply 60 per cent of the hotel’s hot water needs all winter.

With an estimated energy sav-ings of $30,000 per year, Salloum has proven that what’s good for the environment is also good for business. Extra capital means Best Western and other green businesses can reinvest their sav-ings into other business needs and run a leaner operation.

But for Salloum, being green isn’t about the money. It’s about managing economic growth in an environmentally responsible man-ner.

“Endless growth isn’t prog-ress if it harms the environment we live in. In order to be success-ful, growth has to be sustainable.

We’re in a desert and we could be using a lot less water than we are. There’s so much waste that could be reduced through bylaws and environmental initiatives.”

That’s why Best Western in-vests in products like low-flow toi-lets, reduced volume shower-heads, non-toxic cleaning agents, and a recycling bin in every room. It’s these simple measures that make the brand’s growth sustain-able.

For Best Western, sustainable growth is a major priority—and Salloum believes it should be a priority for the community as well.

“As the Okanagan continues to grow, we’re going to see trans-portation challenges. I think we’ll eventually see some kind of light rapid transit up and down the val-ley. There’s opportunity for that—there’s a transit corridor between Kelowna and Vernon that isn’t cur-rently being used. It wouldn’t just be good for residents, it would be good for attracting tourists.”

Salloum has worked hard to create a variety of environment-al initiatives at Best Western, in-cluding a new LEED-Certified En-vironmental wing. This wing of the hotel offers rooms that use geo-thermal heating, e-glass windows that provide better insulation, and door switches that automatically shut down the heating and cool-ing vent when the door to a room is open. The Best Western Hotel also offers three charging stations

for electric vehicles that are com-plimentary for all guests.

Salloum believes sustainable growth demand better planning.

“I’m hoping the Central Oka-nagan will develop its own archi-tectural style. The Craftsman style isn’t appropriate for our cli-mate—I think a Greek or Italian style would provide better climate control and be more sustainable.

It would be nice if government at all levels took the lead instead of leaving sustainability to the pri-vate sector, because some of the most effective sustainability pro-jects require more development before they can be rolled out.”

Best Western advocates for sustainable local growth with an Okanagan flavour

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Kelowna Cycle has also recognized that Kelowna seems to have a definite need for a bike shop in the central city. A growing number of professionals, Rosen says, now want to park their cars and bike to work instead. These profession-als may ride for a variety of reasons—to improve their health, to help the environment, or simply to save on the cost of fuel—but they all need a cen-tral hub where they can meet with like-minded people and find the best cycling gear and safety equipment.

“Kelowna is a fantastic place to ride a bike,” Rosen says, “and more people coming to Kelow-na want to get active. For Kelowna Cycle, a grow-ing city means a lot of things. Most importantly, it means investing more effort into making more people aware that cycling is a great lifestyle.”

BY MIKE STRAUS

owner Greg Salloum is lead-ing the charge for sustainable, environmentally friendly busi-ness growth through large-scale green initiatives.

Western hotel has been a local

Best Western advocates for sustainable local growth with an Okanagan flavourwith an Okanagan flavour


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When Adrian and Katie Byland started their fledging nursery on a few acres of rented land they would not have imagined what it would grow into 60 years later.

Adrian and Katie have since passed away and for the past 35 years Bylands has been under the care of John and Maria Byland. The nursery has grown from a few acres to over 500 with farms in the Fraser Valley, Coldstream area and several locations in the Central Okanagan.

The combined employment of the nurs-ery and Garden Centre is over 200 people at its peak. The nursery is one of the most diversified in Canada growing a wide variety of products in-cluding shade trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and evergreens.

They also grow thousands of fruit trees per year for the local orchard industry. Last year, more than 500 truckloads of plants were shipped to customers throughout Canada and the US.

The nursery prides itself on being very pro-gressive and environmental friendly. This was recognized when in 2001 Bylands Nursery won the prestigious AIPH “Nursery of the Year Award” for the entire world.

With the involvement of Mike Byland, a third generation family member as well as a team of dedicated capable staff, the Bylands family tradition will carry on for years to come.

Bylands has always been a progressive company and nowhere have the change been more profound than that at Bylands Garden Centre. Gone are the days when a Garden Centre sold plants on a seasonal basis.

Bylands today is so much more, selling a wide array of gifts, woman accessories and home décor as well as operating a full-range florist.

Bylands also sells bulk soils as well as vast selection of plants (many of which are grown by its own nursery), fertilizers, tools, pots and everything else you need for successful gar-dening.

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nize that for Bylands to be in business in another 60 years they must constantly adapt to an ever changing market place without ever forgetting the roots they came from.

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PROGRESS 2015

JEAN RUSSELLBulldozers have barely scrapped the sur-

face, but the Okanagan Centre for Innovation in downtown Kelowna sees a bright future ahead.

Jeff Keen is the public voice for the high tech business idea incubator. He says a unique as-pect of the project is the range of interested parties getting involved. In addition to seed funding from the B.C. government, the Innov-

ation Centre is working with local organizations such as both the University of B.C. Okanagan and Okanagan College, the Okanagan Econom-

ic Development Commission, local governments as well as social network and venture capital entrepreneurs.

“We’ll leverage everyone’s market-ing capabilities,” Keen said, to spread the word and draw the people with the most innovative ideas and energy to-ward the centre. “It will be driven by a wide range of community partners.”

The incubator part of the enterprise will take place primarily on the second floor of the six-storey building, at the corner of Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue in Kelowna, beside the downtown Ke-

lowna library.That’s where Accelerate Okanagan will be the

key tenant.The building itself will be as high-tech as

they come, making sure the requirements of in-novators are met.

There will be shared space where ideas can flow, entrepreneurs can meet and the community can get involved with the process and its results.

A presentation space is planned, with re-

tractable walls to accommodate small and large meetings, or open to the artium within.

“We want maximum community engage-ment,” Keen said, “and maximum community benefit.”

But the heady ebb and flow of exciting new developments will need anchoring.

That’s where the rest of the facility comes into play. Long-term tenants will lease space in the upper four floors, while at street-level there will be retail businesses like coffee shops and such.

While he wouldn’t divulge which tenants had signed-up just yet, Keen said 30 per cent of the space is committed, with another 40 per cent of lease deals pending.

He described the characteristic as being companies with vision dealing in knowledge technologies.

“The idea is to get the community into the building,” Keen said.

Construction of the Innovation Centre his ex-pected to start in the next three weeks, with the completion date set for the fall of 2016.

INNOVATION CENTREon track to a dynamic future

Capital News Capital News Wednesday, April 29Wednesday, April 29

JEAN RUSSELLJEAN RUSSELL

ic Development Commission, local governments as well as social network and venture capital entrepreneurs.

ing capabilities,” Keen said, to spread the word and draw the people with the most innovative ideas and energy to-ward the centre. “It will be driven by a wide range of community partners.”

will take place primarily on the second floor of the six-storey building, at the corner of Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue

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This stunning new trades training complex will attract thousands of students to train here, work here, and live here. We want to let people know that by supporting this project, you can help us build bright futures. You can truly make a difference in a student’s life.”

www.okanagan.bc.ca/campaign • (250) 862-5630

THE BRIGHT HORIZONS BUILDING FOR SKILLS CAMPAIGN

Okanagan College has embarked on a $33-million renovation and expansion of its Trades Training Complex. When doors open in spring of 2016, the new complex will accommodate more than 2,400 students per year. We are aiming to meet LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge standards, to construct one of the most sustainable post-secondary education facilities in North America. Our goal is to build a place for learning that our community will be proud of – now and in 50 years.

But this project is about much more than just a building. It’s about building futures. Because you can’t take a step out of your front door without encountering something that tradespeople have poured the foundation for, framed, welded, wired, plumbed, or shaped. Tradespeople do more than build the places where we live, work, and learn—they help build our communities.

Now it’s your turn. Help us build a strong foundation for the future of trades training in the Okanagan.

Support the Bright Horizons Building for Skills Campaign. Donate today to help us reach our $7-million fundraising goal.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTUREBUILDING FOR SKILLS

As of 2015, 48 per cent of the Canadian workforce is estimated to be between 45 and 64 years of age.

That means there will be short-fall of qualified applicants to step in for retiring trades workers, a gap that firms such as Taylor Pro Training in Kelowna are trying to address.

Whether you are preparing for a position within mining, oil rigs or road construction, Taylor Pro Training has several heavy equip-ment training programs to assist you in preparing for your future career.

Taylor Pro Training Ltd has developed over the years from a one instructor and one truck com-pany to a driver training and heavy equipment training facility.

The company also offers:• Instructor Training (Become a

Drive Instructor)• 16-Hour Certified Air Brake

Training Program• 20-Hour Certified Air Brake

Course including ICBC assess-ment

• Professional Driver Improvement Course.The experiences Taylor Pro in-

structors have incurred driving both on- and off-highway trucks and heavy equipment ensure that applicants are in the competent hands of a true professional.

Taylor Pro teaches its students a safe and confident method of operating through a variety of pro-grams.

Taylor Pro Training has been providing B.C.’s trucking industry with a large portion of its profes-sional drivers since 2003.

Taylor Pro, an ITA designated school, also can offer a 21-week heavy equipment foundation ap-

prenticeship program along with other heavy equipment training programs to meet an individual’s future career needs.

The commercial drive and heavy equipment industry is al-ready experiencing a shortage of skilled operators in B.C. and Alberta.

All the courses are conducted at Taylor Pro’s training site in Ke-lowna.

In the provincial government’s Labour Market Outlook 2022 re-port, transport truck drivers were identified as number two in the top 10 most-needed professions.

It’s estimated that the province will need a whopping 18,000 driv-ers by 2022.

“Those numbers are stagger-ing,” says Steve Moores, Oka-nagan College’s Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship.

“But the college is partnering with both industry and the govern-ment to fill that gap and provide workers with the skills they need to be competitive in the future.”

To that end, Okanagan College joined forces seven years ago with Taylor Pro Training to offer Class one Driver Training.

This experiential, full-time pro-gram covers the broad range of hands-on skills necessary to find employment as a transport truck driver and can be completed in just six weeks.

What’s more, the provincial government, realizing this loom-ing shortage, has provided full funding for the program to eli-gible applicants through the Can-ada-British Columbia Job Fund.

Of the 32 students who partici-pated last year in the tuition-free program, 29 found employment in the trucking industry.

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It took three days of planning, maneuvering, and driving to and from the tire shop to complete the task. Frustrated with this process, Heather said to Craig, “I wish someone would just come to us!” and there it was, all born from a simple comment. From there, Heather and Craig put the plan into action and opened the first operating model of GoTire.

In the spring of 2013, the owners of Standard Auto Glass, Devin and Derek Kuntz watched as Craig and Heather pitched the GoTire concept to the Dragon’s Den and decided to expand and rename their glass shop to include GoTire Mobile Tire Service. They have now dropped the Standard Auto Glass name and are now running the only MOBILE Tire, Auto Glass and Detailing service in the Okanagan!

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By Kathy MichaelsAlberta’s economy may be less

robust than days past, but it hasn’t hurt Okanagan tourism just yet.

Room nights booked in local hotels and motels was up four per cent last year and the revenue those bookings generated rose by nine per cent, said Nancy Cameron, the CEO of Tourism Kelowna.

Expectations that the upward trend will continue in the year ahead are high, despite economic struggles with the valley’s most reliable pool of visitors.

Coun. Brad Sieben raised this issue at a recent council meeting when he asked Cameron whether Alberta’s recent reversal of fortune would have on the local economy.

She said her inside sources were quite positive about what’s to come, but they have their eyes open.

“It’s something we’re monitor-ing,” Cameron said.

What may just help keep the flow of tourists coming to the Okanagan is the growing disparity between the US and Canadian dollar.

Cameron explained that US trav-ellers only account for three to five per cent of all visits to the valley, so if that acts as a disincentive to heading this way it won’t really hurt local busi-ness. But, the high dollar could be cause for Albertans to not cross the line, choosing instead to spend their dollars on a sunny Okanagan mini break.

Although there are forces at play that Tourism Kelowna can’t do much about, Cameron said they have ex-erted their influence on the market-place in a number of different ways, including bringing high pro-file events to the city. Of note is the Great Okanagan Beer Festival, which is set to take place later this year.

Also, there has been a great deal of ink spilled extolling the virtues of Kelowna in national and international publications.

A large part of Cameron’s pres-entation hinged on the fact that the tourism organization has spent some of its budget on hosting journalists, and that’s paid off in spades.

By her estimates the best value

per dollar comes from getting a jour-nalist or blogger, who’s well respect-ed and considered credible by their readership to share their first hand view of the city.

As such, the city hosted 102 travel

journalists and bloggers last year. “They produced 129 articles for a

circulation of over 25 million,” said Cameron. “If we had to purchase that space it would be more than $2 million.”

Local firm fills the gap for retiring trade workers

Okanagan continues to be a top vacation destination


- Mike RobertsCampaign Ambassador

This stunning new trades training complex will attract thousands of students to train here, work here, and live here. We want to let people know that by supporting this project, you can help us build bright futures. You can truly make a difference in a student’s life.”

www.okanagan.bc.ca/campaign • (250) 862-5630

THE BRIGHT HORIZONS BUILDING FOR SKILLS CAMPAIGN

Okanagan College has embarked on a $33-million renovation and expansion of its Trades Training Complex. When doors open in spring of 2016, the new complex will accommodate more than 2,400 students per year. We are aiming to meet LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge standards, to construct one of the most sustainable post-secondary education facilities in North America. Our goal is to build a place for learning that our community will be proud of – now and in 50 years.

But this project is about much more than just a building. It’s about building futures. Because you can’t take a step out of your front door without encountering something that tradespeople have poured the foundation for, framed, welded, wired, plumbed, or shaped. Tradespeople do more than build the places where we live, work, and learn—they help build our communities.

Now it’s your turn. Help us build a strong foundation for the future of trades training in the Okanagan.

Support the Bright Horizons Building for Skills Campaign. Donate today to help us reach our $7-million fundraising goal.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTUREBUILDING FOR SKILLS


OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

BY BARRY GERDINGIn looking for a positive sign of commercial

land investment in Kelowna, one need look no further than the re-emergence of the Marshall Business Centre.

It is a development that kicked off 10 years ago, taking over what for many years was the site of the Marshall feedlot, adjacent to Highway 97 and McCurdy Roas.

“It came on stream back in 2008 and then the real estate market went flat,” said Gordon Anton, a Re/Max commercial realtor who has developer clients involved in the Marshall Business Centre.

“And that kind of followed the economy generally going flat here. But what is interesting now is after five or six years, we are starting to see investment activity again.”

Anton said the City of Kelowna was helpful last year by agreeing to adjust the zoning on the in-

side lots of the business centre ring road from I1 to I2 zoning.

“Switching to I2 opens it up for allowing out-side storage, but that zoning is also general-ly more flexible than I1 and with the general change in the market, developers are ready to do deals now,” he said.

“Someone willing to pay $800,000 for a lot and put up a spec building for leased space shows a greater confidence in our economy coming back.”

Among the businesses now located within the Marshall Business Centre are Harley Davidson, Konquer, Cap-It, Leavitt Machinery, Kelowna Honda Powerhouse, Wizard Lake Marine and Gescan.

He points to several new additions to our city which developers have taken note of—growth in the downtown core with a new RCMP detach-

ment planned, new Interior Health office build-ing and parked, Innovation Centre under con-struction, new downtown waterfront hotel in the pre-construction planning stage as positive signs, as is the proposed six-laning of Highway 97 from Costco to Edwards Avenue, called a prior-ity project by the B.C. Ministry of Transportation, and the Peremeter Road alternate route to Craw-ford Estates, and the ongoing development of UBC Okanagan.

“There has been a lull in the market for six or seven years, but what that does is create a pent up demand. It looks like a flurry of activity all of a sudden, but really it’s just another cycle in the real estate industry, where you are seeing confidence from developers, and you have businesses

Developerstaking notice of new additions in Kelowna

Marshall


Established in 1999, Kelowna KIA has grown to become the premier KIA dealer in B.C.’s Oka-nagan Valley.

Throughout the company’s tenure in Kelowna, management and staff have worked diligently

to include the best

possible customer service with top-notch repair and main-

tenance work to new and re-turning clients.

The dealership offers a com-prehensive lineup of new and used car, truck, minivan and SUV inventories.

Kelowna KIA has continued to expand as it now serves all of B.C.’s greater Okanagan area with new and used automobiles.

In this time, the dealership has grown to be one of the highest

volume KIA franchises through-out Western Canada with product knowledge and the kind of dedi-cated service that creates custom-ers for life.

Over the years, Kelowna KIA has grown at its current location, where it now offers a state-of-the-art showroom, and largest parts and service inventory for your

vehicle’s needs. Kelowna KIA is in busi-

ness to assist families and businesses with all their

automotive needs.Kelowna KIA offers a referral in-

centive program and a cash re-bate for recent post-secondary graduates, members of the Can-adian Armed Forces and first-time car buyers for the purchase or lease of a new KIA vehicle.

Kelowna KIA is at 3777 High-way 97N in Kelowna, just south of the junction with Old Vernon Road.

Drop by to view the inventory, call 877-239-0109 or visit thewebsite www.kelownakia.com.

Creating customers for lifeseeing the opportunity to move to new premises and adding another 500 to 1,000 square-feet of space.

“So after having a soft market for those years, it’s becoming a healthy market again. Not that we are going to see another big boom cycle, but it’s just a better balance.”

Anton said the commercial land market is always five to six months behind residential when changes occur in the real estate market, so when home sales started picking up in the latter half of last year and continued this spring, the commer-cial property developers were logic-ally soon to follow.

He says the combination of Kelowna being a community of more than 120,000 that won’t stop growing, continued low mortgage interest rates, upgraded infra-structure and transportation net-works and a great climate give the region just too much going for it to not succeed in the long-term.

Anton, who grew up in Kelow-na, returned here in 1981 to start his career as a realtor. “I started out in

1981 and I would never want to go through that again. Interest rates were 18 to 20 per cent in 1981, ‘82, ‘83, and as a people person it was hard to me to watch people lose their houses. They weren’t doing anything differently, the market just changed,” he said.

While real estate pundits have been talking about a rise in interest rates for the last five years, so far the Bank of Canada has held off pur-suing that option, something that Anton says is positive for homeowners and commercial land investors.

“What we have now is a good, healthy real estate mar-ket, which is good for everyone. I remember my dad telling me when the Coquihalla Connector opened up, how that would do (for Kelowna) what building Rogers Pass in 1961 did for opening up Alberta. He said we should feel comfortable about the future of this valley because de-velopment is not going to stop. It has just too much going for it.

“We live in a great place.”

seeing the opportunity to move to new premises and adding another 500 to 1,000 square-feet of space.

those years, it’s becoming a healthy market again. Not that we are going to see another big boom cycle, but it’s just a better balance.”

market is always five to six months behind residential when changes occur in the real estate market, so when home sales started picking up

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Get involved Volunteer Donate778-755-4346 • www.habitatforhumanitykelowna.ca • [email protected] • www.habitatforhumanitykelowna.ca • [email protected] • www.habitatforhumanitykelowna.ca • [email protected]

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Something GoodIn Your Neighbourhood

BY BARRY GERDINGThat is a question frequently asked by many in the

Central Okanagan as the region’s communities see their populations continue to grow, due in no small part to seniors coming here from the Lower Main-land, the prairies and further east from Ontario to retire.

That sign of progress—more people moving here—also raises challenges for our local health care system when many of those folks are retired.

In most cases, there is a ‘trigger event’ or occur-rence that signals a greater need for home care, both for a client and for the family and friends who may be increasingly challenged by the responsibilities of

providing support. The Kelowna

franchise for We Care Home Health Services is an example of one lo-cal private home care health service operator helping local residents from Peachland to Lake Country face those diffi-cult decisions.

Franchise director Charlene Pears, a regis-tered nurse by training, and her husband Brad took over the business in 2007.

“My connection with

the business had been to do some marketing for the previous owners, and when they came to us with the idea of buying the franchise, we worked out a deal,” Pears said.

“At that time, we had a staff of about 11 and were located on Richter Street, and we’ve since moved to our new location (corner of Dickson and Kirschner) and we have grown to five times that.”

Achieving that growth didn’t come without what Pears refers to as a “lot of blood, sweat and tears” in trying to survive and grow the business.

Some successes along the way that contributed to the growth of the Kelowna We Care office included acquiring another homecare company’s community division and good relationships with the local health authority leading to multiple contracts with IHA, and, most recently implementing an interim support ser-vice called Quick Response.

That initiative called for We Care to provide transi-tion homecare for clients that were being kept in the hospital because of a lack of at-home support servi-ces, whether from family members or private service providers.

“The idea of Quick Response is to get people out of the hospital who don’t have to be there, who need-ed personal care at home rather than clogging up a needed hospital bed,” Pears said.

Pears said that the initial seven month pilot project for Quick Response resulted in substantial savings to the Kelowna Interior Health Region. “The end result is it was a win-win for everyone.”

As a result the program was instituted with We Care

providing support.

franchise for We Care Home Health Services is an example of one lo-cal private home care health service operator helping local residents from Peachland to Lake Country face those diffi-cult decisions.

Charlene Pears, a regis-tered nurse by training, and her husband Brad took over the business in 2007.

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contracted to provide two weeks of initial homecare service for people released from the hospital, paid for by Interior Health.

“It costs about a thousand dollars a day to care for someone in a hospital bed so this option presented a cost savings.

Along with home care services, We Care also does drug and alcohol testing for pre-employment, and works with home patient care services for Work-Safe and ICBC accident victims.

Pears is passionate about her staff, and having worked as a nurse and care aid she knows it takes a person who is compassionate, caring, reliable, friendly and has a healthy dose of common sense to be successful in meeting the client’s needs.

From providing respite care to 24-hour health care supervision and everything in between, Pears says the aim of We Care is to provide a high quality of service whether a short time-frame or a client with long-term needs.

Sarah Craddock, one of the three client care managers, says while Interior Health can take several weeks to meet with someone released from hospital care who needs support at home, We Care can respond to new clients with a needs assessment quickly and have a care service program in place within 24 hours.

As well, We Care looks to pair up clients consistently with the same ser-vice providers to develop a sense of familiarity, as opposed to having a re-volving door of care providers showing up at the door day-to-day.

“The gratification for us is that we provide our clients a chance to retain an independence in their lives. And for me as a care manager, I probably spend 90 per cent of my time dealing with client family members,” Craddock said.

“We are dealing now with the sandwich generation, parents who still

have kids in high school or college, but also have par-ents that require their attention, all the while having a full-time job. That is just so overwhelming to deal with.

“We can step in to take a load off them with the ser-vices we provide and quality of our staff, that can be such a huge sigh of relief.”

Craddock said while private homecare raises cost issues, We Care has looked for ways to reduce that burden.

“Like most community care companies, we have a one hour minimum booking in the community. So that can add up if we are checking up on someone four times a day to make sure they take their medication. Currently we work in Regency Retirement Resorts offer-ing shorter bookings which are more cost-effective for the clients and their families,” she said.

Craddock says We Care is looking to further expand that program throughout the four Regency ‘Woods’ re-

sorts in the Central Okanagan. Those shorter visits can be applied to not only prescription oversight,

but tasks such as morning and evening care, laundry services and meal es-corts to the dining room if they have mobility issues.

“Sometimes it just takes a little bit of encouragement to help a senior retain their sense of independence,” she said.

Pears said while home health care needs are diverse, the need and de-sire to maintain their independence for as long as possible will remain a challenge that service providers like We Care can be called upon to help alleviate the stress on the hospital medical care system.

“Sitting with a client or their family members and explaining the process of what to do and what options there are for homecare service can certainly ease their fears,” she said. “Not knowing the system is what can be some-times overwhelming and scary.”

“It costs about a thousand dollars a day to care for

have kids in high school or college, but also have par-ents that require their attention, all the while having a full-time job. That is just so overwhelming to deal with.

vices we provide and quality of our staff, that can be such a huge sigh of relief.”

issues, We Care has looked for ways to reduce that burden.

a one hour minimum booking in the community. So that can add up if we are checking up on someone four times a day to make sure they take their medication. Currently we work in Regency Retirement Resorts offer-ing shorter bookings which are more cost-effective for the clients and their families,” she said.

that program throughout the four Regency ‘Woods’ re-

The idea is to get people out of the hospital who don’t have to be there


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BY KEVIN PARNELLWhen Savas Koutsantonis opened

the doors to what has become the go-to destination for all things fishing in the Okanagan, it was much different than today’s trendy operation that wel-comes anglers of all sorts through its doors everyday in Kelowna.

No, 20 years ago Koutstan-tonis opened Trout Waters Fly & Tackle in West Kelowna, oper-ating a small, 600 square-foot room inside of another busi-ness. It was the first of four loca-tions for the company over the past 20 years as Trout Waters has expanded and grown from a quaint little fishing shop to an institution in the area’s angling scene: A place where you just have to stop before heading out on the water.

“It just slowly grew as people got to know us better,” said Koutsantonis of those early begin-nings when he opened the doors with a couple of employees. “It’s always been about customer service. Bringing in what the customer wants.”

From those early beginnings, Trout Waters Fly & Tackle evolved, not only with a change of scenery but also in the types of product it offers. Over the last two decades the shop has add-ed more clothing and equipment and is a a full-service fishing shop/outfit-

ter, offering products, services, and expert advice to the fishing public. It’s moved a few times and finally set-tled in its current location on Highway 97 with over 3,300 square-feet of re-

tail space. Its customer base extends throughout Canada, with a growing international presence and in recent years has seen an increase in both young people and with women an-glers.

“We’ve got a lot bigger selection now,” said Koutsantonis, who also now has seven employees. “We have customers from all over the Pacific Northwest. We’ve got a lot of specialty gear that attracts in new customers all the time.”

About 10 years ago, Koutsantonis was joined on the ownership side by Nick Pace and together the two are busy helping the fishing public find places to fish, learn how to cast or

even take them out on a guided tour.“We’ve become kind of like a des-

tination for people,” said Pace. “We’re noticing a lot of people coming in are from the Kamloops area or the Coast or the Kootenays. They come in to find out what’s happening. The most com-mon question is what’s working and where?”

A recent and significant develop-ment at Trout Waters was the decision to become the Okanagan’s premium Patagonia retailer. Not only does the shop carry the full Patagonia line of fly fishing products, but they also carry a wide range of the brand’s popular men and women’s lifestyle apparel, includ-ing the alpine line of insulated cloth-ing. One reason for the partnership with Patagonia was its firm commit-ment to the environment which is in line with Trout Water’s own philosophy.

Offering ladies clothing is another example of how the fishing clientele is changing, said Pace.

“There are more ladies interested in fishing,” he said. “We’re really trying to cater to them in terms of proper equip-ment: Boots and waders and having the proper sizing for ladies to make it more enjoyable and comfortable.”

Earlier this month Trout Waters Fly & Tackle welcomed the public for a three day anniversary celebration. The business is located at 2340 Highway 97 and online at troutwaters.ca.

have to stop before heading out

Trout Waters Fly & Tackle owners Savas

Koutsantonis (right) and Nick Pace are celebrating

the business’ 20th anniversary this year.

A place to stop

before heading out on the water


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BY MIKE STRAUS Coming off the heels of a very successful year at

their West Kelowna location, Habitat for Human-ity’s ReStore has just opened a new location on En-terprise Way.

The opening of a new ReStore comes as wel-come news for the many families who rely on Habi-tat for Humanity for their housing needs, as well as the consumers who frequent the West Kelow-na store.

Executive director Deb Guthrie says the new lo-cation was an urgently needed expansion for the charity.

“The store in West Kelow-na was doing exceptional-ly well. We had more prod-uct than we had room for. We knew from volunteer fairs in Kelowna that people were ready to volunteer for us, but they didn’t want to cross the bridge.

“People were asking us when we were going to open something in Kelow-na, so the timing was perfect.”

The ReStore chose the Enterprise Way location

for a variety of reasons. Being in an industrial area makes it easier for the organization to bring in new home décor and building supply products in high volume, while the close proximity to major retail-ers means families can casually visit the store as part of their weekend errands rather than making an intentional trip.

Guthrie says she would have preferred to open the new location earlier, but the property needed extensive renovations.

“There was lots of work to be done. It’s a very big space. We needed to put washroom facilities

in, paint the entire space, put walls up, install an entrance ramp for people with mo-bility challenges, establish a cashier vestibule, and put in a public entrance.”

She says that with a build happening in Peachland this year, the organization’s staff and volunteers were working around the clock to manage

both projects. Guthrie says that preparing the store was a challenge, and even though the new facility is 23,000 square-feet in size, she foresees

another expansion in the future.“I think we’ll have the same problem with this

facility that we had in West Kelowna. I think we’ll run out of space. In West Kelowna we just had so much inventory that we couldn’t fit in the store, and the last thing we want to see is product going to the landfill.”

Although a growing store and a growing brand bring challenges, they also bring opportunities—and Guthrie says the ReStore is primed to take ad-vantage of those opportunities when they come.

“The tech boom is going to bring young fam-ilies to the valley. When we get young people, young families, coming here, I think there will be a need for us to serve them.”

“Our rental vacancy rate is just over one per cent. We don’t want a whole valley of renters. We want to ensure that families can get into home ownership. For us, growth means ensuring that these young families have affordable housing.”

ReStore opens newlocation on Enterprise Way

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In 1983, the Kelowna Commun-ity Food Bank was like hundreds of other church-basement charities popping up across the country.

Crammed quarters, lineups out the door, handing out emer-gency food to friends and neigh-bours caught in the severe reces-sion. Food bank volunteers giving

out what they had, which was often hampers consisting of unhealthy and processed food.

Much has changed over the last three decades…

The Kelowna food bank moved from the basement of a church to a 10,000 square-foot warehouse, serv-ing approximately 3,000 individuals per month. Over the last 32 years, the Kelowna food bank has become the largest provider of food relief in our community.

Last summer, the food bank launched their “Join the Food Movement” campaign. Accord-ing to executive director Lenetta Parry: “The campaign is about more than food relief. It’s about people working together to reduce hunger through food security, better nutri-tion, skills building and more.”

“Our food bank is about more than emergency food relief,” says

Parry. “We are one of many organ-izations leading the way towards a healthy, sustainable and just food system.”

The Join the Food Movement campaign has resulted in numer-ous new partnerships and game changing initiatives for their clients such as: community gardens, com-

munity kitchens, edible landscap-ing, improved nutritional initiatives, a unique social enterprise and a focus on sharing resources with 40 partner agencies.

“Many of our clients are moving from passive recipients to engaged volunteers, gardeners, cooks and welcoming the opportunity to learn new skills which help their families through challenging times” says Parry.

So when you see the food bank’s logo around town, may you be re-minded of the incredible commun-ity in which we live—a community that cares for its most vulnerable. May you be proud of progress be-ing made in the area of food secur-ity.

And may you be inspired, per-sonally, to Join the Food Movement

The Kelowna food bank is locat-ed at 1265 Ellis St.

sion. Food bank volunteers giving such as: community gardens, com-

Food bank morethan emergencyfood relief

JANET AND HUSBAND WAYNE DRINNAN HAPPILY DONATE WHILST TREATING THEMSELVES TO A HOT DOG, ALL PART OF A FOOD BANK FUNDRAISER OUTSIDE OF SAVE ON FOODS IN WEST KELOWNA. DOUGLAS FARROW/CONTRIBUTOR


A Kelowna realtor recently put it best when asked what has been the catalyst for the upswing this year in the local economy: “Take a look at what is happening downtown.”

Funding for public infrastructure improvements has been an import-

ant instrument for pushing Kelow-na forward over the last five years, a period that has included an eco-nomic recession which sent the lo-cal real estate industry, commer-cial and residential, into a down-turn.

But the upswing began with the city’s $14.3 million upgrade of Bernard Avenue from Richter to the The Sails, done in phases to try and limit the access impact of street construction on downtown businesses with the completion carried out last year.

Also completed last year was the $5 million public pier and day-use marina project at the foot of

Bernard, which will ultimately com-plement the new downtown ho-tel on the site of the old Willow Inn, being built by Edmonton-based Westcorp at the foot of Queen-sway.

That hotel will be a $65 million

project, rising up 24-storeys with 206 rooms along with commercial space on the ground floor, adja-cent to Kerry Park. Westcorp says the hotel will employ up to 100 people and pump some $20 mil-lion into the local economy.

Another high-rise tower in the works for the downtown core will house all the Interior Health em-ployees, up to 1,000 people who are currently scattered around dif-ference office and service locations in the Central Okanagan, under one roof.

The thought is bringing all the IH employees into the downtown core will then spur further commer-

cial development, such as restau-rants and retail stores.

And construction is already underway for the new Innovations Centre, a provincial funding driv-en project that is expected to be a central hub for the burgeoning

high-tech industry in the valley. That building has prompted the

city to spend $15 million to expand its existing library parked—the In-novation Centre will be located ad-jacent to the downtown library at Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue—and to service the IH tower, build another parked on what is now the ground-level parking lot for the Ke-lowna Museum and neighbouring

Memorial Arena.With the downtown core’s north

end seeing the construction of a new RCMP detachment and other commercial development on the old packinghouse property, that area is also underling a radical trans-

formation. Overall, Kelowna’s

population is projected to grow at an annual rate of 1.51 per cent through to 2030. That growth would translate into 45,485 new residents. That means Kelowna’s population by 2030 is expected to be 161,701.

Kelowna’s retiring executive director of business development

Jim Paterson has talked in the past about the “four pillar” foundation of the city’s continued growth—UBC Okanagan, Okanagan College, Ke-lowna General Hospital and the Ke-lowna International Airport.

And with all four in the midst of major site upgrade plans to facili-tate future growth, that bodes well for the city’s current positive out-look.

formation.

population is projected to grow at an annual rate of 1.51 per cent through to 2030. That growth would translate into 45,485 new residents. That means Kelowna’s population by 2030 is expected to be 161,701.

executive director of

Growth IN DOWNTOWNKELOWNA

Parry. “We are one of many organ-izations leading the way towards a healthy, sustainable and just food system.”

The Join the Food Movement campaign has resulted in numer-ous new partnerships and game changing initiatives for their clients such as: community gardens, com-

munity kitchens, edible landscap-ing, improved nutritional initiatives, a unique social enterprise and a focus on sharing resources with 40 partner agencies.

“Many of our clients are moving from passive recipients to engaged volunteers, gardeners, cooks and welcoming the opportunity to learn new skills which help their families through challenging times” says Parry.

So when you see the food bank’s logo around town, may you be re-minded of the incredible commun-ity in which we live—a community that cares for its most vulnerable. May you be proud of progress be-ing made in the area of food secur-ity.

And may you be inspired, per-sonally, to Join the Food Movement

The Kelowna food bank is locat-ed at 1265 Ellis St.

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The concept of a seniors’ residence opening up doors of interaction with its community has been explored at un-precedented levels by the Heritage Retirement Resi-dence in West Kelowna.

That inter-action literal-ly started be-fore the facility was officially opened, as the Brown Road re-tirement resi-dence opened its doors to provide temporary housing for those evacuated from their homes by the Smith Creek Fire in July 2014.

“We kind of set a tradition of want-ing to be part of the community right off the bat,” said Mon-ica Geisbrecht, the Heritage assistant general manager.

“When we opened our door to the fire evacuees, I think that kind of lit-erally opened our doors to the com-munity. I think at that point we had two residents who

were moved into the building.

“So we had a lot of empty suites at that point and we just opened our doors, and people were so grateful for us doing that, and we saw first-hand what a tight-knit community West Kelowna is, people looking out for each other and we wanted

to be a part of that community spirit that exists here.”

The commun-ity rallied to provide temporary bedding and toiletries so the evacuees could stay in the unfurnished

Heritage units.

“It was just so inspir-ing for all of us to be a part of that and we just want to con-tinue to keep our doors open to the community

to help in any way we can.”

That attitude has shown itself in a var-iety of ways since the Heritage formally opened it doors last year.

Since then, Gies-brecht said Heritage has become a com-munity hub for every-thing from hosting a firefighter apprecia-

tion day to a Christ-mas craft fair, show-ing a documentary about volunteering, and provide meet-ing space for local groups such as West Kelowna Women of Influence and the Probus Club.

This summer, Heritage will also host a car show out-side their build-ing combined with a community BBQ, and be an active par-ticipant in the West Kelowna Christmas Light-Up campaign and the Westside Daze Parade.

“It’s an interest-ing trend to see hap-pen in that residents in senior residences like ours get a chance to have more inter-action with the com-munity which I think is a positive thing to see happen,” she said.

All this activity doesn’t overshadow, however, the fact that

the Heritage is pri-marily a 145-unit sen-iors’ residence, man-aged by Diversicare Canada, which also manages 35 other re-tirement homes and five long-term care residences across the country.

The Heritage is an active member of the B.C. Seniors Liv-ing Association and participant in the Continuous Qual-ity Improvement Pro-gram, which involves continuous audits and surveys with its residents.

Since 2006, Di-versicare has been awarded the Nation-al Quality Institute of

Canada gold stan-dard of excellence four times.

Giesbrecht says Heritage now of-fers both independ-ent assisted and sup-portive living services for clients .

The big benefit of that, she says, is cli-ents can move in on an assisted living basis and when they need more health service support, they don’t have to move elsewhere to get it, citing the retirement residence’s value statement of believ-ing in seniors living as independently as possible for as long as possible.

the Heritage is pri- Canada gold stan-Clients can move in on an assisted living basis and when they need more health service

support, they can get it without moving.

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BY MIKE STRAUSA local auto dealership is gear-

ing up for further success after a re-cord-breaking year.

From the outside, Kelowna Chrysler may look like any other new car dealership. But both na-tionwide and in Kelowna, Chrysler is making major strides in the con-sumer auto market—and the brand’s growth in the Okanagan is the result of strong customer ser-vice and top talent.

Managing director Scott Amis says that now, with Kelowna Chrysler in its 41st year in business, the brand is making big moves.

“2014 was a record year for na-tional sales,” he says. “For the first time in history we’ve outsold Ford Motor Company. We’ve finished Q1 of 2015 as the number one nameplate in Canada.”

Amis says that Kelowna’s recent growth has brought a larger con-sumer base to the area, and with

that larger consumer base he’s see-ing more demand for vehicle modi-fications. In response to this grow-ing trend, Kelowna Chrysler has launched KCD Customs, a custom auto shop that tailors vehicles to consumer specifications.

“KCD Customs started off as a pet project by Justin Freeberg, our build manager. We prefer to call him an Imagineer. He takes the en-gineering background of our fac-tory-approved components and imagines what the vehicle should look like. He actually builds the specs for us.”

Amis notes that one major chal-lenge in running a customs shop is warranty coverage.

“As soon as you lift a vehicle or change the engineering from fac-tory spec, you void the warranty.”

Amis says that every alteration made by KCD Customs is covered under standard warranties from Chrysler, Fiat, and Ram. Since 2013,

KCD Customs has modified 100 vehi-cles—each one an en-tirely unique creation.

For Amis and Ke-lowna Chrysler, though, growth isn’t just about boosting sales and offering new services. It’s also about giving back.

“Lots of charities don’t have the funds to get radio time, so last year we signed a package of radio spots. Instead of using them for our own purposes, we gave our spots to the BCSCPCA, the Canadian Cancer Foundation, and the Rotary Club.”

Amis believes that Kelowna’s growth as a city centre has brought a variety of benefits but also some challenges. He stresses that Ke-lowna can only grow so fast, and the economy will need to become more diverse in order to support the community and attract top tal-ent.

“The Okanagan is a beautiful lo-cation, which makes it easy to re-cruit people who are willing to re-locate. But at the same time, we need to have available work for new residents. The wineries and or-chards are great for the economy, but one industry alone can’t sustain a growing city.”

It’s clear that for Amis, attracting and training talent is the key to suc-cess.

“I hire nice people,” he says, “and give them the technical skills. Most of our competitors train monthly—we train daily. We don’t sell 1,500 vehicles a year. We focus on one guest experience at a time and repeat it 1,500 times.”

At Kelowna Chrysler, Talent andInnovation Drive Business Forward

cles—each one an en-

“The Okanagan is a beautiful lo-


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It’s been several years since Fred Steele has been able to say this, but he is optimistic about the potential for a thriving tree fruit agriculture in-dustry in the Okanagan Valley.

The Kelowna orchardist, presi-dent of the BC Fruit Growers Asso-ciation, says it’s refreshing after a long period of what he calls dark-ness hanging over the industry, there is a greater sense of optimism about the future.

“Just being positive in itself is in-fectious,” said Steele. “But every-one in our industry is trying to work together it seems now to bring our industry back to life.

“I equate what has happened to us over the last two decades to what happened with our grain; we lost entire prairie towns. I think we have gone through our own sort of test under fire, people saying the tree fruit industry is a sunset indus-try, and all the doom and gloom that goes along with that.”

Helping to fuel that optimism are efforts to open our Okanagan cher-ries and apples to new markets in Asian Rim countries, such as China,

Vietnam and South Korea, coupled with government funding to help farmers replant with new crops that are more productive and prosper-ous.

A recent trade junket visit to Can-ada by India’s prime minister that in-cluded a visit to Vancouver was at-tended by Kelowna city councillor Mohini Singh and reps from the lo-cal tree fruit industry.

As Steele says, it’s all about mak-ing connections, in particular with Asian country business and political leaders.

“We’ve received about $8.4 mil-lion for replanting to higher rev-enue generating fruit varieties. In-creased production of these new varieties means the crop is worth more money. Where you might get 25 to 30 bins an acre, a different var-iety might generate up to 50 bins an acre with higher density fruit tree plantings,” Steele said.

The timeframe for replanting tree fruit orchards is critical, because the process takes five to seven years to complete, he said.

“If you look at South Korea, there

is a 45 per cent tariff placed on im-ported fruit right now. Seven years from now, that tariff will be zero but we have to start preparing now to be ready for that happening sev-en years down the roads. So with the replant program, we’ll be right on time when that happens as the replant crops will be coming on stream.”

Steele says the pressure to ease tariffs is a combination of political and industry pressure from outside countries coupled with a growing middle class sector in Asian coun-tries where people start to demand access to greater variety of fruit—and are willing and have the finan-cial resources to pay for it.

The BCFGA is headquartered on Water Street in downtown Kelow-na. Falling fruit prices, price under-cutting competition from Washing-ton state growers, hail storms and frost crop damage, and a perceived lack of fiscal and policy support at the provincial and federal govern-ment levels have led to a reduction in the number of orchardists operat-ing in the Okanagan Valley over the

last dec-ade.

Today, B.C.’s interior tree fruit industry, centred in our val-ley, represents about 800 growers operating orchards that generate $130 million in wholesale revenue, contribute $900 million in economic activity and directly employs about 1,500 people annually at the grow-er, packinghouse and processor lev-els.

But research science, propelled by the Summerland Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre to create new tree fruit varieties, and the dry, hot Okanagan climate offer local growers a competitive advantage, one Steele reiterates the industry is beginning to take greater advan-tage of.

He feels his industry is evolv-ing out of some challenging and at times internally dysfunctional times and will be the stronger for it mov-ing forward.

“We are all working together in our industry a lot better than we have in a long time,” Steele said.

Positive attitude being expressed by local growers

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Special Features - Progress 2015