April 27, 2022 They are paving paradise

Paradise has been invaded by greed.

Our beautiful Okanagan Valley has become a place for the wealthy and well-to-do. And it makes me sad.

The latest casualty is our friend’s beach lot. For over fifteen years they have been able to spend their summers at their RV on the water on the shores of West Kelowna. The Westbank First Nations were the owners of the land and they rented out a series of lots on the water for seasonal camping. There used to be many more sites carved along the side of the beach but when the floods hit three years ago a number of the lots were forced to be vacated. When covid hit they were not allowed to rebuild. Now with very little notice, our friends have been told to vacate. A new development is coming.

Development is coming everywhere.

And it makes me sad. I know the old adage if you’re not growing you’re dying. But I disagree with that mantra. Growth is not always good. With unfettered growth comes many problems. Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley have become the fastest growing place in all of Canada. With that growth has come some very big-city problems.

Crime is up, way up. So is congestion. As well the city has become greedy by implementing huge increases in fees for everything. Including an unfair $ 2000.00 fee for each of our boats to use the docks and launch facilities. I know this is all first-world problems. But the change has been rapid and the world is not a better place for it.  

Seventeen high-rises are being constructed or planned for our city. These are not affordable housing units, they are being built for the wealthy. The median price of a home in Kelowna in 2019 was $ 600,000.00 Now, only three short years later it has broken a million dollars. 

To think two years ago when covid hit I was told house prices would probably drop.

It is all so crazy. 

How is it that we have more places built and more houses than ever before, and everything is full? It’s almost impossible to find a rental home and no one who makes regular wages can afford to buy anything. So if everything is full why can’t anyone find any workers to fill all the job vacancies out there?

It makes no sense.

The cost of living has skyrocketed and there is no one to do the work. Does everyone work online? 

I know it’s all first-world problems but there is quickly becoming a piece of the third world living under the noses of the high-rises being built. Homelessness is way up, the working poor are being forced out by the wealthy and the middle class is disappearing. I fear for the next generation.

What can be done?

Some would say the market will correct itself, but I don’t believe it. Something has to break. I hope the crash isn’t a harsh one that hurts too many people.

One thing we can all do is try to live sustainable lives. Shop local, use less, and help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. As we have been told since the pandemic began, we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat.

I hope everyone can stay afloat until this storm ends.