About Our CommunityWestbank and Westside
Community Profile
LOCATION
Westbank and the surrounding area commonly referred as "Westside" Kelowna's Lakeside Neighbour, is located on the west side of Okanagan Lake opposite the City of Kelowna. Like most of the Okanagan, Westbank is a popular tourist destination as well as a popular location for those looking for a lifestyle change. The area has been experiencing tremendous growth in population as people from all over move here to enjoy the ‘quality of life”. Clean air, water, green space and a good climate make Westbank a desirable place to live and work.
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While Westbank is often included as part of Kelowna when people describe it’s location, it is a separate and unique community. Westbank is called the “Key to the Okanagan” as it is the first community reached when travelling east to the Okanagan via the Okanagan Connector. Bordered by mountains to the west and Okanagan Lake to the east, Westbank lies nestled in some of the finest scenery in British Columbia. [Insert Map]
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Westbank, while growing rapidly as a residential community, is also developing as a place to do business. As with any area that feels rapid growth in population, opportunities for commercial and industrial development abound.
Distances by road to various centers are shown below:
Kelowna 12 kms
Penticton 45 kms
Kamloops 186 kms via Hwy 97
Vancouver 446 kms via Hope-Princeton Hwy
Vancouver 380 kms via Coquihalla
Calgary 580 kms
Edmonton 882 kms
Seattle 490 kms
Spokane 393 kms
Prince George 670 kms
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT
District of Westside "The Oknagan's New Municipality"
On December 6, 2007 our new municipality was incorporated, with the official presentation of the Letters Patent, by the Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Community Services at the Inaugural Council meeting.
Mayor & Councillors:
Mayor
Rosalind Neis
Councillor
Doug Findlater
Councillor
David Knowles
Councillor
Gord Milsom
Councillor
Duane Ophus
Councillor
Heather Pilling
Councillor
Carol Zanon
SERVICES, FACILITIES, & UTILITIES
Airport:
While Westbank is served primarily by the Kelowna Airport some 30 kms to the north, it is also readily accessible to the Penticton airport which is approximately 55 kms south. Served by Air BC; Canadian Regional; West Jet; and Horizon Air, with daily direct flights to major cities across the country. Central Mountain Air, another regional carrier, offers flights to Kamloops, Williams Lake, and Prince George.
Utilities:
Telephone B.C. Tel
Hydro B.C. Hydro
Natural Gas B.C. Gas
Cable Shaw Cable
Fire Protection:
The Westside is presently served by the Westside Fire/Rescue Department, which has been operated by the Regional District of Central Okanagan since January 1, 2006 when the former Westside Fire Protection District was dissolved. The department has a Fire Chief, two Assistant Fire Chiefs, an Administrative Assistant and a Public Life/Fire Safety Educator. There are presently 16 full-time fire fighters providing 24/7 response from the main fire station in Westbank. They are supported by a paid-on-call complement of approximately 60 volunteer fire fighters working from four fire halls located in Glenrosa, Lakeview Heights, West Kelowna and Westbank. An additional eight full-time fire fighter positions are being recruited. In addition to the full complement of fire vehicles and equipment, the Regional Board approved the purchase of a new 100-foot platform ladder truck which is expected to be delivered and brought into service in mid 2008.
Water:
Water is provided by two main Irrigation Districts namely Westbank Irrigation and Lakeview Irrigation. As well, the Regional District of Central Okanagan operates and maintains two water systems serving more than 1,900 households. In January 2005, the Regional District took over operation of the Sunnyside and Green Bay water systems from a private company. It also operates the water system servicing the West Kelowna area. There are also several private water systems serving small pockets of residential development in the area and outlying properties have wells. There is adequate supply to water for future development and plans are in place to provide the infrastructure to increase capacity when necessary. Additionally, the Westbank First Nation Band has completed a water system which draws from Okanagan lake and has the capability to provide water for development of their properties and more.
Waste Water Management:
The Regional District of Central Okanagan operates a state of the are "Westbank Biological Process" wastewater treatment plant to service properties with sewer service within the Westside Electoral Area, the District of Peachland and the Westbank First Nation Reserves #9 & #10. A $9.2 million expansion of the treatment plant is nearing completion and depending on growth, is expected to add from three to seven years of capacity to the facility, providing service to approximately 14,000 connections.
Community sewer systems do not yet service all areas of the Westside, however, due to environmental concerns, the long term plan of the Regional District is to expand service in phases to those neighbourhoods not yeat served, particularly in the Glenrosa and Lakeview Heights areas. Sewer service in those areas has been expanded over the past four years to include approximately 1,400 properties. Over the past five years the Regional District has required all new developments to connect to the sewer system.
Police:
The Westside is presently policed by the Kelowna RCMP Detachment Rural Detail. This unit is Provincially funded and consists of 26 uniformed officers and 3 plain clothes investigators. Further support is provided by Kelowna Detachment Forensic Identification Services and Police Services. They work out of the Community Policing Office located next tp M & M Meat Shop on Old Okanagan Highway. In addition to serving the Westside, the detachment must also cover a large area on the east side of Kelowna, up to and including Big White Resort and the Municipality of Peachland.
The Westside Citizen’s Patrol is a volunteer organization which is also involved with community policing.
Ambulance/Hospital:
There are two ambulances stationed in Westbank 24 hours per day with hospital services provided by the Kelowna Regional Hospital.
LOCAL INDUSTRY
Agriculture:
Long the mainstay of the local economy agriculture continues to be a dominant player in the production of various goods and provider of employment for residents. Many varieties of fruits from apples, pears, cherries, peaches and apricots are grown for export. Westbank Packers Ltd. is a family operated packing house that is a major employer in the area and ships product worldwide. Additionally, several varieties of quality products. Mission Hill Wines is the major vintner in the area, Quail’s Gate Estate Winery, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, and Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery along with several cottage and farm gate wineries, are well known and specialize in unique wines of excellent quality.
Forestry:
Forestry continues to play a significant part in the local economy with Gorman Bros. Lumber employing over 225 people in its logging and milling operations. Additionally, there are numerous contractors who handle harvesting and trucking of logs to the mills.
Manufacturing:
There are four major manufacturers on the Westside that contribute significantly to the local economy. These are Air Liquide, Boxmaster, Northside Industries Inc. and West Manufacturing Ltd.
Construction:
Year end (2007) numbers show that building permits were taken out for 437 single family homes, 38 duplexes, 12 mobile homes and 20 multi-family dwellings (consisting of 537 units) in Westbank last year.
In total, 942 building permits, valued at $202.14 million were issued for the Westbank area.
Overall in the Central Okanagan , 1,101 building permits were issued in 2007, worth $236.75 million.
CORD statistics do not include the municipalities of Kelowna and Lake Country
Building permits are issued for things as big as commercial and industrial buildings and as small as wood burning appliances and private swimming pools.
Building additions and alterations also require permits. All are included in the CORD numbers.
CORD also reported that 955 permits, worth $133.46 million, were completed in 2007.
Real Estate:
Stats for January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 in Sales.
This is for the Glenrosa, Westside, Westbank, Shannon Lake & Lakeview Heights
- Residential Sales
- (non waterfront): 940 units at an average price of $381,396
- Residential Sales
- (waterfront): 48 units at an average price of $1,016,510
- Multi-Family (4-plex
& apartments): 1 property sold (7 units) for $1,650,000
- Condominium Apartment: 74units at an average price of $284,151
- Condominium Townhouse: 82units at an average price of $313,682
- Lot Sales:
- (non waterfront): 27 lots at an average price of $245,933
- (acreage) 4 units at an average price of $1,987,500
- (waterfront): 1lots at an average price of $1,285,00
* Based on the combined sales within the Glenrosa, Westside, Westbank, Shannon Lake & Lakeview Heights market
areas, as defined by MLS.
Tourism:
Perhaps the fastest growing sector of our economy is tourism, primarily due to the establishment of a “freeway” link to the lower mainland area of B.C. The Okanagan Connector and Coquihalla Highway have shortened the driving time to/from the Vancouver area to about 4 hours. Since the Okanagan offers year round recreation from skiing to golf and beaches, it is a natural alternative to the suppliers in the lower mainland because of prices, weather and natural beauty.
The Westbank area is a “four season” playground because of the year round facilities and attractions. People are drawn to the warm climate, good swimming and boating, beautiful scenery, and abundance of fresh fruit in season, and a wide range of tourist facilities. The hunting and fishing are also some of the best anywhere.
Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Westbank offers a family style ski facility with a European flavour. For cross country skiers, Telemark offers an excellent setting.
The Westside offers some good beaches and sunbathing areas. Public boat launching and moorage are available. An extensive upgrading has been done to the Gellatly Bay area creating a linear lakefront recreation facility.
The Westside has numerous parks and attractions. Powers Creek & Bear Creek Provincial Park are some of the many excellent hiking trails available.
HERITAGE SITES:
The Gellatly Bay Ferry Dock; The Fur Brigade Trail; The Westbank Yacht Club; The Westbank Museum & Arts and Craft Society; Gellatly Heritage Park; and the Gellatly Nut Farm.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Westbank has a great variety of Bed & Breakfast accommodations, the Comfort Inn and The Holiday Inn. Westbank has some of the finest lakefront camping and RV park facilities in the Province, along with condos and resorts that are second to none.
TRAVEL INFO CENTRE:
The Westbank Travel Infocentre which, at present operates yearly, provides information services to about 7,000 visitors per month in the summer months.
Westbank, while growing rapidly as a residential community, is also developing as a place to do business. As with any area that feels rapid growth in population, opportunities for commercial and industrial development abound.
Distances by road to various centers are shown below:
District of Westside "The Oknagan's New Municipality"
On December 6, 2007 our new municipality was incorporated, with the official presentation of the Letters Patent, by the Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Community Services at the Inaugural Council meeting.
Mayor & Councillors:
| Mayor | Rosalind Neis |
| Councillor | Doug Findlater |
| Councillor | David Knowles |
| Councillor | Gord Milsom |
| Councillor | Duane Ophus |
| Councillor | Heather Pilling |
| Councillor | Carol Zanon |
SERVICES, FACILITIES, & UTILITIES
Airport:
While Westbank is served primarily by the Kelowna Airport some 30 kms to the north, it is also readily accessible to the Penticton airport which is approximately 55 kms south. Served by Air BC; Canadian Regional; West Jet; and Horizon Air, with daily direct flights to major cities across the country. Central Mountain Air, another regional carrier, offers flights to Kamloops, Williams Lake, and Prince George.
Utilities:
Telephone B.C. Tel
Hydro B.C. Hydro
Natural Gas B.C. Gas
Cable Shaw Cable
Fire Protection:
The Westside is presently served by the Westside Fire/Rescue Department, which has been operated by the Regional District of Central Okanagan since January 1, 2006 when the former Westside Fire Protection District was dissolved. The department has a Fire Chief, two Assistant Fire Chiefs, an Administrative Assistant and a Public Life/Fire Safety Educator. There are presently 16 full-time fire fighters providing 24/7 response from the main fire station in Westbank. They are supported by a paid-on-call complement of approximately 60 volunteer fire fighters working from four fire halls located in Glenrosa, Lakeview Heights, West Kelowna and Westbank. An additional eight full-time fire fighter positions are being recruited. In addition to the full complement of fire vehicles and equipment, the Regional Board approved the purchase of a new 100-foot platform ladder truck which is expected to be delivered and brought into service in mid 2008.
Water:
Water is provided by two main Irrigation Districts namely Westbank Irrigation and Lakeview Irrigation. As well, the Regional District of Central Okanagan operates and maintains two water systems serving more than 1,900 households. In January 2005, the Regional District took over operation of the Sunnyside and Green Bay water systems from a private company. It also operates the water system servicing the West Kelowna area. There are also several private water systems serving small pockets of residential development in the area and outlying properties have wells. There is adequate supply to water for future development and plans are in place to provide the infrastructure to increase capacity when necessary. Additionally, the Westbank First Nation Band has completed a water system which draws from Okanagan lake and has the capability to provide water for development of their properties and more.
Waste Water Management:
The Regional District of Central Okanagan operates a state of the are "Westbank Biological Process" wastewater treatment plant to service properties with sewer service within the Westside Electoral Area, the District of Peachland and the Westbank First Nation Reserves #9 & #10. A $9.2 million expansion of the treatment plant is nearing completion and depending on growth, is expected to add from three to seven years of capacity to the facility, providing service to approximately 14,000 connections.
Community sewer systems do not yet service all areas of the Westside, however, due to environmental concerns, the long term plan of the Regional District is to expand service in phases to those neighbourhoods not yeat served, particularly in the Glenrosa and Lakeview Heights areas. Sewer service in those areas has been expanded over the past four years to include approximately 1,400 properties. Over the past five years the Regional District has required all new developments to connect to the sewer system.
Police:
The Westside is presently policed by the Kelowna RCMP Detachment Rural Detail. This unit is Provincially funded and consists of 26 uniformed officers and 3 plain clothes investigators. Further support is provided by Kelowna Detachment Forensic Identification Services and Police Services. They work out of the Community Policing Office located next tp M & M Meat Shop on Old Okanagan Highway. In addition to serving the Westside, the detachment must also cover a large area on the east side of Kelowna, up to and including Big White Resort and the Municipality of Peachland.
The Westside Citizen’s Patrol is a volunteer organization which is also involved with community policing.
Ambulance/Hospital:
There are two ambulances stationed in Westbank 24 hours per day with hospital services provided by the Kelowna Regional Hospital.
LOCAL INDUSTRY
Agriculture:
Long the mainstay of the local economy agriculture continues to be a dominant player in the production of various goods and provider of employment for residents. Many varieties of fruits from apples, pears, cherries, peaches and apricots are grown for export. Westbank Packers Ltd. is a family operated packing house that is a major employer in the area and ships product worldwide. Additionally, several varieties of quality products. Mission Hill Wines is the major vintner in the area, Quail’s Gate Estate Winery, Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, and Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery along with several cottage and farm gate wineries, are well known and specialize in unique wines of excellent quality.
Forestry:
Forestry continues to play a significant part in the local economy with Gorman Bros. Lumber employing over 225 people in its logging and milling operations. Additionally, there are numerous contractors who handle harvesting and trucking of logs to the mills.
Manufacturing:
There are four major manufacturers on the Westside that contribute significantly to the local economy. These are Air Liquide, Boxmaster, Northside Industries Inc. and West Manufacturing Ltd.
Construction:
Year end (2007) numbers show that building permits were taken out for 437 single family homes, 38 duplexes, 12 mobile homes and 20 multi-family dwellings (consisting of 537 units) in Westbank last year.
In total, 942 building permits, valued at $202.14 million were issued for the Westbank area.
Overall in the
CORD statistics do not include the municipalities of
Building permits are issued for things as big as commercial and industrial buildings and as small as wood burning appliances and private swimming pools.
Building additions and alterations also require permits. All are included in the CORD numbers.
CORD also reported that 955 permits, worth $133.46 million, were completed in 2007.
Real Estate:
Stats for January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 in Sales.
This is for the Glenrosa, Westside, Westbank,
- Residential Sales
- (non waterfront): 940 units at an average price of $381,396
- Residential Sales
- (waterfront): 48 units at an average price of $1,016,510
- Multi-Family (4-plex
& apartments): 1 property sold (7 units) for $1,650,000
- Condominium Apartment: 74units at an average price of $284,151
- Condominium Townhouse: 82units at an average price of $313,682
-
- (non waterfront): 27 lots at an average price of $245,933
- (acreage) 4 units at an average price of $1,987,500
- (waterfront): 1lots at an average price of $1,285,00
* Based on the combined sales within the Glenrosa, Westside, Westbank, Shannon Lake & Lakeview Heights market
areas, as defined by MLS.
Tourism:
Perhaps the fastest growing sector of our economy is tourism, primarily due to the establishment of a “freeway” link to the lower mainland area of B.C. The Okanagan Connector and Coquihalla Highway have shortened the driving time to/from the Vancouver area to about 4 hours. Since the Okanagan offers year round recreation from skiing to golf and beaches, it is a natural alternative to the suppliers in the lower mainland because of prices, weather and natural beauty.
The Westbank area is a “four season” playground because of the year round facilities and attractions. People are drawn to the warm climate, good swimming and boating, beautiful scenery, and abundance of fresh fruit in season, and a wide range of tourist facilities. The hunting and fishing are also some of the best anywhere.
Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Westbank offers a family style ski facility with a European flavour. For cross country skiers, Telemark offers an excellent setting.
The Westside offers some good beaches and sunbathing areas. Public boat launching and moorage are available. An extensive upgrading has been done to the Gellatly Bay area creating a linear lakefront recreation facility.
The Westside has numerous parks and attractions. Powers Creek & Bear Creek Provincial Park are some of the many excellent hiking trails available.
HERITAGE SITES:
The Gellatly Bay Ferry Dock; The Fur Brigade Trail; The Westbank Yacht Club; The Westbank Museum & Arts and Craft Society; Gellatly Heritage Park; and the Gellatly Nut Farm.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Westbank has a great variety of Bed & Breakfast accommodations, the Comfort Inn and The Holiday Inn. Westbank has some of the finest lakefront camping and RV park facilities in the Province, along with condos and resorts that are second to none.
TRAVEL INFO CENTRE:
The Westbank Travel Infocentre which, at present operates yearly, provides information services to about 7,000 visitors per month in the summer months.
