The City of Kelowna, B.C., is floating the idea of transforming its floating bridge into an iconic landmark.
City council was recently presented with a look at its 10-year capital plan.
Among the projects up for consideration is the addition of lights to the W.A.C. Bennett Bridge to create Kelowna’s own prominent landmark, such as the lit-up CN Tower in Toronto and illuminated waterfalls in Niagara Falls.
“I think it’s just beautification for the city,” said West Kelowna resident Debbie Scott. “I think it brings tourism. The prettier it is, the more people that will come.”
According to the city, transforming the bridge into that iconic landmark would cost around $1 million.
It’s an amount, however, some Kelowna taxpayers say should be spent in more meaningful ways.
“Fixing things up, making roadways safer, providing more housing, affordable housing,” said Kelowna resident Kaitlyn McCulloch. “It could definitely be utilized in a different manner that would be more beneficial to the community.”
“I don’t like the government spending taxpayers’ money on very unnecessary things,” said Anna Vinogradova, another Kelowna resident.
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It’s the kind of sentiment echoed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which said the city should be prioritizing core services.
“British Columbia is the centre of the national affordability crisis and including the Okanagan, including Kelowna and city governments need to be finding real savings for taxpayers right now, not blowing a million dollars on pet projects,” Canadian Taxpayers Federation B.C. director Carson Binda said.
In an email to Global News, the City of Kelowna stated, “lighting for the bridge has not been approved by council. I was presented with the 10-year Capital Plan as something that might come together in future, so this is not something staff can speak to.”
On the other side of the bridge in West Kelowna, while taxpayers wouldn’t be footing the bill, many said when it comes to bridge, there are far bigger priorities.
“Improving the bridge. Who cares what the bridge looks like,” said Ron Reitmeier. “Making the traffic flow better. You know, going into downtown kind of sucks.”
“A million dollars just to light up a bridge is wasted money,” said Anjali Birks, another West Kelowna resident. “We need another crossing.”
While talk of a second crossing has long been talked about, it’s a decision that ultimately lies with the province and would be far more costly.
“I agree but I would be willing to pay a toll for that crossing,” Birks added. “Absolutely willing to be paying for that.”
Kelowna city council is expected to discuss the project when it begins budget deliberations in early December.
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