Kelowna, B.C., Mayor Tom Dyas set the tone for a long-awaited, and at times tense, business forum focused on crime and public disorder in the city.
“What many of you are dealing with right now is not acceptable,” he said.
The more than two-hour meeting, which brought together business owners, city officials, police, and provincial representatives, quickly revealed deep frustration in the room. At several points, members of the audience shouted at the panel as emotions boiled over.
Local business owners say vandalism, theft and disorder have become part of their daily reality.
“There’s a lot of frustration here,” said David Wilfong, who helps run Junk & Go. “I’m dealing with the vandalism and the thefts.”
A loud reaction came after Dyas spoke about the provincial government ending B.C.’s drug decriminalization pilot program, a move that drew applause from the crowd. The program had been heavily criticized by the City of Kelowna, with officials arguing it limited enforcement tools.
Kelowna RCMP Supt. Chris Goebel echoed those concerns, saying police lost authority to arrest people for simple possession, which affected their ability to identify individuals.
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“We can’t stop them, we can’t check them, we can’t identify them, we can’t check for warrants,” Goebel said.
City leaders also emphasized repeat offenders as a major challenge, renewing calls for bail reform and more prosecutors. Adam Dalrymple, president of the B.C. Crown Counsel Association, said the region needs significantly more resources.
“We need at least five, if not 10, more prosecutors to serve your community,” Dalrymple said.
But some attendees questioned how quickly, or realistically, those changes could happen. Former Kelowna mayor Sharon Shepherd raised concerns about unanswered questions around who is responsible for hiring and attracting prosecutors to the community.
Alongside calls for provincial reform, Dyas announced several local initiatives, including increased RCMP and bylaw patrols, a business security enhancement rebate program, and the creation of a business CCTV registry.
The registry, Dyas said, would help RCMP identify nearby security cameras during investigations.
By the end of the night, reactions among business owners were mixed.
Some said the forum provided reassurance that governments are taking the issue seriously.
“I think the whole purpose of the function this evening was to address the issues that everyone is well aware of,” said local business owner Rick Reeves.
“There are some solutions, and I know they’re working towards those.”
Others said the discussion brought more clarity.
“It gives me a little bit more clarity on just how much the city is trying to do to help,” said James Marshall of MacDermott’s Menswear.
But not everyone left satisfied. Todd Daniels of Gallery Streetwear said many in the room felt shut out of the conversation.
“It’s a good start. Unfortunately, there was a bit of gatekeeping tonight,” Daniels said. “There were a lot of people frustrated, wanting to talk.”
Despite the mixed reactions, business owners say they’re hoping the proposed changes lead to long-term solutions, not temporary fixes.
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