Kelowna, B.C., business owner David Lea is expressing frustration at ongoing social disorder plaguing the city.

“I’ve never seen it worse,” said Lea, who’s operated a business in Kelowna for 30 years.

Lea owns Toshido Mixed Martial Arts in Rutland, where he says he deals with frequent problems.

“It’s just a constant infestation of feces, crack pipes, syringes, garbage — you know, it’s just, it’s an ongoing concern,” Lea said. “It makes doing business so much harder, so much more expensive.”

Lea said the latest incident happened on Thursday, when a big mess was left in front of his martial arts studio.

“It was a disaster,” Lea said. “My kids class was starting at 4:00. I got here at 3:30 and there was smashed crack pipes everywhere. There’s syringes, garbage. They had a big fire right up on our main entrance.”

On Thursday, the City of Kelowna announced its latest response to the ongoing issues: temporary overnight security patrols.

“We have a private security company under the guidance of the city, who are out patrolling in those overnight hours,” said Darren Caul, the city’s community safety director.

“This private security company is two individuals who are able to patrol the back alleys and and the streets, notify RCMP should there be crimes in progress.”

Frustrated business operators have long called for overnight patrols.

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While many welcome the new measure, some aren’t sure how effective a ‘temporary’ program will be, one that’s expected to be in place for only several months.

“You know, ‘temporary,’ the word always kind of scares me a little bit. But I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Todd Daniels, owner of Gallery Streetwear in downtown Kelowna.

The city will use data from RCMP, bylaw enforcement and the security team to determine where it’s most needed, but Caul said for now, the city is zeroing in on one area.

“For the moment the focus is on the downtown, because this is one of the areas that is where there is an acute need at this time,” Caul said.

Lea said the acute need also exists in Rutland and is calling for the same resources to be deployed there, too.

“We should be getting that kind of attention that the downtown people are getting. It’s that simple,” Lea said.

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Caul said it will deploy overnight security to Rutland based on the data it’s regularly reviewing.

“Through that data and that daily exchange of information between security, bylaw services and the RCMP, where those focal points are, we will shift,” Caul said. “And over time, should we see a hot spot emerge elsewhere in the city, we would redeploy that security team to that hot spot.”

Lea said he feels businesses in Rutland are being left behind.

“If they don’t start doing something, we’re going to have to,” Lea said. “And I really don’t think that’s good for anybody, but we’re being left with no other option.”

With data-driven deployment of resources, Caul encouraged residents to always report crime to police.

“It’s really important for citizens to consistently report crimes that come up because if the police don’t know what’s happening, the police can’t go,” Caul said. “So through consistent reporting by the public, that then informs the data that drives deployment.”

The $16,000 monthly program is being funded through the city’s public safety levy.

If effective, it could be expanded.

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The City of Kelowna, B.C., says 75 parking meters were recently tagged with fraudulent QR codes.

Dave Duncan, Kelowna’s parking services manager, said the decals were placed directly over the tap reader on the machines.

City officials say the QR codes were not authorized by either the municipality or its mobile payment provider, PayByPhone. While the stickers appeared to advertise a convenient way to pay for parking, they actually redirected drivers to a fraudulent site.

“We don’t use QR codes on our pay stations or anywhere near our equipment because we’ve had the occasional issue of QR codes being placed on our metres,” Duncan said.

The decals were reported on Feb. 12 by city staff and within hours city crews had removed all 75. So far, officials believe no one fell victim to the scam. Because the decals featured what appeared to be a copy of the PayByPhone logo, the city notified the company, which was able to have the fake website blocked.

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Kelowna is not alone. A similar QR code scam was recently discovered in parking lots in Whistler, and last August police in Penticton warned the public about the same scheme.

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“We see this not just with parking meters but other places QR codes are used. It’s often an opportunity for scammers to send you somewhere else versus the actual official space,” said Neesha Hothi with the Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau recommends avoiding QR codes on public equipment when possible or paying with cash, when available, as another way to reduce risk.

“Ensure that you go specifically to their home app if you’ve got that app on your phone, or if they have a website you can go to directly,” Hothi said.

Duncan says city security cameras captured three people applying the decals around 7 p.m. on Feb. 11. The RCMP have not confirmed whether any arrests have been made.

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A government sign outside the Cottonwoods Extended Care home in Kelowna, B.C.,  promises a bigger and better facility is on the way.

However, plans to replace the 50-year-old care centre are no longer moving forward, at least not for now.

“We were absolutely shocked when we turned to the capital project section of the budget,” said Gavin Dew, Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission.  “I’m very concerned about the impact for seniors on access to long-term care. We badly need more capacity.”

Tuesday’s provincial budget revealed the indefinite pause on construction.

The news comes a year and half after former health minister Adrian Dix announced the much-needed replacement, saying then it was long overdue.

“Something we’ve needed to do, let’s face it, for a very long time,” Dix said in Kelowna on June 28, 2024. “Cottonwoods has always been a high priority. I wish, we would have been happy to do it sooner but we’re where we are at now.”

Dew questioned the province’s reversal on a project it deemed to be ‘high priority’.

“Adrian Dix came to Kelowna in an election year and promised to get Cottonwoods done and now that the election is over, they’ve abandoned seniors in Kelowna, just as they’ve abandoned seniors all across British Columbia,” Dew said.

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The construction on a new four-storey care home at the existing Cottonwoods site was to begin this year.

It would have also added nearly 100 new beds, bringing the total to 314.

1:56
B.C. falling behind in long-term care beds

But the Cottonwoods replacement project wasn’t the only one shelved in the budget. Six others in B.C. were also shelved due to what the government calls significant and unsustainable costs.

In an email to Global News, the finance ministry stated, “In some cases, the costs have increased to as high as $1.8 million per bed. We are exploring approaches like standard design guidelines, modular construction options, and other ways to deliver high quality facilities in a faster and more cost-effective way.”

“We have a desperate shortage of long term care beds in this province,” Dew said. “We have seniors who are going to emergency rooms because they’re not able to get care in an appropriate residential environment.”

B.C.’s seniors advocate also expressed concerns over the projects being paused at a time when the senior population is only growing.

“We need to urgently build long term care. We’re currently short 2,000 beds, while 7,000 people are waiting,” Dan Levitt said.

“Fast forward a decade from now, when one in four British Columbians will be over the age of 65 and by then, the ministry of health predicts we’re going to need 16,000 beds. So now is not a time to be slowing down investments in long term care.”

The province did not provide any timeline as to when those long-promised projects may be revived.

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Kelowna, B.C.’s top RCMP officer says he’s hearing growing frustration from local business owners as crime and social disorder continue to impact the city.

Supt. Chris Goebel addressed city council on Monday, acknowledging the day-to-day realities many businesses are facing, including people sleeping in doorways, open drug use, warming fires and damage to private property.

“They are the ones experiencing it,” Goebel told council. “And I hear you.”

The comments come as ongoing break-ins and visible social disorder leave many business owners questioning when enough is enough.

Lori Sellen, owner of Hitz Boutique, says the damage downtown is becoming a daily sight.

“Every day there’s another window boarded up here,” Sellen said. “There’s evidence of fires, we see it all the time down here.”

According to Kelowna RCMP data, reports of social disorder are up 15 per cent in 2025. At the same time, break-and-enters are down 8.1 per cent, a statistic that has come as a surprise to many downtown businesses.

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Nyssa Morgan, studio manager at Sweat Studios, says those numbers don’t always reflect the reality on the ground.

“It might not necessarily be what the reality is for downtown businesses,” Morgan said. “Sometimes the response to break-ins is they show up half an hour, an hour after it happens.”

While business owners credit RCMP and bylaw officers for stepping up patrols in recent weeks, there are concerns the increased presence may not last.

“Are they going to keep it up?” Sellen asked. “That’s what we need, desperately.”

Last week, Kelowna’s mayor told officials in Ottawa that the RCMP does not have the tools and support needed to keep the community safe.

“No one wants to hear that,” Sellen said. “Obviously, we need more help.”

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Goebel pointed to a provincial pilot program targeting chronic property crime and public disorder as one approach showing promise. According to police, all five identified repeat offenders through the program are currently in custody.

“Looking at the 2025 police data, there would have been 646 individuals we would have submitted for consideration for this program,” Goebel said.

In recent weeks, hundreds of business owners packed two separate forums focused on crime and public disorder, one hosted by the City of Kelowna and another organized by local Conservative MLAs. While there is some optimism, many say municipal action alone isn’t enough.

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Ashley Salmen is reeling after a recent theft from her vehicle outside her Kelowna, B.C., townhouse.

“I want the uniform back. I want it off the street,” Salmen said.

Salmen is a paramedic and among the items recently stolen was her uniform and paramedic ID.

“It has the patches, the emblems and that’s my concern, is that someone is going to use this uniform for ill will,” Salmen told Global News.

The theft happened on Saturday, Jan. 31 on Kneller Road in the city’s Rutland area.

The first responder says it was just before 7 a.m. when she came home after working an overnight shift.

She says she parked her vehicle in front of her garage to run inside and grab something before leaving again. But when she got back outside, her bag was gone.

“I didn’t realize my passenger door was unlocked. I didn’t double check my vehicle because I was only going for not even two minutes,” Salmen said. “I parked at 6:50 in the morning and by 6:52 my stuff had been taken.”

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A neighbour’s security camera captured a video of a woman walking through the townhouse complex with a bicycle during that brief time Salmen was inside.

The paramedic says her bag is on the handlebars.

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B.C. Emergency Health Services said no one was available for comment Wednesday.

RCMP confirmed they are investigating the theft and working towards identifying a suspect, including reviewing surveillance footage from the area.

“It is important to the public to know that this uniform is out there,” said Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Steven Lang.

With the uniform representing a position of authority, it raises public safety concerns if misused, something Lang said people need to be aware of.

“If they think there’s anything suspicious or the person that may be in front of them isn’t who they pretend to be or say that they are just to contact the agency that is being represented,” Lang said.

“And if their instinct is telling them something might be untoward or feels a little off, that they should believe in those signs.”

Salmen is also encouraging residents to be vigilant.

“I want the uniform back. I want it off the street,” she said.

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