Strategic Priorities

The City of Penticton will ensure the services we provide to our residents and visitors are reliable and cost-effective by proactively investing into our natural and built assets.

Strategic Initiatives and Actions

• Identify service levels and costs for all community-owned assets and services.
• Review our amenities and investigate ways to maximize their usage and value while exploring innovative service delivery options with regional and other partners.
• Review agreements and determine fee structures to reflect the fiscal realities of service provision.
• Promote continuous improvement on our Asset Management processes.
• Modernize the DCC Bylaw to reflect current growth and appropriate distribution of infrastructure costs.
• Ensure City land is maximized to its full potential.

The City of Penticton will support a safe, secure and healthy community.

Strategic Initiatives and Actions

• Enhance safety through partnerships with other service delivery agencies.
• Improve resident and visitor confidence that a safe and secure community exists through engagement, protection, prevention and enforcement.
• Invest in appropriate human assets to keep our community safe and secure.
• Engage the Criminal Justice system through collaborative approaches to reduce the impact of prolific offenders on the community.
• Continuing engagement with BC Housing and Interior Health to reduce or mitigate the effect of the current opioid crisis on the community.

The City of Penticton will attract, promote and support sustainable growth and development congruent with the community’s vision for the future.

Strategic Initiatives and Actions

• Ratify the OCP and update the requisite policies and bylaws.
• Establish clear intentions for future growth that reflect the OCP.
• Expand and invest in safe multi-modal transportation options including the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route connection.
• Utilize best management practices and strategies related to climate change adaptation and mitigation activities.
• Encourage environmentally sustainable development including renewable energy initiatives.
• Continue Downtown revitalization focused on cleanliness, safety, vibrancy and sustainable infrastructure.

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to development and land use from 2018 to 2021.

2021 – Council adopted the first set of changes to the City’s Development Cost Charges (DCC) Bylaw on March 2, 2021. As of that date, all DCCs assessed to new developments to fund the extension of roads, water, sewer and stormwater services were increased by 25 per cent.

2021 – Council adopted a new Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, taking steps to proactively invest in the City’s natural and built assets. The plan aligns existing water, storm, sanitary and transportation master plans with the City’s Official Community Plan, identifies projects needed to achieve the goals and policies, and provides a prioritized action plan for up to the next 25 years.

2021 – The City wrapped up a review of its aging assets and amenities. The review was initiated in 2020 in support of Council’s Asset & Amenity Council Priority. The results will help the City create a long-term plan for the City assets.

2020 – Council endorsed the North Gateway Redevelopment and Investment Strategy, providing a new vision for the first point of entry for travellers approaching Penticton from the north.

2019 – Council adopted Penticton’s Official Community Plan, following an extensive review process, providing a framework of goals and policies to guide decisions on planning and land use.

2019 – Council provided support involving a plan to enhance the vibrancy of downtown Penticton. This included Downtown Public Space and Economic Vitality Opportunities and Good Neighbour Bylaw amendments.

2019 – Council gave approval to the Asset and Amenity Management Project Charter, identifying the scope of work staff will focus on to ensure the services the City provides residents and visitors are reliable and cost effective.

2018 – Council approved the purchase of the former Greyhound Bus Depot land parcels on Ellis Street as a long-term investment for the City.

Additional City Accomplishments

• Initiated online payments for building permits (2020).
• City land sale and building agreement paved the way toward a hotel adjacent to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, which will positively impact the City’s tourism and business community.
• The City received the 2018 Award of Excellence for outstanding achievement in GIS from ESRI Canada in recognition of the implementation of our Roads and Highways GIS project.
• Completed significant improvements as part of the downtown revitalization of the 300-block of Main Street. (2018)

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to the environment from 2018 to 2021.

2021 – Council approved a new Community Climate Action Plan to provide guidance on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Implementation will get underway in 2022 with the creation of a Community Electric Vehicle Readiness Strategy, an update to the Home Energy Loan Program, and a new webpage with resources available to residents.

2021 – Council gave the green light to a joint study with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen for a proposed in-vessel composting facility at the Campbell Mountain Landfill.

2020 – Council approved the Lake-to-Lake All Ages and Abilities (AAA) Bike Route, proposed preferred options and established a secure bike locker downtown.

2019 – Council moves forward on the plan for Lake-to-Lake Bike Route.

2019 – Council reviewed the draft plan to restore Ellis Creek, laying out the work that needs to be done to restore the natural flow of the creek, improve fish habitat and reduce the flood hazard for properties along its banks.

Additional City Accomplishments

• Construction wrapped up on the first two sections of the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route, a protected bike route that currently connects between Okanagan Lake waterfront and central Penticton (2021).
• The City has maintained carbon neutral status each year (since 2016).
• Penticton was an early adopter and promoter of voluntary options within the BC Energy Step Code, and beginning in 2019, encouraged builders to adopt Step One for new family dwellings.
• City partners with apartment building to improve its recycling program, also developing new signage and educational materials (2019).

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to economic growth and prosperity from 2018 to 2021.

2020 – Council supported funding recommendations put forward by the COVID-19 Safe Restart Task Force, with a goal of ensuring residents and businesses were in the best position possible to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 – Council approved a pilot project to allow the responsible consumption of alcohol in designated public spaces. In addition, it supported free parking downtown and waived licence fees for sidewalk patios.

2020 – Supported a relief package for residents and business owners impacted by COVID-19. This included a wide-ranging list of options spanning property taxes, utility relief, waiving building permit fees, postponing planned increases on Development Cost Charges, and more.

2020 – Council established an Economic Recovery Task Force to support local business in response to COVID-19.

2020 – Council supported the release of emergency surveys to find out how the community was financially impacted by COVID-19.

2020 – Council established three strategic priorities to guide the direction of the City through 2022: Asset & Amenity Management, Community Safety and Community Vitality.

2019 – Council supported a strategy aimed to continue Penticton’s established record of hosting world-class triathlon events, including negotiating a five-year agreement to host IRONMAN Canada through to 2024.

2018 – Council approved the Cannabis Retail Stores Policy, which established the process and guidelines for obtaining local government support for a provincial ‘cannabis retail store’ licence in Penticton.

2018 – Council adopted the Financial Management Policy, which provides a blueprint to the City for making good financial decisions through changing conditions.

2018 – Council approved the Property Taxation Distribution Policy to establish a fair, transparent, stable and equitable distribution of property tax among all classes of taxable property.

Additional City Accomplishments

• In response to COVID-19 and in support of economic recovery, supported the development of a new website for Penticton Airport (2020).
• Created a highly visible Love Local campaign to highlight community strength and resiliency, providing support to local businesses (2020).
• Created the COVID Recovery Task Force and associated business supports (2020).
• Hosted the Hiring & Housing and FutureBiz Penticton forums, supporting economic development (2019).

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to various matters including housing, working toward becoming an age-friendly community, and improving access to child care, from 2018 to 2021.

2021 – Council sought feedback from the public to formalize public opinion involving a temporary winter shelter at Victory Church, which was offered as a temporary use permit. The results of the community poll favoured spending up to $300,000 on the legal challenge. The City later filed court action challenging the Province’s decision to invoice “paramountcy” over the City’s zoning bylaw to operate the winter shelter as a year-round facility.

2021 – Council spoke with Housing Minister David Eby about the community’s concerns involving a proposed supportive housing project at 3240 Skaha Lake Road.

2021 – Council approved Penticton Age-Friendly Action Plan, an important designation in its process to becoming a designated Age-Friendly community.

2021 – Council endorsed the Child Care Action Plan, identifying opportunities to increase the number of child care spaces available, while increasing affordability overall.

2020 – Council gave approval for the City to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OneSky Community Resources in support of developing a new child care facility on Kiwanis Park.

2020 – Council executed a Memorandum of Understanding between the City and One Sky Community Resources in support of developing a new child care facility on Kiwanis Park, making progress toward addressing Penticton’s child care shortage.

2020 – In response to changes brought about by COVID-19, Council revised its strategic priorities for the period of 2020 through 2022. Two of the three original priorities – Asset and Amenity Management and Community Safety – remain unchanged, while the third priority, Community Design, was replaced with Community Vitality.

2019 – A draft Council Policy on Community Engagement was developed, providing a commitment to conduct engagement activities. It lists key principles to guide Penticton’s efforts to being open and transparent as well as accountable to citizens.

Additional City Accomplishments

• New City website launched, providing new features, pages and content, including alert functions (2020).
• The City completed its tri-annual review of its rates for the water, electrical and sanitary sewer utilities. The review also compared the City’s utility bills with seven other communities in the area (2019).
• The City celebrated the 5,000th member joining the City's online community engagement website, Shape Your City (2019).

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to parks from 2018 to 2021.

2021 – Council supported the Activate Penticton Society’s pitch to design and operate a downtown outdoor rink on a City-owned parking lot next to City Hall.

2021 – Council directed staff to develop a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of a long-term management agreement of up to 25 years for the Skaha Marina Lands.

2020 – Council approved a plan for Skaha Lake Park East following public feedback on a proposed selection of upgraded and new park amenities.

2020 – Council supported the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee’s recommendation to seek a community mandate on whether or not to establish a long-term agreement with a private operator of the Skaha Marina as a means to fund capital improvements.

2018 – Council approved the 2018 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, providing direction for the community moving forward and identifying priorities for continued investment.

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to safety from 2018 to 2021.

In late spring of 2020, Council reviewed and reset its priorities to include Asset and Amenity Management, Community Safety and Community Vitality. For the 2022 year, Council has determined that specific attention will be given to the Community Safety priority. The City is committed to ensuring residents and visitors feel safe to enjoy all that Penticton has to offer.

2021 – Council approved the Emergency Support Services (ESS) Facility and Spaces Plan, identifying the primary facilities that the ESS team will use when supporting residents that have been evacuated from their homes during an emergency.

2020 – Council supported the application for grant funding for the City of Penticton FireSmart program.

2019 – Council sought advice from Interior Health about discarded needles in the community and how their safe disposal can be better managed.

2019 – Council committed to public safety improvements through actions involving funding for new RCMP and Bylaw positions, engagement on safety concerns and revised bylaws for the downtown.

2018 – Council endorsed the establishment of a new Safety and Security Task Force, supporting a mandate to create a safe and secure city.

Additional City Accomplishments

• The City partnered with the Downtown Penticton Association on a downtown safety project. This involved funding project costs to install surveillance cameras on commercial properties in high-crime locations.
• The City’s Bylaw Enforcement Team opened a new location on Main Street, including a Bylaw response front counter and greater visibility throughout the downtown (2020). Additional officers were also deployed during December’s busiest shopping days in 2020, focusing on COVID-19 provincial health order compliance, parking and traffic enforcement, slow clearance and community safety.
• The City’s Fire Department, RCMP and Bylaw Services, along with key members of administration, prepared for activation of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in 2019, which was activated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Implemented a sharps disposal program (2019).
• Hosted the first Wildfire Urban Interface (WUI) Training Symposium in Penticton (2018).
• Received the British Columbia Local Government FireSmart Community Protection Achievement Award (2018).

This list represents some highlights of Council’s achieved deliverables related to transportation from 2018 to 2021.

2020 – Council approved the Lake-to-Lake All Ages and Abilities (AAA) Bike Route, proposed preferred options and established a secure bike locker downtown.

2020 – Council initiated the Transportation Master Plan process, which was rolled out later in the year. The plan identifies where there are safety concerns and congestion on the City’s roads, as well as where there are opportunities to improve connections for walking, biking and transit.

2019 – Council moves forward on its plan for the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route.

2018 – Supported the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen in moving forward with an inter-regional transit connection between Penticton and Kelowna.

Additional City Accomplishments

• Worked with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and BC Transit to implement the Penticton to Kelowna Regional Route 70, including a Park and Ride option.

A vibrant, innovative, healthy waterfront city focused on sustainability, community and economic opportunity.

Penticton will serve its residents, businesses and visitors through good governance, partnership and the provision of effective and community-focused services.