City of Kelowna

Doug Gilchrist leads the City of Kelowna at a time when municipal governments are being asked to manage growth, maintain services and respond to pressures extending well beyond traditional city responsibilities. For Gilchrist, effective growth management begins with transparency. Explaining why land-use decisions, infrastructure investments and policy changes are necessary helps build the trust and community support required to move them forward. He also sees creativity as increasingly important as traditional legislative tools struggle to keep pace with the changing responsibilities of local governments.

Balancing Growth with Long-Term Responsibility

Gilchrist views municipal administration as a responsibility spanning short-, medium- and long-term interests. While elected councils work within four-year terms, city administrators must ensure today’s financial and infrastructure decisions support future generations. Municipal revenues must therefore be efficiently converted into needed services. Service-based budgeting helps elected officials understand the cost and value of increasing or decreasing services, while each investment must also be assessed over its life cycle and for its long-term impact.

He applies the same balance to infrastructure planning. Gilchrist believes services and growth should progress together rather than infrastructure being built too early or only after capacity is strained. Kelowna’s airport illustrates this approach. The city pulled back on planned expansion when COVID-19 created uncertainty around future air traffic, then returned to its growth plan and completed the expansion as demand recovered. For Gilchrist, the experience reinforced the need for sound plans that can adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining financial responsibility.

Building public trust also requires transparency about how residents’ money is used. Kelowna publishes service levels and costs through operational and capital dashboards, while everyday interactions involving property taxes, bylaws and service requests shape perceptions of government value.

Citizen input forms another part of that equation. Gilchrist supports using digital engagement, surveys and other broad input tools to inform decisions, while distinguishing vocal concerns from wider community interests. Public input, he believes, should inform decisions without replacing professional judgment or the role of elected councils.

Effective growth management begins with transparency. Explaining why land-use decisions, infrastructure investments and policy changes are necessary helps build the trust and community support required to move them forward.

Creating a More Adaptive Municipal Organization

Digital service delivery is a corporate priority for Kelowna. Gilchrist sees local governments as nimble enough to lead in using technology to improve efficiency and customer service. Digital permitting, photographic building inspections and AI are among the approaches the city has explored, with COVID-19 demonstrating how quickly organizations can move when they choose to do so.

That forward-looking approach also shapes Kelowna’s organizational culture. Its vision of becoming a city of the future encourages divisions to rethink infrastructure, transportation and parks through a future-focused lens. The organization reinforces four values—innovation, teamwork, pride in public service and responsible leadership—while its “one team” approach keeps departments focused on collective outcomes rather than individual division success.

This collaborative approach is especially important for homelessness, public safety, housing and transportation, which span departments and levels of government. Gilchrist supports targeted advocacy on provincial and federal policies affecting municipal costs, an approach Kelowna has used on bail reform and policies concerning drug use near schools and daycares.

Funding is central to these challenges. Gilchrist argues that municipalities have taken on greater responsibilities in areas such as health, mental health, housing and homelessness without corresponding mandates or funding. He believes this requires a new municipal funding model, stronger intergovernmental cooperation and partnerships with the private sector, universities, colleges and health providers to help deliver infrastructure and services beyond taxation.

Maintaining an adaptive organization also requires reviewing whether existing services continue to deliver value. Kelowna uses value-for-money audits to prevent stagnation, reviewing about three to five services annually based on risk with oversight from the council’s audit committee. Responsible teams must then implement action plans, which can lead to services being cancelled, modified, enhanced or having their reporting relationships changed.

Looking ahead, Gilchrist identifies climate change, natural disasters and the transfer of responsibilities from other governments as major pressures. He calls for resilience and climate-adaptation plans, a new fiscal relationship with provincial governments and alternative revenue sources, including revenue-generating businesses operated by the City of Kelowna.

Housing is another example of why municipal plans need to remain responsive to changing conditions. Housing pressure has eased as lower migration and a slower residential market have brought vacancy rates closer to the city’s preferred level. Restrictions on foreign home ownership have also contributed to reduced residential market activity, reinforcing the need for municipal plans to adapt as conditions change.