City of West Kelowna
Friday, February 6, 2026
Elected representatives on the Westside are collectively calling on the provincial government to meet their obligation to provide adequate and effective policing and end the chronic underfunding of provincial policing services on the Westside.
The provincial government is allowing the deregionalization of RCMP services in the Central Okanagan while continuing to severely underfund provincial policing resources. The under resourcing by the province affects the delivery of police services to West Kelowna and Peachland citizens, and also means that Westbank First Nation and citizens in rural areas remain underserved.
The RCMP have provided the province a business case to add seven provincial police officers and two civilian support staff for the provincial policing services on the Westside. This significant shortfall represents over 10 per cent of the officers needed to adequately meet the policing needs on the Westside.
For years, the local governments of the Westside have been advocating to the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General to provide adequate and effective policing services.
Senior staff from the City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, and District of Peachland met with senior staff from the RCMP and Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General in November to discuss the business case for the deregionalization of policing services in the Central Okanagan and the impact to the Westside. In that meeting, the province committed to look at the RCMP’s business case and the local governments continue to wait for a response from the province.
Years of inaction from the province has created inequities in the delivery of policing services on the Westside. Crime does not respect boundaries, and this problem will impact Kelowna too.
The provincial government needs to step up and take responsibility to resource policing adequately on the Westside. People of the Okanagan deserve more public safety, not less.
Quotes:
Gord Milsom, Mayor of West Kelowna
“The province needs to ensure policing and public safety is not at risk in the Okanagan, and by chronically underfunding provincial policing services on the Westside, they are failing to fulfill their obligation to our residents. For years I’ve been advocating the province to step up and fund policing on the Westside, and now with the splitting up of the policing services in the Central Okanagan, it’s more important than ever that all parties pay their fair share.”
Chief Robert Louie, Westbank First Nation
“The strength of our community in protecting our citizens and ensuring effective policing comes from the partnerships between Westbank First Nation, West Kelowna, Peachland, and our policing partners. We are working together to protect the safety and well-being of all residents, including continuing to build more respectful policing relationships with Indigenous people. We cannot afford to see that progress slide backward. Adequate resources must be provided by the Province to fully ensure public safety.”
Patrick Van Minsel, Mayor of Peachland
“Peachland relies on coordinated policing on the Westside, knowing that our smaller community benefits from a regional approach, as does our neighbouring rural and First Nation communities. But provincial resources must ensure that municipalities do not bear the financial burden of rural policing or RCMP reorganization.”
Macklin McCall, MLA for West Kelowna – Peachland
“When the province ignores a clear RCMP business case for years, the result isn’t just paperwork sitting on a desk, it’s fewer officers on the street and real gaps in public safety. Chronic delay and underfunding have real consequences for response times and community safety. This is a provincial responsibility, and it’s time the province met it.”
Dan Albas, MP for Okanagan Lake West – South Kelowna
“People are frustrated by crime, drugs and disorder. They also need to know police will come when they call. I stand with our Mayors, our Chief, our local Member of the Legislative Assembly, and the communities we represent to demand that British Columbia immediately fill its provincial Royal Canadian Mounted Police vacancies, and that Canada fix its side of Indigenous policing by fully funding and staffing the dedicated First Nations positions promised under tripartite agreements—so calls are answered and cases move.”