On this episode, the panel discusses the challenges of balancing transit infrastructure and density in Kelowna.

Former Kelowna CAO Ron Mattiussi believes the best way to get more BC Transit routes is to have enough people in an area using the service.

"I think in this particular case, they're pretty much forced to have the density to prove out the need for the transit," says Mattiussi.

Jeff Cox highlighted the need for better infrastructure, citing Kelowna's poor road connectivity.

"For people who travel for business or personal outside of this city, you do recognize that this is probably one of the worst infrastructure cities that I know of. We've created, no central corridors in and out of the south Mission," says Cox.

The panellists talked about a better way to go from the Kelowna International Airport to the Mission area of Kelowna.

"There needs to be some foresight. But I don't know that that falls on the city," Cox says.

Mattiussi points to the way the City of Kelowna developed, "for the longest time, this was a little farm town. Go to the Mission. There's no grid, little cul de sacs, and all these people are emptying out into one road.

"In fairness, you look at our history, what wasn't done, because nobody back then had the vision to see what the city could actually be, and that's where you should have been, you know, building some of that infrastructure."

Trinity Church's lead pastor, Scott Lanigan also pointed out that the living wage in Kelowna is around $54,000 and that most people living on that wage need to use public transit.

"That's for the basics, nothing exceptional. That's just, paying your rent and food, and it's for helping with transportation. So it's transit, not a car, because that doesn't cover a car." Lanigan also questioned how much influence Kelowna's municipal government has over transit issues.

"I think, in a perfect world, if you wanted to create transit density, just do it as part of your official Community Plan, and do it as part of an overall plan. Do it as you plan the infrastructure," says Mattiussi.

The former chief administrator for the City of Kelowna called for a wide variety of housing types, "and then, let's be efficient. Infrastructure is really expensive, if we're gonna put it in the ground, let's make sure we get as much density as we can," Mattiussi says.

Castanet is proud to present One Foot Off Center, a podcast tackling the big issues facing the Okanagan.

Rick Maddison, Ron Mattiussi, Scott Lanigan and Jeff Cox will meet every month to discuss how those issues impact everyday Canadians.

Maddison is a well-known entrepreneur in Kelowna and owner of Tempest Media. Mattiussi is the former chief administrator of the City of Kelowna and has worked in local government across the province.

Lanigan is the lead pastor of Trinity Church, one of Kelowna’s largest churches, who has served with various community groups like Journey Home.

Cox is the founder and CEO of Kelowna-based Simply Benefits.
One Foot Off Center will be published monthly by Castanet, on YouTube and in an audio-only version on Spotify.