Public safety takes centre stage in front of a full house at Kelowna election debate
Cindy White - Sep 17, 2026 / 4:00 am | Story: 631540
Cindy White
Seven of the 37 people running for a seat on Kelowna city council got to make their pitches for votes in front of a full house on Wednesday night.
Castanet and ForChange Kelowna hosted the first of three municipal election forums at Revelry, and two key issues took centre stage: public safety and fiscal responsibility.
All the candidates spoke about the impacts of the drug crisis and social disorder on the community, with most agreeing the city needs to continue to press for more treatment, including involuntary care. But there was also a sense that patience is wearing thin.
“I’m worried about the businesses and the citizens themselves. I want compassionate care for our homeless and our addicted, but I do want to focus on our citizens,” said candidate Laura Thurnheer, who sits on the mayor’s task force on crime.
Lawyer Bal Grewal said he’s sick and tired of everyone passing the buck.
“At the end of the day, this is our neighbourhood, this is our backyard, this is our community,” he said. “We live here. We need to stand up. Ottawa and Victoria do not care about us. We need to stand up and raise our voices. This is why we need strong advocacy.”
When asked what she would do that hasn’t already been tried, Mohini Singh, who is seeking re-election, said she wants to see more boots on the ground.
“I want to see more cops on the road – like the old fashioned beat cops, walking the streets. So, not only is there safety but a sense of safety for people who are out on the streets of our community,” said Singh.
Rutland resident Indy Dhial said it’s something he hears about when out door knocking. “Each area has a different challenge, but the challenge that is the closest to my heart, that I see every single day and I hear from the residents in our community is safety.”
He suggested teams like the downtown and Rutland on-call patrols could be expanded to other parts of the city.
When it comes to taxes and city spending, Tim Down, who was a councillor in the northwestern B.C. city of Terrace in the 1990s, talked about pulling back on “gold-plated” projects.
“Don’t get caught up in property taxes are too high or too low. They’re only 20 per cent of our current $1.1 billion budget. That’s a staggering number,” said Down.
“Over half of that is infrastructure money, spending right now, and those are good things that a growing community needs. Unfortunately, at times we can get ahead of ourselves thinking we’re still living in times where we can spend without real care and concern.”
He touched on affordability, as did candidate Davis Kyle, who said the city could do more.
“Everything from making it easier to find childcare for your kids to incentives for family-sized housing and ground-accessible housing that people can raise kids in is incredibly important, and just lowering the cost of new construction,” said Kyle.
When questioned about their qualifications to sit on council and make tough decisions, Hamid Khajavi said leadership means “someone who is capable of managing complex projects and relationships.”
Candidates appearing on the forum stage were selected by ForChange Kelowna from those who submitted responses to the group's questionnaire. On Friday, Castanet will reveal the next seven council candidates selected by ForChange to take part in the debate scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24. The final round will be on Thursday, Oct 1.
Admission to the forums is free, but seating is limited. Doors will open at 6 p.m. at Revelry, with the events getting underway at 6:30.
ForChange is accepting additional candidate questionnaires until Friday, Sept. 18. In early October, the group plans to make its own ballot recommendations. Castanet is not involved in those recommendations.
B.C.’s 2026 General Local Elections take place on Saturday, Oct 17, with several opportunities for advance voting in Kelowna on Oct, 7, 10, 14, 15 and 16.
By Castanet; Cindy White
Source: Public safety takes centre stage in front of a full house at Kelowna election debate - Castanet.net
