Kelowna, B.C., residents remain highly satisfied with life in the city, but more than half surveyed as part of the 2026 Citizen Survey believe quality of life has declined in recent years.
While 88 per cent of respondents rated their overall quality of life as good or very good, the survey revealed that 56 per cent of respondents felt their quality of life had worsened.
Safety concerns, along with poverty and homelessness, were among the top reasons cited for the decline.
“I love Kelowna, it’s a great city,” said Kelowna resident Sandy McAfee. “It’s unfortunate that these kinds of things are reflecting because I think they reflect not only on the citizens but the people that come and visit.”
Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said safety was the leading reason for declining quality of life, up from 13 per cent in 2024.
“It is incredible how the city has been impacted,” said Mark Beaulieu, who owns Flashpoint Tattoo Company.
Last fall, the business owner was forced to shut down operations after a destructive fire related to social disorder.
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“My location was burned down in September and I spent five and a half months rebuilding it and boy it was a journey,” Beaulieu said.
The survey results were presented to Kelowna city council on Monday.
At Rutland Centennial Park, residents were not surprised by the survey’s findings.
“We have to go and canvas the park before I can even let my kid play in it and it’s meant for children,” said longtime Rutland resident Danni Yeast. “You are not comfortable living your life and you’re always having to look over your shoulder.”
According to Ipsos, while concerns about crime and social disorder commonly appear in citizen survey answers, they were more prominent in Kelowna than in many other communities surveyed this year.
“I don’t see as much emphasis placed on crime and public safety in a lot of the other communities that I work with,” Catherine Knaus, a director with Ipsos, told city council. “There tends to be other issues…not so much crime and safety concerns that I’m seeing in this year’s survey for Kelowna.”
Mayor Tom Dyas said public safety remains a top priority for council but noted the survey was conducted in March during a period of heightened public attention on crime and social disorder.
“When something is being put through media and being very public, like it was at that point in time, it truly doesn’t surprise me that it draws a little bit more attention,” Dyas said.
“But it’s always good information to us to make certain that we’re continuing to do what we can for the community.”
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