Year one. Round two.
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran has had a turbulent year since taking office for his second term in October 2018.
After a year laden with community outcry and even a death threat, Basran said he is trying his best to look on the bright side.
sa国际传媒淪ome of the major initiatives wesa国际传媒檝e tackled so far in this first year have been difficult to put into place but Isa国际传媒檓 really excited about the fact that they will benefit the community long after Isa国际传媒檓 gone from office,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淭his past year has been a real challenge, but over the long term, the things wesa国际传媒檝e done in this first year are going to serve our community well.
sa国际传媒滻sa国际传媒檓 really proud of my council for the fact that it would be easy to sacrifice the long term vision of the community for short term personal gain, but theysa国际传媒檙e choosing the longer-term vision.sa国际传媒�
When asked for specifics, the mayor pointed to the recently implemented infrastructure levy as a high point of council thus far.
The levy was part of the citysa国际传媒檚 2019 budget as a means of tackling infrastructure needs the city estimates will rise in the coming decades. The levy was part of the overall 4.1 per cent increase on property taxes, accounting for 2.27 per cent of the total.
sa国际传媒淲e know that in the next 20 years our community is going to need infrastructure to keep up with growth, as well as aging infrastructure that needs to be renewed,sa国际传媒� said Basran, estimating the price-tag of such projects will add up to around $500 million.
sa国际传媒淭his infrastructure levy will help pay for some of those projects that before we would not have been able to undertake.
sa国际传媒淚f we donsa国际传媒檛 deal with some of the infrastructure deficit wesa国际传媒檙e just pushing off projects that are only going to get more expensive down the road and wesa国际传媒檙e just going to increase the burden financially on future generations of our city.sa国际传媒�
On the flip side, Basran said the lowest point of the last 12 months has been on supportive housing projects.
Supportive housing has proven to be a contentious topic within Kelowna, with residents sa国际传媒� specifically of the Rutland area where many of the projects have been proposed sa国际传媒� being very vocal about their disdain.
sa国际传媒淎ll we can do is do the best we can, stay the course, try to get people housed and continue to advocate for more supports,sa国际传媒� said Basran.
sa国际传媒淲e will continue to do that, but certainly thatsa国际传媒檚 been the biggest challenge this year so far and I donsa国际传媒檛 see it going away anytime soon.sa国际传媒�
READ MORE: Petition against sa国际传媒榳etsa国际传媒� housing project in Rutland surpasses 15,000 signatures
Basran attributed the unpopularity of some decisions made by himself and city council to people being sa国际传媒渞esistant to change.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淪ome of the things that wesa国际传媒檙e implementing are changing the way that things have been done in our city in the past,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a different way of doing things. Until people see the results, theysa国际传媒檒l be skeptical or unhappy with it.
sa国际传媒淏ut we know we cansa国际传媒檛 continue to do nothing about climate change.We can no longer continue to ignore our social problems.sa国际传媒�
In April, divisive community opinion about the mayor led to a death threat on Facebook, which led to the arrest of a 52-year-old Kelowna man.
At the time, the mayor, flanked by his wife, mother, two young children and two city councillors, made a plea for civility.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 unacceptable to me, itsa国际传媒檚 unacceptable to my family and I am sure itsa国际传媒檚 unacceptable to the majority of society,sa国际传媒� said Basran during a press conference on May 15.
sa国际传媒淒emocracy is sometimes messy, and controversial issues sometimes generate strong feelings. But thatsa国际传媒檚 what makes our community strong sa国际传媒� exercising an open mind, humility and mutual respect and especially with those with whom we disagree.
sa国际传媒淭he bigger issue here is about civility and a collective commitment to civil discourse. More than ever, itsa国际传媒檚 vital to challenge those who use personal attacks, online bullying, or vulgar language to stifle opposing points of view.sa国际传媒�
READ MORE: Kelowna mayor calls for civility in light of online threat against him
Basran said that experience and the past year overall has made him realize his family is what is most important to him.
sa国际传媒淔amily for me in this past year has been absolutely essential,sa国际传媒� he said.
sa国际传媒淚n this last year, Isa国际传媒檝e become more cognizant of the fact that I couldnsa国际传媒檛 be doing this job without my family and while this job is important, my family is far more important.
sa国际传媒淢y time in this chair will come and go but I only have one opportunity with my family.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 been a huge eye-opener and a lot of personal growth for me to recognize. While this job is great, nothing is more important than my family.sa国际传媒�
While Basran said it is sa国际传媒渨ay too early to tellsa国际传媒� whether his name will be on the ballot for the 2022 election, his family will play an integral role in that decision.
sa国际传媒淪tay tuned,sa国际传媒� he smiled.
READ MORE: Thirteen-storey condo tower, community threatre proposed for old Kelowna RCMP site
michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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