Kelowna sees unexpected change
A new report to Kelowna city councillors from the department of policy and planning reveals some unexpected and significant changes to the city over the last 20 years.
“When looking at changes in Kelowna over the past 20 years, as compared to other cities throughout B.C., the changes are significant. In some cases they are unexpected and may challenge widely held beliefs about the city,” writes report author Robert Miles, a long range policy planning manager. “This serves as a reminder that while looking to the past to help understand the future is necessary, unexpected change will occur in the future. A resilient Kelowna is one that can navigate and respond to the unexpected in a way that accommodates all of its citizens.”
Some changes are obvious with the city growing in population from 96,288 in 2001 to 144,576 in 2021, an increase that seems to confirm Kelowna’s status as one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada.
Another is the surging price of real estate which is no surprise to anyone who has bought a house here over the last two decades. In 2001, the average dwelling value was $188,173 but it has since jumped to $796,000, the report notes.
Whie the number of rental dwellings has jumped from 12,995 to 21,955 in 2021, rental accommodation continues to be amongst the most expensive in the country.
And the people living in those houses, townhouses and apartments have also changed. In 2001, the most common household type was couples with children, but that has since flipped to one-person households being the norm.
One of the biggest surprises is the median age of Kelowna residents, long known as one of the oldest cities in Canada, the result of its status as a retirement destination.
The median age in 2021 is 42.4 years, which is still almost two years older than it was in 2001, however the median age of B.C. residents as a whole has increased from 38.4 in 2001 to 42.8 in the 2021 census, leaving Kelowna residents slightly younger than the provincial median age.
Kelowna is also a lot less white than it used to be, the report notes. In 2001, just 6.9 per cent of residents identified as either Indigenous or as part of a visible minority. Fast-forward to 2021 and 14 per cent now identify as being of a visible minority with 5.6 per cent identifying as Indigenous.
Immigration has also changed with 55.2 per cent of recent arrivals coming from Asia in 2021 versus 29.3 per cent in the 2001 census. European immigration has plunged from 39.4 per cent back then to 16.6 per cent in 2021.
The nature of work has also morphed over the last 20 years.
The number one employment sector in 2001 as measured by the number of employees was in sales /service followed by business/financial /administrative jobs and trades /transportation/equipment operators.
In 2021 sales/service still held the top spot but trades/transportation/ equipment operators swapped places with business/financial/administrative employment.