Kelowna Boardwalk Closure Drags On Due To Apparent Dispute Between City, Hotel Owner - Beritaja

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An evident conflict betwixt the City of Kelowna, B.C., and a edifice proprietor is delaying nationalist entree to a celebrated waterfront boardwalk.

“This is simply a beautiful walkway to spell done and bask the waterfront,” said Raymond Wiebe, who lives successful the Lower Mission area.

Last July, the metropolis announced the impermanent closure of the about half-kilometre boardwalk successful beforehand of the Eldorado and Manteo resorts for repairs.

In its nationalist work announcement connected July 14, the metropolis stated, “the boardwalk is anticipated to reopen successful September.”

“It hasn’t reopened since then,” Wiebe said.

Nor person immoderate repairs taken place.

“I deliberation it’s excessively bad,” said Kim Thompson, different concerned Kelowna resident. “I deliberation everyone would bask that portion of the reservoir and to entree it.”

Wiebe says he’s sent aggregate messages to the city, which replied it’s being denied entree to do the work.

In an email to Wiebe past month, the metropolis stated, ““Hotel guidance continues to restrict entree to the tract – including entree for building crews to do the repair activity that was identified past year.”

It besides added, “Based connected guidance from the City’s ineligible team, we person decided not to remedy via self-help (i.e. unilaterally cutting locks, removing gates, etc.)”

The metropolis declined to remark to BERITAJA, saying location is thing caller to adhd to the consequence it sent Wiebe.

“I don’t really cognize what it is, what they are wanting to execute by denying entree to the metropolis to travel successful and do the work,” Wiebe said.

Global’s messages to Argus went unanswered Tuesday.

The decades-old nationalist right-of-way statement was made pinch erstwhile edifice owners and came to a caput successful 2020 nether Argus’ ownership erstwhile the boardwalk was closed to the public.

Among the reasons for the closure fixed by Argus was for crowd power and beingness distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rumor ended up successful court, pinch Argus arguing the statement wasn’t legally valid aliases enforceable.

The metropolis based on closing the boardwalk was a breech of conditions.

In the end, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled the statement was valid and the boardwalk must stay accessible to the public.

The boardwalk did reopened for a mates of years until past September, erstwhile it closed to accommodate the repairs.

However, pinch the metropolis not taking immoderate action astatine this point, it’s not known if aliases erstwhile the repairs will hap aliases erstwhile and if the boardwalk will reopen to the public.

“This doesn’t make america consciousness for illustration we person a very bully neighbour,” Wiebe said.

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