A sign telling people the boardwalk is closed at the Hotel Eldorado on Dec. 24, 2024.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
December 24, 2024 - 1:00 PM
After losing an appeal to privatize beach access, the Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna posted signage and closed a gate to discourage public access.
Ruth Walper and her son Trevor went to walk along the boardwalk next to the hotel as they do on occasion. They were met with a closed, but unlocked gate, and signs from the hotel reading, “boardwalk closed due to winter conditions.”
“We weren't expecting that excuse this year. It's not slippery,” she said. “They are trying a new approach to it.”
The hotel has been in a legal battle with the City of Kelowna since new owners tried to close off access in the spring of 2020.
The public’s right to access the boardwalk next to the hotel dates back to 1999 when the previous owner of the hotel bought 0.1 acres from the Crown for $31,000.
The land purchase came with the agreement that there would be a public walkway along the beach.
READ MORE: Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna loses appeal over public access to boardwalk
After some back and forth in the court, the BC Court of Appeal decided on Dec. 18 that the hotel had to allow access.
Now the hotel has posted numerous signs telling people the boardwalk is closed, yet there is still a sign saying, “daytime access on the Hotel Eldorado and Manteo boardwalks is available by agreement between the owners and the City of Kelowna.”
“A sign is not a huge deterrent for us,” Trevor Walper said. “We can walk by it.”
The hotel declined to comment.
Click here for more stories about the Hotel Eldorado.
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