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Kelowna News

WALKER: Kelowna is still open for business

Mark Walker is a real estate agent and the broker/owner of Kelowna’s Walker Real Estate.
June 04, 2017 - 1:21 PM

 


OPINION


The recent (and continued) flooding in Kelowna has been a significant challenge for residents — particularly those on the lakefront or close to creeks — and the City of Kelowna. All of us at Walker Real Estate feel for those who have been impacted by the flooding.

With that said, I have a number of friends and colleagues out of market who, thanks to media reports focused on the flooding and social media accounts, seem to think the entire City of Kelowna is under water. Of course, while the flooding that has occurred has been horrid, this is far from the case. In many ways, Kelowna is still very much open for business and our community really needs all the support it can get at this time. I think we need to do a better job of getting this message out.

Anecdotally, I’m hearing stories of trips and reservations being cancelled as folks are concerned about the ongoing situation in Kelowna. This will, of course, have a detrimental effect on the local economy and many Kelowna businesses as tourism revenue is vitally important to our community. If you have friends and family living elsewhere in Canada, please make sure they’re aware that Kelowna is still a great place to visit this summer.

For those of us who are lucky enough to live here, let’s be extra diligent about trying to support local businesses during what may be a slower than normal summer season.

Please understand, I’m not trying to downplay the flooding that has occurred at all. I’ve been as saddened as anyone to see the challenges some of the people in our community have had to face, and our hearts go out to those who have been impacted. However, I don’t want to see a very bad situation get worse for our community due to a slower than average tourism season.

Make no mistake, Kelowna is still a great place to live, work and visit.

Mark Walker is a real estate agent and the broker/owner of Kelowna’s Walker Real Estate. His company runs the website KelownaProperties.com — Kelowna’s most comprehensive real estate search tool. Mark Walker’s column appears here every two weeks.


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