File photo March 22, 2022. A vacant house on Mills Road in Kelowna that drew complaints from neighbors due to squatters. The city of Kelowna has its sights set on vacant buildings as it plans bylaw changes that could force property owners to secure buildings with fencing and security. Between 2019 and 2022, just four Kelowna properties combined for a total of 287 attendances by firefighters, RCMP and bylaw agencies. The city council on Monday will consider changes to its fire and life bylaw to add details to help the fire chief better manage troubled properties. If approved by the city council on Monday, the new regulations would require a vacant building to be secured within 24 hours of first notification. If the owners cannot be contacted but cannot comply, the fire chief can hire a contractor and bill the owner. If the vacant property is subsequently broken into, the bylaw will require a security company to visit the property twice a night. Fencing must be installed after the second breach. After a third violation of the property, the fire chief can order the owner to keep a security company on the premises overnight. Council staff say the changes should “significantly” reduce the number of times bylaws and emergency services have to visit problem properties. “Existing enforcement steps have been shown to be ineffective in some properties of concern,” the staff report states.
