Kelowna bucks Okanagan trend as mayor wins re-election in tight race

As voters across the Okanagan ushered in new leadership, Kelowna bucked the trend, re-electing Mayor Tom Dyas in one of the province’s tightest mayoral races.

Dyas narrowly defeated challenger Ron Cannan by 969 votes, securing another term with a margin of about 2.5 percentage points after a nail-biting election night.

“It was very, very nerve-wracking, very, very close as everybody knows, but at the end of the day, we took it,” Dyas said as he celebrated with supporters.

For some Kelowna residents, the result was a vote of confidence in the mayor’s first term.

“I think it’s fantastic. I think he’s done a good job,” said Ken Hart, a Kelowna resident.

Others, who call Kelowna home, found the choice less clear-cut.

“You know, it was a tough choice between the two,” voter Lyn Mainwaring said.

For some, the outcome came as a surprise.

“I didn’t think that Tom would get re-elected…just because it’s time for a change and a lot of people talked about time for a change,” said Kelowna resident Michele Nojonen.

That desire for change was a recurring theme throughout the campaign, particularly around public safety issues related to homelessness, drug addiction and mental health.

With Cannan securing nearly half the vote, Dyas acknowledged that concerns remain and said the campaign had made clear the issue would need greater attention.

“I think we all kind of heard it substantially throughout this campaign, so it will become that much more of a bigger issue with regards to our priorities,” Dyas said.

The election result in Kelowna stood in contrast to several other Okanagan communities where incumbent mayors lost their seats, including Penticton, Peachland, Lake Country, Vernon, Armstrong and Enderby.

But while Kelowna voters opted to keep their mayor, the city’s council is set for a significant shake-up, with five of its eight seats going to new councillors, including three people in their 20s and 30s.

For voter Rob Peters, the election results reflected his support for a younger generation of leaders.

“I think three or four of the people that I voted for got in. I voted for younger people,” Peters said.

Nicole Richards also welcomed the incoming councillors, saying it can benefit the city.

“I think fresh faces and different perspectives are always healthy and the change is healthy,” Richards said.

Attention now turns to the upcoming provincial election and whether voters will deliver a similar change at the provincial level.