.png)
WHAT'S NEW
Remember to Vote Saturday Oct 17
Hudson Road Elementary School
Beware of the “Name Recognition Voter Trap”
There are 4 core arguments against simple Name Recognition Voting
• Incumbency Favouritism: Candidates already in office naturally have higher name recognition simply from being in the news, regardless of their performance. Voting based on familiarity locks in incumbents and shuts out qualified challengers with fresh ideas.
• Policy Mismatch: A familiar name does not mean a candidate shares your values or supports the policies you care about. Voters risk electing someone whose legislative record directly contradicts their own personal or financial interests.
• Vulnerability to "Blanket Marketing”: Name recognition is easily bought through massive campaign spending on billboards, flyers, and digital ads. Relying on it rewards well-funded candidates or special-interest groups rather than those with the best platform.
• Wasted Votes on "Low-Information" Choices: In multi-seat elections (like city councils or school boards), casting votes for three or four familiar names without knowing their stances can lead to a fractured governing body that struggles to pass cohesive policies.
Voting candidates based on name recognition alone can lead to poor governance.
You should not feel pressured to select a complete set of 6 candidates. It is far better to only vote for the specific candidates whose policies, qualifications, and values you agree with.
City of West Kelowna Candidate List
Candidates who live in the Lakeview Heights Area are Chris Moyer, Garrett Millsap, Ken Grant, and Rick de Jong.
New Park Proposal - Harmon Park
The Lakeview Heights Community Association formally proposes a new active park for our neighbourhood. This park would be located on the northeast corner of Stuart and Harmon Roads and tentatively called Harmon Park. The park would comprise the properties 2509 and 2513 Harmon Road and would have a total size of approximately 1.0 acre.
Our community is growing and demographics are moving towards younger families. The City of West Kelowna (CWK) Parks Master Plan suggests that at least 3 new active parks are needed for Lakeview Heights. See Figure 1 and 2. Active parks need to be level and of sufficient size to promote informal sports activities. They should also be located within about 400m of residences so a reasonable number of residents can access the park on foot.
The Harmon Park land was originally purchased by the CWK to provide a location for the new fire hall. Instead, the fire hall was ultimately located in Anders Park thereby reducing the active park space in Lakeview Heights. Lakeview Heights has the lowest area of active parks per person in all West Kelowna. It makes a great deal of sense to use these two unused city lots into a park.
Figure 1
Harmon Park is located close to the top of a hill. The land is sloped slightly but the ground in that area (glacial till) is easy to recontour to provide a level surface for sports activities. There is enough land here to provide a mini soccer field, playground, picnic area and a sports box as well as providing a parking area. See Figure 3. Mini soccer fields located in neighbourhoods are strongly supported by the Westside Youth Soccer Association.
Figure 3
All-Candidates Forum LVH Community Hall
Tuesday October 6, 2026
Lakeview Heights and Casa Loma Community Associations jointly sponsored an All-Candidates Open-House Forum for West Kelowna Councillor candidates in the Lakeview Heights Community Hall on the evening of October 6th. The event went extremely well, although the level of community interest was vastly underestimated and the venue capacity of 110 persons was sadly inadequate. Many interested residents tried to attend but left when they realized the facility was at capacity. Larger facilities, with better parking, will be chosen for any future such event.
The event was MCed by Wayne Moore (recently retired from Castanet) who provided each candidate a one-minute opportunity to introduce themselves and their election platform. This was followed by two rounds whereby each candidate was allowed 1 minute to answer a question drawn from a hat. After each candidate had answered both questions, they were provided a one-minute opportunity, in reverse order to their introductions, to sum up their backgrounds, strengths, and interests. Questions from the floor were considered but ruled out in the interests of maintaining a reasonable timeline. This concluded the organized portion of the forum, but candidates remained behind at their booths for an additional hour to engage with interested residents and answer further questions.
All the candidates that confirmed their interest and participation were in attendance, as well as a couple that had not advised either Association of their intentions. Additionally, although uninvited, a Schoolboard Trustee candidate unexpectedly set up a booth but was not provided an opportunity to speak.
Free coffee, Hot-chocolate, and pastries were provided and available, but the crowded venue made accessing and consuming anything impractical. This aspect will receive further consideration in planning any similar future event.
A Hearty thank-you is extended to all the interested and caring residents of West Kelowna who made this event such a success. Both sponsoring associations are grateful and will apply the lessons learned to future events. Please ensure that your voices are heard and exercise your right to vote!!
