It appears Kelowna commercial watercraft operators have made some headway in a push to revamp operations at the Water Street boat launch.
The parking lot at the launch has been temporarily closed to help ease traffic congestion over the long weekend.
乌鸦传媒淚 sent them an email to them (city)乌鸦传媒hey actually said that they are following our recommendations about closing the parking lot for regular car traffic and removing parking at least for the weekend,乌鸦传媒� Denys Storozhuk with the recently formed Kelowna Marine Tourism Association (KMTA) told Black Press Media.
Conditions at the launch have recently come to a head, with members of the KTMA refusing to pay their commercial boat launch fees (due July 31) because they feel their concerns are being ignored by the city.
Storozhuk has said previously that the KMTA is not opposed to the fees but has asked that city to make them fair, proportional, and part of a plan that includes infrastructure improvements. He said he was originally told that fines of $500 per boat would be issued starting today (Aug. 1). But then he was told by a senior bylaw member that operators with a business licence and insurance would not be fined.
乌鸦传媒淭hey do take pictures of every truck and trailer,乌鸦传媒� Storozhuk noted. 乌鸦传媒淚 don't know what they will do with this乌鸦传媒ut of course it's in full right to get this information.乌鸦传媒�
Bylaw Services Manager Kevin Mead confirmed to Black Press Media that the department is monitoring boat launch usage, but not just for commercial operators.
乌鸦传媒淏ut also to other unlicensed operators that have not secured the proper business licenses or insurance, and everything that it takes to actually obtain that business license to then operate,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲e're targeting them as much as we are anyone else. What we're also trying to do, particularly at the Water Street launch, is to ensure that everything is as safe as possible.乌鸦传媒�
Traffic flaggers are on-site informing drivers that the lot is closed to parking and helping keep the area clear and safe for users, pedestrians, and motorists.
Mead added that the focus of their enforcement is education.
乌鸦传媒淭he deadline that was offered to the commercial operators specifically was the end of the day on July 31乌鸦传媒hich is why we were out there the previous two days before was, just to ensure that everybody did get the information and was aware of what was required or expected of them.乌鸦传媒�
Boat launch fees for municipal docks were adopted by council in 2022, introducing a flat rate for commercial users乌鸦传媒�$2,000 per boat and $1,000 per jet ski for the year.
Mead said his department will continue to monitor the situation.
"So, you can expect to see officers at both boat launches sporadically throughout the day, from now until end of day on Monday. Its about keeping both venues as safe as possible, while also trying to ensure compliance to the greatest extent that we can, given the resources that we have."
Storozhuk said he乌鸦传媒檚 pleased to see some action is being taken.
乌鸦传媒淥ur message is that, for the last three years, the members of our industry paid a lot of money to the city in fees, and they did not get anything in return. Hopefully we will be able to cooperate and make sure that a fee structure is clear, transparent, and applies to all commercial operators, and that these fees are actually used to improve the boat launch.乌鸦传媒�
The Water Street launch was renovated in April 2024 to improve public safety and accessibility.
However, operators said it was done without industry input, resulting in several design flaws and no improvements to the surrounding area, making launching slower and more hazardous, and putting pedestrians and motorists moving through the area at risk.
