Submitted questionnaire

Gord Lovegrove

Kelowna City Councillor & Emeritus Professor of Engineering, UBC Okanagan

This is the candidate’s public questionnaire. It is not a ForChange recommendation. Committee recommendations will be published after the review is complete.

  1. 01 · Why are you running for Kelowna City Council?

    Residents & businesses consistently say they value my practical leadership, willingness to listen, & ability to bring people together to get them results. They also know there is more work ahead; they want me to continue. Serving my first term on Kelowna City Council over the past four years has been an honour. I have worked to keep taxes affordable, improve public safety, & protect the quality of life in one of Canada’s most desirable places to live, work, & invest. I have pushed for practical, results-focused solutions: adding police officers & firefighters, strengthening neighbourhoods & parks, reducing crime, advancing affordable housing, reducing homelessness, improving transportation, taking climate action, & building stronger partnerships with Indigenous, Provincial, & Federal governments. As an engineer, professor & community leader, I bring a data-driven, collaborative approach to solving complex challenges. Voters have asked me to continue helping Kelowna grow while protecting the lake, natural environment, neighbourhood character & economic opportunities that define us. Protect what makes our City special. Fix what isn't working. Plan intelligently. Grow SMARTer.

  2. 02 · Issue #1: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

    Public Safety, Homelessness & Trust -

    We need compassionate solutions to homelessness, mental health, & addiction challenges while keeping neighbourhoods, businesses, & public spaces safe. Folks feel disconnected with City Hall actions. Rebuilding public trust requires timely action, accountability, public input, & support for victims & communities.

    Council can influence policing, housing, public spaces, partnerships, & advocacy.

    Actions: While 1/3 of unhoused people can be successfully rehoused through targeted supports, about 2/3 face serious mental illness &/or addiction, requiring more intensive intervention. I will continue: pushing the Province to establish a compassionate mandatory campus of care at the near-empty OCC; advocate for criminal justice reforms & additional Crown prosecutors; implement Kelowna's Community Safety Plan; & ensure earlier ongoing public engagement.

  3. 03 · Issue #2: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

    Liveability –

    Kelowna’s quality of life depends on, among other things, good infrastructure. Growth has outpaced our infrastructure & created affordable housing & traffic congestion challenges.

    Council controls zoning, the OCP, transportation investments & infrastructure priorities required to support growth & liveability.

    Actions: I support development where roads, utilities, transit, walking, cycling & services support it. I support housing diversity, limiting sprawl & gently densifying neighbourhoods. I support the ALR & our parks. I support growth well integrated, not imposed. I will ask: Will the infrastructure support it? How are City-wide DCC & tax rates impacted if not? I support a regional congestion-reduction strategy built on high-capacity, inter-city mobility partnerships. I support Kelowna investments that solve real problems & are good value for future taxpayers.

  4. 04 · Issue #3: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.

    EcDev, Clean Tech, & Tourism –

    Wildfire, smoke, drought, irrigation restrictions, ruined crops, high unemployment – a new inter-connected normal: Nature is our business. Take care of it, plan for it, stay prosperous.

    Council controls OCP, zoning, infrastructure investment priorities & partnerships, but not inflation or tariffs. We influence tourism & private investments thru academic, industry, provincial, federal & other partnerships.

    Actions: I support: i) an EcDev Champion to pursue local & global partnerships on priorities; ii) clean tech incentives to assist our farmers & other traditional industries to reduce water, waste & costs; iii) helping our existing sectors to adapt (e.g., more covered fields & courts, & artificial turf for sports tourism; mass timber), & our emerging sectors to succeed - aerospace, innovation, hydrogen, vertical farm, AI, & inter-city mobility.

  5. 05 · What experience, skills, and community involvement do you bring to the role?

    I bring over 30 years of private, public & volunteer sector experience & leadership roles as a professional engineer, professor, researcher, businessman, home builder, & sustainable development planner. I have twice been ‘head-hunted’ to community leadership roles. First, to lead BC’s 1st student U-Pass program. Second, to be the Nation’s first federal science advisor on infrastructure, transportation, & clean-tech innovation. I hold an SFU MBA, am a business owner & Rotary vice-president, & am happily-married with 4 kids. I have served the past 4 yrs on Kelowna City Council.
    But credentials alone are not why people should vote for me. What matters is that I use my knowledge wisely for you: appreciate the problem, engage with stakeholders, assimilate evidence, assess costs & consequences, & push for real world solutions that work.
    Throughout my career, I have championed data-driven decision-making, built trusted partnerships, & worked to maximize community value while minimizing community cost. I bring a practical, collaborative approach to Council, focused on delivering results that strengthen public safety, liveability, economic prosperity, & community resilience for all.

  6. 06 · How will you approach council decisions when priorities compete for limited resources?

    I choose to be open-minded & approach Council decisions by relying on staff expertise, evidence-based data, public input, historical experience, & respectful dialogue with my Council colleagues. Above all, I remember that every dollar Council spends ultimately comes from taxpayers & must be used wisely. I ask four questions: Do residents genuinely need it? Will it improve quality of life or essential services? Is there evidence it will work? Does it provide good long-term value? Sometimes I will have to say I cannot support an initiative, perhaps even disagreeing with our staff experts and/or my Council colleagues. We must distinguish between what would be nice to have & what we genuinely need. Infrastructure, public safety, environment, & essential services must come first. As a UBCO engineering professor, I taught that the best decisions are based on sound evidence & the careful allocation of limited resources. Throughout my career, I have learned that scarce resources are a fact of life. Good decisions depend on good information, but we cannot know with certainty what the future holds. Good government is not about spending more. It is about spending wisely.

  7. 07 · How do you work with people who see an issue differently than you?

    I can work with anyone. Long before serving on Kelowna City Council, I learned that we were given two ears and one mouth for a reason: listening matters. Whether in government, academia, business, or community service, I have worked with people who bring different experiences, expertise, and perspectives to the table. Some of the best decisions begin with disagreement. My role is to listen, ask questions, examine the evidence, and find common ground wherever possible. People are far more willing to engage when they feel heard and respected. Over the years, I have learned that I do not have all the answers, that good ideas can come from anywhere, and that changing your mind when presented with better information is a sign of strength, not weakness. While consensus is not always possible, respect should always be. When Council makes a decision, residents deserve to understand not only what was decided, but why. That is why meaningful engagement and clear communication are so important. Good decisions come from challenging ideas, not attacking people.

  8. 08 · What else should voters know about you?

    lovegrovekelowna.ca has details: Nature is our business. Our lake, parks, & agriculture are not just scenery; they support our economy, define our quality of life, & attract families, workers, visitors & investment. We can welcome growth & protect liveability. You trusted me in 2022 to bring practical, evidence-based leadership to Council. I have listened, asked hard questions, built partnerships, & pushed for real action on homelessness, safety, economic resilience, transportation and responsible growth. There is more work to do: safer neighbourhoods, compassionate solutions to homelessness, stronger local jobs, better transportation options, & smarter infrastructure investments. My heart is to: protect what we love, fix what is not working, and build a Kelowna that is safe, affordable, prosperous and resilient. On October 17th. I am asking for your vote so I can keep working for a better Kelowna for everyone. Questions? 250-808-9377; gord.lovegrove@ubc.ca.

    Community: UBCO Emeritus, SD23 Mentor, Sunrise Rotary VP, Rockets/Sun Season Holder, okrailbc.ca, okheritagesociety.com, okanagan4ukraine.org, WPC DT Youth, SILGA Board, ex-KGM Board, ex-ORT Ambassador, ATLS 2026 finisher.

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