Submitted questionnaire
Mohini Singh
Kelowna City Councillor
This is the candidate’s public questionnaire. It is not a ForChange recommendation. Committee recommendations will be published after the review is complete.
-
01 · Why are you running for Kelowna City Council?
As a four-term councillor I have helped guide our city through an extraordinary period of growth and change. I continue to be deeply committed to a progressive, economically vibrant, and inclusive community. What does that mean? Balancing the complex social issues that come with growth while making smart investments of tax dollars to make sure our businesses, economy, and residents thrive. This is an election where my deep knowledge of council, municipal governance and the community really matter. As a proud Indo-Canadian woman, I have watched Kelowna grow into a more inclusive city. This has always been my guiding light as a community volunteer and city councillor. People know that I use my voice on council to serve everyone, not just a privileged few, and I will never stop doing that. With many new faces on council this year Kelowna needs my experience, a seasoned councillor who understands issues, historical context to keep the work moving forward, and where we can have influence. My years of experience, strong relationships and a proven record of service come together to support the important decisions that will shape our city.
-
02 · Issue #1: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.
Crime and Safety:
Like many residents, I am frustrated by homelessness, addiction, and crime and its impact on our collective sense of safety. Cities of all sizes are struggling with this and we need stronger leadership and partnership from senior government. Council voted to increase capacity, authorizing 33 new police officers, 18 firefighters, and 17 bylaw officers and it has helped move the needle on community safety. I gained new insight while navigating a tenancy/ eviction issue, and how hard it is to balance the legal steps with empathy. Council’s critical role is advocating to BC/Ottawa for more supportive and transitional housing and mental health and addiction services here, like a mandatory care facility in the Okanagan. Initiatives like tiny homes are helping, but meaningful change takes time and this issue absolutely needs to stay as a top priority. -
03 · Issue #2: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.
Affordability and Housing
Council has approved many new developments in four years and the downstream effect is that our vacancy rate has improved and rents have dropped. However, housing is still too expensive for many families, and people employed in tourism, hospitality and service sectors which are drivers for our small businesses. Those high rents combined with ever increasing costs for the essentials like groceries puts a lot of pressure on the average person. What can council do about housing? In some cases, we can provide land, we can approve zoning changes and applications but we don’t build the homes. We need to keep pushing senior levels of government for infrastructure dollars that lead to diverse types of housing and new neighborhoods. This is how we make a tangible difference. Kelowna is still one of Canada’s most expensive cities, this issue needs to stay at the top. -
04 · Issue #3: the issue, the specific actions you would take, and how City Council can actually influence the outcome.
Economy and Agriculture
Here’s an example of how I try to make a practical difference for local businesses. I kept council up until nearly midnight advocating for a small business owner whose sign placement conflicted with a bylaw. Denying the application would have left the business with almost no visibility from the highway. I fought for an exception, and council ultimately agreed. This is the unseen but day-to-day work of a councillor to support our businesses and drive our economy. I am equally passionate about supporting farmers, who face growing challenges from climate change, wildfire and drought. I have advocated for road construction schedules that avoid harvest season, fought to maintain reasonable water access, and recently helped bring farmers and local governments together to explore water-sharing solutions, and see how we can better plan for next year. -
05 · What experience, skills, and community involvement do you bring to the role?
I am a former journalist (25 years) civil servant (10 years) councillor (15 years). My campaign slogan has never changed: I am your Trusted Voice on Council and I live that. I am a bridge between council and the wider community where I am deeply connected over four decades of living in Kelowna and have been honored to receive several awards for my community service. In 2008 I founded the East Meets West Children's Foundation, still run entirely by volunteers, which raises over $200,000 a year for children’s initiatives. I have volunteered with the Kelowna Women's Shelter (20 years) , the MS Society, the Cancer Centre of the Southern Interior and helped UBCO with scholarship fundraising. I was given the Order of B.C. for my community service and advocacy. I was named Kelowna Woman of the Year in 2009 and am the recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, and in 2025 received the Kelowna Women in Business Changemaker Award. I also host Chai and Chat with Mohini to profile local change makers and explore issues.
-
06 · How will you approach council decisions when priorities compete for limited resources?
This is truly at the heart of decision making for council. My approach has been to absorb all of the facts and information and weigh the priority for its overall benefit to Kelowna. Is it a sound and sustainable investment for the city? If its short term, what will it solve and what is the value? Is it essential or something that can wait? In my experience the most complex issues are never black and white. You draw on your experience and context to see what is in the best interests of the city and maximum value to people. This requires a strong commitment to hearing different opinions, giving them weight, and balancing them against facts.
-
07 · How do you work with people who see an issue differently than you?
It starts by understanding that we are not around the council table to agree, we are there to contribute and achieve the best decisions that are beneficial to our community. You must stand behind your convictions but also find compromise. If you can’t speak openly and honestly, debate issues, and justify your opinion with facts, you can’t effectively serve in this role. You must listen and consider others positions. I’ll give you an example. There was a housing project for temporary farm workers and the entire neighborhood was against the application and had lobbied council hard to deny the project. I managed to convince council that the fears being brought forward were unfounded and what the farmer needed was labour, and within the regulations it was reasonable and beneficial to the agricultural sector. These compromises have to be found, based on fact not emotion.
-
08 · What else should voters know about you?
I am a mother and a grandmother of three little children. I am very proud of my role in advocating for investment in recreation infrastructure, including the new Parkinson Recreation Centre project and other sports and activity centers. These bring people together to be well and active. Our new parks and beach revitalization projects make life better for our residents and families, and attract visitors to our beautiful city.
Every decade of my life I gain new understanding and perspective that makes me a stronger councillor and voice for sound decision making in service to the community. I launched a podcast – Chat and Chai with Mohini – that draws on my 30-year career as a broadcast journalist. Life has taught me that it is through listening that you gain understanding and a path forward on difficult issues. I speak my truth and stand my ground on behalf of my constituents, even if I am the lone voice.