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West Kelowna already has its next mayor, more than a month before municipal elections take place. Two-term councillor Stephen Johnston has been acclaimed to the position after no other candidates came forward. Johnston says he is honoured by the opportunity and plans to make restoring public trust a central focus of his leadership.
Johnston Pledges Accountability After Costly Projects
Johnston has served on the council that faced significant criticism from residents over transparency and accountability. Several major capital projects ran over budget, drawing public frustration. Johnston acknowledged the difficulties directly. “It’s no secret that we did have a couple projects that went over budget. It was a difficult and challenging time,” he said.
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The new city hall and library project came in more than $6 million over budget. The Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant also attracted scrutiny. Residents raised questions about how a large portion of that project would be financed and repaid by property owners.
Following those overruns, the city commissioned an independent review. That review identified improvements to the city’s capital project delivery model. Some changes have already been made, but Johnston says more are needed, including reforms to the budgeting process itself.
One change Johnston advocated for this year involved showing budgeted costs alongside actual expenses. “Historically, West Kelowna has never shown budgeted versus actual expenses, and so we’ve got actuals in there now,” he said. He added that tracking budgets from start to finish will be essential going forward. “Accountability is very important and for council to be able to follow the budget from conception through to completion of projects is really important. We’ve been missing that piece for a long time and so big changes are coming.”
Residents Divided on Whether Trust Can Be Rebuilt
Not all West Kelowna residents share Johnston’s optimism. Local resident Jackie Haynes expressed doubt about whether public confidence can realistically be restored. “Not very, based on the recent past,” Haynes said when asked how optimistic she felt. “The water treatment plant was a big disappointment for everybody.”
However, another resident, Cindy Charters, offered a more positive outlook. “I think he can restore public confidence,” Charters said.
Beyond accountability, Johnston says he will also focus on homelessness, addiction and wildfire resilience. These issues remain pressing concerns for the community, and Johnston intends to address them alongside the governance reforms he has outlined.
Acclamation Gives Johnston Early Political Advantage
Johnston spent the week attending the Union of BC Municipalities convention. He says his confirmed status as West Kelowna’s incoming mayor has already opened doors with provincial politicians. “I’ve been bumping into cabinet ministers and MLAs. We’ve been going for coffee, exchanging phone numbers and it’s just been a huge leg up on building those relationships,” he said.
Johnston described those connections as essential for the city’s future. He views the relationships built at the convention as a foundation that council will need to strengthen over the coming years. His acclamation, while unusual, has given him a head start that a contested race might not have allowed.
