Kelowna Transportation, Airport Information, Communications & Utilities

Air
Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is located only 15 kilometres (8 miles) from downtown Kelowna, on the northern boundary of the City of Kelowna, adjacent to Highway 97.

Kelowna International is the 11th busiest airport in Canada in terms of passenger volume. In 2006, volumes once again reached record levels, at 1,226,442 passengers. This represents a 13.7% increase over 2005. Passenger activity has more than doubled since 1995 and traffic is expected to continue to grow. March, 2007 was the busiest month on record, although December is typically the busiest month of the year for the airport.

Competitive air service is key to success in the global marketplace, and Kelowna International provides a vital link to the economic prosperity of the entire region. In fact, Kelowna International is now responsible for generating an estimated $310 million of local economic activity annually and sustaining 1,835 full-time jobs.

Over the past two years traffic has increased to 1.2 million passengers per year, a figure only expected to be reached by 2011. In response to this growth, airport management has developed a short-term terminal expansion program to increase the capacity of the terminal to 1.5 million passengers.

Year round daily non-stop Toronto service offered by WestJet has directly contributed to increased activity. As a result of lobbying efforts by airport management, the Okanagan Air Services Action Group, and the community, the WestJet Toronto service has proven highly successful. The direct daily flights bring additional business to tourism operators such as Big White and Silver Star ski resorts, and spin-off economic activity in accommodations, hospitality and other sectors. Further enhancing capacity on this city pair, Air Canada began offering daily non-stop Toronto service early in 2006.

Non-stop destinations include: Prince George, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun.

Direct Routes from Kelowna International Airport

Road

Highway 97 is the Okanagan Valley’s key north-south highway with connections to several east-west highways, including the Trans Canada Highway and Highway 3 (Crowsnest or Southern Trans Provincial Highway), 3A, 6 and 97C (Okanagan Connector). Highways 97A, 97B and 33 are north-south routes that parallel various sections along the Highway 97 spine.

The Okanagan Connector, completed in the fall of 1990, provides a convenient link between the Central Okanagan and the Coquihalla Highway. The Connector that runs from Peachland to Meritt makes driving time between Kelowna and the Lower Mainland approximately 3½ to 4 hours.

Highways follow the Pacific Corridor from Alaska to California. The Pacific Northwest with a market of 46 million is within two days of trucking.

Okanagan Lake Bridge Replacement Project
Announced in 2003, the Ministry of Transportation has developed a proposed design for the new crossing which involves an elevated bridge section for unhindered passage of marine traffic, and improved access for cyclists and pedestrians. The estimated capital cost of a new crossing is $100 million.

Work began on the project in early spring 2005 with an anticipated completion in spring 2008.

(Source: www.th.gov.bc.ca/WilliamRBennettBridge/)

Rail
For passenger transportation, both BC Rail and VIA Rail offer passenger stops in Kamloops, however they do not pick up and deliver passengers in Kelowna. BC Rail runs north/south between North Vancouver and Prince George, while VIA Rail serves communities moving eastward from Vancouver towards Alberta. The Okanagan Valley Railway provides rail service to and from CPR's east-west main line at Sicamous. The Kelowna Pacific Railway has recently taken over as the short line operator of the Canadian National line with rights over the 77-km (40-miles) between Kamloops to Kelowna and Vernon to Lumby.

To date, the Okanagan Valley Railway has transported a wide variety of products including forest products, grain and industrial products. The entry of Kelowna Pacific Railway provides more options in getting products to more markets.

Communications

The Okanagan valley is well served by state-of-the-art telecommunications facilities and high speed networks. Firms moving to the area have a choice of competing suppliers of fibre optic networks at virtually any desired bandwidth. High speed connectivity is also available from cable suppliers, DSL services, or wireless connections from local ISP's.

Utilities - Electricity

Fortis BC serves more than 106,000 customers directly in communities throughout south central British Columbia, including Kelowna, Osoyoos, Trail, Castlegar, Princeton and Rossland and approximately 46,000 customers through the wholesale supply of power to municipal distributors in the communities of Summerland, Penticton, Kelowna, Grand Forks and Nelson.

B.C. Hydro is a provincial crown corporation and is regulated by the Utilities Commission. This corporation belongs to British Columbia and is a business run without subsidies from government. The company is one of the largest electric utilities in Canada serving more than 1.6 million customers. B.C. Hydro's mission is to provide integrated energy solutions to customers in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Utilities – Natural Gas

Terasen Gas delivers natural gas to homes and businesses throughout BC. With more than 875,000 customers in 125 communities, Terasen Gas is the third largest utility in Canada and the largest natural gas distributor in the province. Formerly known as BC Gas Inc., the company was renamed Terasen Inc. on April 25, 2003. On August 1, 2005 Kinder Morgan, Inc., acquired Terasen Inc.