Incidents of property damage and break-ins on Commerce Avenue are prompting calls for more frontline responders and treatment services. Incumbent Tom Dyas proposes added RCMP, bylaw and firefighter positions; opponent Ryan Cannan says budget opposition was not opposition to public safety.
Mayor Tom Dyas is running on a "safer streets" platform that combines adding 75 frontline public-safety positions with expanded detox and treatment services.
Ryan Cannan rejects Dyas's claim that he voted against public-safety resources, saying his opposition was to overall budget spending, not safety measures.
Local frustration centers on a sense that disorder is recurring and that current responses are insufficient for businesses and staff.
# What happened
# How local campaigns are responding
Public safety has become a focus in the mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Tom Dyas has framed his campaign around "safer streets." His platform packages two types of responses: increasing frontline personnel and expanding detox and treatment services for people experiencing addictions or mental-health crises.
Dyas says the personnel increase would amount to 75 new frontline public-safety positions over the next term and includes RCMP officers, bylaw officers and firefighters. He has criticized opponent Ryan Cannan on social media, saying Cannan voted against measures needed to address crime and social disorder.
Cannan disputes that characterization. He told reporters his votes reflected opposition to the overall budget spending, not a rejection of public-safety resources specifically.
# What this means for businesses and residents
Business owners describe a heightened sense of vulnerability: damage to property, harassment or interference with staff, and theft. Those accounts are feeding voter concern about street-level disorder and whether municipal responses are adequate.
The debate in Kelowna is framed around two kinds of solutions. One is a conventional public-safety approach: more officers and enforcement capacity to respond to incidents and deter crime. The other emphasizes services designed to reduce the underlying causes of visible disorder—treatment, detox and supports for people with substance-use or mental-health needs.
# Points of friction in the campaign
Campaign messaging has become a point of contention. Dyas has accused Cannan of voting against public-safety measures. Cannan said his vote was against the total budget package, implying his record on safety resources is more nuanced. That dispute highlights how budget votes are used in campaign rhetoric and how voters may interpret them.
# Immediate stakes
For business owners on Commerce Avenue, the immediate stakes are practical: fewer incidents of property damage, safer working conditions for staff, and a response that prevents repeat offenses. For voters, the stakes are choosing between approaches that prioritize additional frontline responders or that emphasize treatment and support services aimed at reducing the causes of disorder.
# What to watch next
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