Is Kelowna doing enough to protect green space? Depends how you look at it
A recent study lamenting Kelowna for losing significantportions of green space in recent years is misleading and flawed in itsfindings, according to city staff.
And while criticisms leveled against it may have merit,environmental hawks warn protection efforts must be closely monitored.
City hall was taken aback recently by a report fromStatistics Canada that found the city had shed one-quarter of its green spaceover the last 20 years.
StatsCan researchers examined satellite photos of several largecities across Canada from 2001, 2011 and 2019, to determine how green theywere. Things like parks, urban trees, backyards, and lawns were analyzed.
It found Kelowna had gone from nearly three-quarters greenin 2001 to just 48 per cent in 2019. It chalked up the bulk of the loss tourban development spurred by the massive boom in the city’s population.
“While we’ve definitely had some losses to development andhuman factors, the study is pretty flawed in giving an accurate description ofthe decline in green space,” Urban Forester Tara Bergeson told Kelowna10.
Worried about the findings, she said the city asked for moredetails from the national agency.
Fire, drought, bugs drive green space loss
To begin with, she said 2001 was one of the wettest years onrecord, providing a misleading baseline. Near drought scenarios were present in2011 and 2019, skewing data, as plants must be actively photosynthesizing to bemeasured. Dead or dormant grass, for example, registers as ‘greyness.’
Records show Kelowna had 327.1 mm of rain in 2001, comparedto 235 mm in 2011 and 257 in 2019.
Beyond that, Bergeson said the studied areas were notentirely within the city’s boundary. West Kelowna and Myra Bellevue wereincluded, the later of which fell victim to the Okanagan Mountain wildfire in2003. The mountain pine beetle and other agitators have had a strain on theurban forest, too.
“That’s the big challenge with any broad level study likethat, you are really missing that local nuance,” she said.
In fact, according to city research, the canopy actuallygrew from 2011 to 2019, exceeding targets laid out in the 2030 OfficialCommunity Plan (OCP). This paved the way for more ambitious targets in therecently adopted 2040 OCP.
She said balancing growth with protecting the urban canopyis a top priority for city hall, pointing to recent policy put in place. Thecity has bolstered its tree protection bylaw and detailed extensive goals inthe 2040 OCP pertaining to green space, she said.
While there was initial concern among staff at the findings,Bergeson said it allowed them to step back and examine their practices.
“I’m all for being challenged as to the current status,” shesaid. “But in this case, it didn’t hold water, which was a sigh of relief.”
Protection efforts must be closely watched
John Janmaat is with UBCO’s department of economics,philosophy, and political science. His research is focused on the environmentand natural resource economics.
The professor said the city’s aspirational goals formaintaining and enhancing green space are clear and well-meaning but worriesthey could easily be sidestepped and stymied. Documents like the OCP aresubject to amendments and developers often apply for exemptions or proposealternate plans.
“If the city is going to stay firm to what the OCP says, itneeds a council that is going to follow the OCP and that council needs to knowthat if they do so, there are voters in the next election who will supportthem,” he said.
Janmaat applauded the city for working to densify downtown,but worried too little new space is being set aside for things like parks. Hesaid densification needs to be paired with an ability to easily spend time withnature.
“People who come out of their 30-storey high rise, shouldn’thave to travel a long way to find a park that isn’t overcrowded,” he said,while acknowledging the city recognizes this dilemma in the 2040 OCP.
He also urged adherence to what is known as environmentaljustice. This involves considering adequate green space access for people ofdifferent incomes, specifically for those with middle- and lower-incomes.
Simple metrics, like measuring the amount of green space percapita for the entire city, he said, doesn’t consider equal distribution. Hesaid measuring the amount of green space within a certain walking distance fromsomeone’s home could be a better gauge of success.
This lends everyone the ability to access space that isbeneficial to both their mental and physical health.
“Are we putting in linear parks and all these other thingsaround the expensive housing and then creating these sorts of low-incomeprisons with no access to green space elsewhere in the city,” he said.
Parks can bring a litany of economic benefits, too, he said.Besides added productivity from healthy people, park space makes a city moreattractive, boosts housing prices, and plays crucial roles in the fight againstclimate change.
Balancing needs
However, developers are not on the receiving end of many ofthese benefits, he said.
“That creates this kind of tension,” he said. “How do weachieve these objectives which are good for the overall city but are not in theinterests of the individuals who are doing the development.”
This can create a dilemma as enhanced policy in Kelowna candrive builders to neighbouring communities. Here, Janmaat said, is where theprovincial government could step in to help.
He said the province could require a certain amount of greenspace in every community. This would remove the worry developers will pick upand leave if one city strengthens local rules.
The province, he said, is moving forward on this, requiringthings like climate change be discussed at the local level, but not fastenough.
“There are positive signs, so I’m not totally without hope,”he said. “But we have to remain vigilant as well.”
Ultimately, he said, the future lies with the voter. He saidthe current slate of lawmakers has done well slowing some projects developersthought they could go ahead with but said overly pro-development councillorscould change things.
“While the OCP looks great, they amend it all over the placeto let things go ahead,” he said. “The public has to understand that.”