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CITYTHE DAILY COURIER, MONDAY MAY 14, 2018
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By DAILY COURIER STAFF
One Water Street will dramatically changeKelowna's skyline, giving the city its twomost statuesque buildings – the 36-storey EastTower and 29-storey West Tower in northdowntown at Water and Ellis streets andSunset Drive.
The developers — North AmericanDevelopment Group and KerkhoffConstruction — announced recently condo-miniums in the 29-storey West Tower will goon sale May 26.
At the same news conference, the develop-ers donated $29,435 to JoeAnna's House, theresidence for the loved ones of out-of-townpatients being treated at Kelowna GeneralHospital.
The dollar amount is based on $1 per footof pile used in the foundation of the EastTower, which is now under construction for2021 completion.
The Daily Courier's Steve MacNaull caughtup with Kerkhoff Construction vice-presi-dent Leonard Kerkhoff to discuss the project.
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: You garner a lot of attentionwhen you plan to build Kelowna's two tallestbuildings. How did you decide on Kelownaand the 29-and-36-storey heights?
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: It’s undeniable this commu-nity offers the most spectacular elevatedviews of Okanagan Lake never seen beforein Kelowna. The City of Kelowna agrees it’stime for Kelowna to take a higher density ap-proach.
One Water Street is so well-located beingdowntown and on the lake, so clearly we hada chance to set the pace and show what couldbe done. In creating the project, we workedwith the city, our architects and engineerson what’s most appropriate for the neigh-bourhood and the kinds of homes peoplewant.
The final design you see is the result, andit’s clearly a bestseller in Kelowna.
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: Give us the timelines and priceranges of condominiums for the two towers.
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: The East Tower now underconstruction is due to be complete in 2021 andis almost sold out. We’re now looking aheadto the West Tower and will start sales May26.
They’ll start in the low $300,000s, with halfof all units under $500,000. We’ve increasedthe size of the balconies in this tower and ex-panding the number of one-and-two-bedroomhomes, including some with dens that werevery popular in the East Tower.
The West Tower should be completed in2022.
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: Tell us about The Bench.KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: We’re really excited about
this. To us, this is what really makes OneWater Street stand out. A three-storey podi-um for parking and commercial space willconnect the two towers and will be toppedwith a 1.3-acre resort-inspired recreationarea.
It will offer two swimming pools, loungedecks, an outdoor hot tub, outdoor grillingstations, fire pits, a pickleball court and a dogpark.
There’s also a large private health club witha fully-equipped gym, studios for yoga andPilates, and a multi-purpose entertainmentroom.
All of these amenities are for the exclusiveuse of One Water Street homeowners.
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: You aren't a stranger to build-ing highrises in Kelowna. Tell us about 1151Sunset and Executive House.
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: Both of the developers, NorthAmerica Development Group and KerkhoffConstruction have long history of develop-ment in Canada.
Kerkhoff Construction built the first high-rise in Kelowna back in the early 1980s calledExecutive House and more recently is devel-oping and constructing the 1151 Sunset tow-er immediately adjacent to One Water Street,slated for completion later this year. NADGis currently developing McKinley Beach, amaster-planned community in Kelownanorth.
Together, these developers are a powerfulcollaboration, bringing world class standards
into the design of One Water Street.CCOOUURRIIEERR:: A lot of highrises are being
built and proposed for Kelowna. Is thereroom in the market for them all?
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: There’s a crying need forhousing of all kinds right now, especially theurban-style, well-appointed homes we’rebuilding at One Water Street.
Canada Mortgage and HousingCorporation’s last report put our rental va-cancy rate at 0.2 per cent, just about the low-est in Canada.
With economic growth comes profession-als who need a place to live, and with the in-crease in the number of people wishing to re-tire in the Okanagan, just about half our salesto date have been to people from the LowerMainland who know good value when theysee it. The demand is strong.
Additionally, while many of the highrisesare just proposed, the East Tower of OneWater Street is under construction already.
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: Why do you think people areembracing 'living in the sky’?
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: It’s novel. It’s something newin our area. We don’t have many high-densi-ty buildings like this that have been modelledafter successful buildings in other cities.
The views that come with living in a high-rise really takes advantage of the incrediblebeauty we have here in the Okanagan.
The lake views, the proximity to the lake,and being able to enjoy our landscapes areall really important parts of living in this de-velopment, along with the Okanaganlifestyle.
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: You live in Vancouver, butspend a lot of time in here with these proj-ects. What are some of your favourite thingsto do in Kelowna?
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF:: Dine downtown on a patio,jump on the lake for an afternoon of wake-boarding, hit a round at the golf courses, takehome a bottle of wine for my wife and freshcherries for the kids, ski with my construc-tion team. Need I go on?
CCOOUURRIIEERR:: Plans for more highrises inKelowna?
KKEERRKKHHOOFFFF::We‘ve certainly learned thereis a demand for this caliber of homes, butright now we’re concentrating on complet-ing One Water Street which is a big successstory to date.
No decisions one way or the other rightnow. When we took over 1151 Sunset prior toOne Water Street we thought that might theonly building we would develop here, untilwe saw and assessed the opportunity and de-mand to build this community on theneighbouring land.
In conversation with . . . Leonard Kerkhoff
Special to the Daily Courier
Leonard Kerkhoff is part of the team developing three highrises in the Sunset Drive-WaterStreet-Ellis Street area of north downtown. He's pictured here with a model of the almost-complete 21-storey 1151 Sunset condominium. Kerkhoff Construction and North AmericanDevelopment Group are also developing One Water Street, a complex with two towers,which will be Kelowna's tallest at 36 and 29 storeys.
By Daily Courier Staff
A union that’s leading efforts to save Canada’s me-dia industry isn’t afraid of making news itself, leaderJerry Dias told a conference in Kelowna this weekend.
Dias spoke Saturday to Unifor media workers fromacross Canada at the Coast Capri Hotel.
Unifor has become a major voice on Canada’s politi-cal scene since its founding in 2013, the union presi-dent said.
“We’ve adopted the role of Canada’s unofficialgrenade thrower,” he said about Unifor’s advisory rolein the North American free trade talks. “I say and cansay things that others can’t. (Foreign Affairs Minister)Chrystia Freeland can’t get up and say that she’s be-ing screwed by the Mexican bargaining team, but I can.She can’t get up and say that the U.S. is being a horse’sass . . . but we can and I do.”
Unifor has been active in election campaigns thatsaw Ottawa, B.C. and Alberta swing to the left and thefavoured Progressive Conservatives lose in Ontario in2014.
“I want to be a bold organization that that representsworking people. I want to be part of an organizationthat has a political voice,” said Dias, who’s a familiarface on national TV news shows.
The union is now fighting to protect Canada’s mediaindustry and promote Canadian content through cam-paigns such as the Media Action Plan and FairPlayCanada.
“We’re starting to make inroads,” said Dias. “Thegovernment is starting to understand they must dosomething.”
The Media Action Plan urges Ottawa to promote andprotect local news from the digital onslaught. FairPlayis anti-piracy campaign, supported by 25 organizations,including Unifor and Canadian media companies.
A strong media is essential to democracy, said Dias.“If you want to run a dictatorship, you silence the
voices.”Unifor Media Council chair Jake Moore said the pub-
lic is joining the fight to save journalism.“The public are starting to realize that journalism is
extremely important to our democracy. When we losejournalists, politicians go unchecked, communitieslose their voices . . .Who will hold politicians account-able? Who will uncover injustice in our communitiesand who will tell our Canadian stories?
“There is more scrutiny than ever before. The publicis calling out fake news,” he said, citing Ontario PCLeader Doug Ford, who hired his own reporter to cov-er his campaign.
In its February budget, the federal government com-mitted $10 million a year for five years to support inde-pendent, non-governmental organizations that providelocal journalism in under-serviced communities. Aconference committee approved a recommendationurging Ottawa to use those funds to hire more re-porters. Unifor’s outspoken ways extend to its disputewith the Canadian Labour Congress and someAmerican-based unions. The CLC kicked Unifor out ofthe national labour body.
“We’re having a hell of a fight within the labourmovement and I’m OK with that because it’s going tochange,” said Dias. “We don’t mind being controver-sial. We don’t mind being the organization that’s go-ing to be at the forefront of change.”
The conference updated Unifor’s media policy. Thepolicy addresses such issues as journalistic standards,Canadian content, media concentration, diversity,technology and the role of unions. One recommenda-tion advocates tax incentives and credits for news con-sumers. Reporter Heather Gillis of NTV spoke aboutbeing harassed on camera and steps she took to fightback. Ottawa Citizen reporter Matthew Pearson talkedabout his study into the effects of trauma on reporters.
Former CBC reporter Natalie Clancy told delegatesnot to tweet while they’re drunk.
Making news while fighting for news
UNIFOR/Special to The Daily Courier
Unifor President Jerry Dias speaks to more than 100 members at the union’s media conference in Kelownathis past weekend.
Special to the Daily Courier
Prize winnerGrade 11 Kelowna Secondary French immersion student LaurynWachter placed third at the Concours d’art oratoire for her speech,L’emotion colorisee.Two hundred and 35 students qualified for the fi-nals in Vancouver from the 10,000 students who participated in thecompetition.Two other KSS students Annika Nilson, a Grade 10 im-mersion student, and Sarah Demers in Grade 12 immersion also com-peted in Vancouver.
Did you win?LOTTO 6/49: The winning num-
bers in Saturday's Lotto 6-49draw were: 06, 17, 21, 34, 37, 44
Bonus: 13BC/49: Winning numbers in
Saturday’s BC49 lottery were: 05,10, 15, 30, 31, 37
Bonus: 17Lotto Max: The winning num-
bers in Friday's Lotto Max drawwere: 11, 22, 28, 33, 39, 43, 47
Bonus: 23In the event of any discrepancy
between this information and theofficial winning list, the latter shallprevail. Good luck!
Fire at KGHA small fire was extinguished at
Kelowna General HospitalSaturday afternoon.
The Kelowna Fire Departmentdispatch centre received a 911 callreporting a small fire in a room onthe fifth floor of the Centennialbuilding around 1 p.m.
Staff extinguished the fire withfire extinguishers prior to the ar-rival of fire crews.
The fire was confined to a smalldesk and chair with no extensionto the surroundign area.
Fire crews confirmed the fire wasout.
There were no injuries to staff orpatietns and no evacuation was re-quired.The incident is being inves-tigated by the RCMP.
—Staff