CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCIL
Lee-Ann Tiede
Kelowna council candidate with school-board and water-district experience, prioritizing growth supported by infrastructure, safer neighbourhoods and responsible public spending.
Nomination checked September 28, 2026. Earlier platform and record research: September 8, 2026. Recent statements show their own review dates.
Candidate questionnaire received and reviewed September 18, 2026. Published with authorization; answers are the candidate’s own statements. [407]
Experience & background
Campaign describes three school-board terms, including chair service, and three terms at Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District. The GEID annual report independently documents trustee service. [61][21]
Her campaign describes a professional career across technology, finance, healthcare and construction, including executive administration, operations, regulatory compliance, corporate security and contract administration. It does not identify all employers, employment dates or current ownership interests. [61]
The school district’s current board directory lists her as a Kelowna trustee. Earlier board-chair service is distinct from her present listed role. [127]
Reports 12 years as an SD23 trustee, nine years on the Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District board, budget oversight and experience with unionized organizations. [407]
Issue positions
Campaign proposals are attributed positions. A blank area is an information gap, never an assumed vote against an issue.
IN THE CANDIDATE’S OWN WORDS
Candidate questionnaire · September 18, 2026
Answers supplied by the candidate and published with authorization. Conditional explanations are retained. Answers about past motions are hypothetical, not recorded votes.
Read the full response, priorities and affordability proposals ↗
Read all 25 quick-position answers
1. The City should shorten and simplify the process for approving new homes.
Yes / Support
2. The City should reduce development cost charges on new housing.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Yes, where it can be done responsibly. Reducing DCCs can help lower the cost of building new homes, but the City must ensure taxpayers are not left paying for infrastructure required by new development.
3. Restrictions on short-term rentals should be loosened.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: We need to look at what is working, what isn't, and how the current restrictions are affecting housing, tourism and neighbourhoods before deciding whether further changes are needed.
4. The City should pursue expanded public transit service.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Yes, where there is a clear need. As Kelowna grows, we need to look at where transit service is lacking and expand it where it will make the biggest difference for residents, while being mindful of the cost to taxpayers.
5. Infrastructure and service capacity should be ready before major additional growth is approved.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Yes, roads, water, sewer, fire protection and other essential services must be able to support new growth, not necessarily "ready" and in place prior to approval. However, there needs to be a credible plan and capacity to support it.
6. The City should advocate for expanded involuntary addiction-treatment capacity.
Yes / Support
7. The City should invest in wildfire prevention and preparedness.
Yes / Support
8. The City should carry out additional spending audits or operational reviews.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: It depends. I support using the Audit Committee and doing operational reviews where they are needed to make sure City spending is efficient and taxpayers are getting good value for their money. I would want to understand the rationale and expected benefit before supporting additional audits or reviews.
9. The City should make individual councillors’ voting records easier to find and search.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: I support making Council decisions and voting records accessible, but I would want to understand the cost and how the information would be presented before deciding whether a separate searchable system is necessary.
10. Would you have supported the October 27, 2025 electoral-reform study and conditional referendum-preparation motion? This bundled decision did not implement wards.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Yes, I would have supported studying the options and preparing for a possible referendum. Residents should have the opportunity to understand the advantages and disadvantages of at-large, ward or hybrid representation before making a decision. I would want to see the results of that work and hear from Kelowna residents before taking a final position.
11. Would you have supported the March 16, 2026 second and third land-use and rezoning readings for part of Kelowna Springs? These were not final adoption.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: I would want to review the full application, staff recommendations and public input before deciding. Since second and third readings move a proposal forward but are not final approval, I would want to understand the impact on surrounding residents, green space, infrastructure and the broader community before supporting it.
12. Would you have supported the April 20, 2026 financial-plan and tax-funding motion, with its stated average net property impact of 4.40%? Individual bills vary.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: That depends. I would want to understand what alternatives were considered to reduce the tax increase, what spending could be deferred or reduced, and what services would be affected before supporting a 4.4% increase. Essential services and infrastructure need to be funded, but I believe taxpayers should be the last resort after other options have been considered.
13. The City should help expand co-operative housing and community land trusts.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: I support looking at ways to expand affordable housing, including co-operative housing and community land trusts, but I would want to understand the cost to taxpayers, how these models would work and what role the City should play before committing to additional support.
14. The City should strengthen protections for tenants displaced by redevelopment or renovations.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: I support reasonable protections for tenants facing displacement, but I would want to understand how the current protections are working before adding more requirements. We need to protect renters while still allowing needed housing and redevelopment to move forward.
15. The City should allow more small shops and cafés within residential neighbourhoods.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Yes, with some reasonable limits. I'd support making it easier for small, locally owned shops and cafes to open in neighbourhoods, as long as they fit the area and don't create significant problems with traffic, parking, noise or nearby residents.
16. The City should advocate for a second bridge crossing of Okanagan Lake.
Yes / Support
17. The City should invest in filling gaps in its sidewalk and cycling networks.
Yes / Support
18. The City should expand foot patrols in commercial areas experiencing crime and disorder.
Yes / Support
19. The City should support expanded non-police response teams for suitable mental-health and substance-use calls.
Yes / Support
20. The City should increase access to public washrooms.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Yes, we should have more clean, safe public washrooms in areas where they are needed. It won't solve homelessness, but it's a practical, basic service that can make a difference for people who are living outside and for the community as a whole.
21. The City should prioritize protecting agricultural land when making land-use decisions.
Yes / Support
22. The City should strengthen protection for existing trees.
Yes / Support
23. The City should limit annual property-tax increases to inflation.
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: It depends. I would like to keep property tax increases as low and predictable as possible, but I don't think an inflation-only limit should be absolute. We need to look at the services required, infrastructure needs and what savings or efficiencies can be found before increasing taxes.
24. Mayor and council pay increases should take effect only after the next election.
Yes / Support
25. Would you support a ward system for Kelowna, where residents elect councillors to represent defined geographic areas?
Conditional / Depends
Candidate’s explanation: Having served on the SD23 School Board with a partial ward system, I see strengths in both approaches. At-large representation encourages councilors to look at the needs of the whole city, while wards give residents a clear local representative. As Kelowna grows, I'd be open to reviewing both options, including a possible hybrid system, and listening to residents before deciding what provides the best representation and accountability.
Housing & growth
Supports simpler housing approvals. Would consider lower development charges only with a plan to fund infrastructure without transferring development costs to existing taxpayers. Supports credible service-capacity planning rather than requiring all infrastructure to be built before approval; rental rules and additional tenant protections require review. [407]
Earlier sourced material: Emphasizes family affordability, homes and responsible growth, without a verified numerical housing target. [61]
Safety & homelessness
Supports expanded involuntary addiction-treatment capacity, commercial-area foot patrols and suitable non-police crisis responses. Supports more public washrooms where needed, while noting they would not solve homelessness. [407]
Earlier sourced material: Supports compassionate practical help for people facing homelessness, addiction and other hardship. [61]
Transportation
Supports advocating for a second lake crossing and filling sidewalk and cycling gaps. Expanded transit should respond to demonstrated need and provide value for taxpayers. [407]
Taxes & spending
Review status not recorded for this section. Missing information does not establish a position. Submit information or a correction ↗
Business & jobs
Wants conditions that let people build businesses, work and contribute to the community. [61]
Accountability
Would review audit proposals and a separate searchable voting-record system against cost and expected benefit. Supports studying electoral-reform options, but reserves a final position on wards or a hybrid system pending evidence and resident input. Does not support an absolute inflation-only tax ceiling; council pay increases should take effect after the next election. [407]
Earlier sourced material: Emphasizes responsible decisions, individual choice and meaningful resident participation. [61]
Climate, land & water
Supports wildfire preparedness, agricultural-land protection and stronger protection for existing trees. [407]
Earlier sourced material: Supports protection of orchards, parks, waterways, shoreline and air quality. [61]
Community & services
Prioritizes strong families, good jobs, stable family life and support during natural disasters. [61]
Recent public statements
What the candidate has said publicly, with links to the original sources.
Review status not recorded for this section. Missing information does not establish a position. Submit information or a correction ↗
How to read these statements
Voting record
Selected decisions, not a complete voting history. Follow each record for the full motion. Historical votes do not automatically establish current views.
Selected SD23 votes. GEID service was verified, but a named-vote record for that water-district tenure was not retrieved.
3.1% trustee indemnity adjustment
SD23 board
Motion 22P-080 used BC CPI to set 2022–2023 trustee stipends. A preceding amendment to use 2% was defeated.
Outcome: Carried; Desrosiers, Geistlinger and Tiede opposed
Seconded the defeated 2% alternative.
Motion sequence and procedural roles
Moving or seconding a motion is separate from an individual vote. A defeated amendment does not establish the outcome of the main motion.
Listed in decision order: amendments were decided before the final vote on the main motion.
- Amendment: Use a 2% adjustment instead (22P-081)
Outcome: defeated.
Moved by: Trustee Geistlinger. Seconded by: Lee-Ann Tiede.
- Main motion: 3.1% trustee indemnity adjustment (22P-080)
Outcome: carried. This is the motion described by the entry above.
Moved by: Julia Fraser. Seconded by: Trustee Bowman.
Minutes status: adopted. Source links are listed with the voting entry.
Adopted 2022-05-25 under motion 22P-088. Read the adoption record (opens in a new tab).
Motion details checked 2026-09-19.
2022–2023 superintendent budget recommendations
SD23 board
Motion 22P-079 approved the budget recommendations attached to that meeting’s agenda.
Outcome: Carried; Bowman and Geistlinger opposed
Present; not among the named opponents.
[17]Letter asking province to decide and fund any staff vaccine mandate
SD23 board
Motion 21P-145 concerned provincial responsibility and costs. It was a letter, not adoption of a staff mandate. Fraser proposed deleting the cost clause; that amendment failed.
Outcome: Carried; Bowman and Tiede opposed; Geistlinger absent
Motion sequence and procedural roles
Moving or seconding a motion is separate from an individual vote. A defeated amendment does not establish the outcome of the main motion.
Listed in decision order: amendments were decided before the final vote on the main motion.
- Amendment: Delete the cost clause (21P-146)
Outcome: defeated.
Moved by: Julia Fraser. Seconded by: Trustee Desrosiers.
- Main motion: Letter about provincial responsibility and costs (21P-145)
Outcome: carried. This is the motion described by the entry above.
Moved by: Trustee Desrosiers. Seconded by: Trustee Bowman.
Minutes status: adopted. Source links are listed with the voting entry.
Adopted 2021-10-27 under motion 21P-150. Read the adoption record (opens in a new tab).
Motion details checked 2026-09-19.
Business & finances
Public business & professional interests
Biography describes administrative and operational work across technology, finance, healthcare and construction. It does not identify a complete current business-ownership portfolio. [61]
Identifies board service, volunteering and mentorship; no complete financial-interest inventory or specific recusal commitments supplied. [407]
Personal net worth
No reliable, dated net-worth disclosure was verified in the reviewed sources. Business roles, real-estate interests, public remuneration and campaign donations cannot establish personal net worth. Submit information or a correction ↗
Campaign finances
Campaign receipts and expenses are separate from personal wealth. Historical Kelowna campaign filings can be searched at Elections BC. The City lists January 15, 2027 as the 2026 campaign disclosure deadline. [8][2]
Politics & broader policy
Political alignment & party history
Political alignment unknown
Review status not recorded for this section. Missing information does not establish a position. Submit information or a correction ↗
Broader public & foreign policy
Dated personal statements, historical campaigns and organizational positions are distinguished below.
Reporting on the January 2022 school-board decision names Tiede among two opponents of a staff vaccination-or-rapid-testing requirement. That historical vote is not a medical recommendation or a verified current municipal position. [19]
Review status not recorded for this section. Missing information does not establish a position. Submit information or a correction ↗
This collection is selective. It does not claim to capture every interview, speech, social post or position held over a lifetime.
Contact & follow
Public links from the candidate’s campaign or an official directory.
Contact sources · checked September 13, 2026 (City directory base); later checks noted individually; older campaign contacts retain their original source
Campaign-linked accounts are listed as supplied by the campaign or election directory. Links and contact details can change; availability or a reply is not guaranteed.
Research gaps & questions
What still needs an answer
- No detailed first-year costings, measurable targets or implementation timelines were supplied.
- The conflict-of-interest answer emphasizes communication rather than specific lobbying, gifts, disclosure or recusal safeguards.
- A complete current financial-interest inventory and review of the supporting upload remain outstanding.
Questions worth asking
Editorial questions, not statements attributed to the candidate.
- What costs and measurable first-year results would guide your priorities?
- What specific disclosure and recusal commitments would you adopt?
Sources & references
8 relevant sources · original publication and review dates appear below. Nomination checked September 28, 2026. Campaign pages describe what a candidate says; official records establish recorded actions.
Photo: City of Kelowna candidate listing
View original image · Checked September 6, 2026. Photographer and reuse licence not stated on the candidate listing.
- 1City of Kelowna — officially declared 2026 candidates
Official record · Declared September 18, 2026; declaration reviewed October 1, 2026. Campaign-directory links were separately captured September 28, 2026.
kelowna.ca - 61Lee-Ann Tiede — biography and five platform themes
Campaign · 2026 campaign; page undated
lee-anntiede.ca - 21GEID — 2021 trustee report in 2022 AGM package
Official record · 2022
glenmoreellison.com - 127Central Okanagan Public Schools — current board members
Official record · Directory checked September 8, 2026
sd23.bc.ca - 407Lee-Ann Tiede — submitted candidate questionnaire (public transcript)
Candidate questionnaire · Submitted September 18, 2026; reviewed and published with candidate authorization September 18, 2026
vote.oksoundsfun.com - 19Vernon Matters — school staff vaccination or testing vote
Reporting · January 27, 2022
vernonmatters.ca - 17SD23 minutes — budget and trustee indemnity, page 4
Official record · May 11, 2022
sd23.bc.ca - 18SD23 minutes — provincial vaccine mandate correspondence, page 3
Official record · October 13, 2021
sd23.bc.ca