MAXINE DEHART — CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
OK, Let’s Vote — 2026 Election Guide
Office: Kelowna City Council
Submitted: Sep 27, 2026 01:17 PM (time displayed by CRM)
Reviewed for publication September 28, 2026

Answers supplied by the candidate or authorized campaign representative with saved publication authorization. Private contact details and internal identifiers are excluded. Original wording is retained, with normalized paragraph spacing. These are attributed statements, not independently audited facts or outcomes. Hypothetical answers about earlier council motions are not recorded votes.

01 · Your candidacy and priorities
Answer: City Councillor

Give a short biography focused on experience relevant to the office. What would you bring that voters cannot learn from a job title?
Answer: I was elected for council in 2011. Since that time I have served on the RDCO and Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Boards for the City. I have been in business at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Centre for many years and am also celebrating 30 years in media with the Kelowna Capital News next year. I have established a good relationship with senior levels of Government to move our Kelowna issues forward and assure that we are receiving our fair $ value grants to keep our tax base low, as Kelowna has the 6th lowest taxes in B.C. I bring experience, past perspective and knowledge to council and would like to help mentor the new councillors that will be elected. I feel I bring energy and determination to keep Kelowna moving forward and I am very accessible to the public.

What are your three highest priorities for the next term? For each, give a first-year action, a measurable result and a realistic timeline.
Answer: Crime and Safety - CONTINUE to lobby to higher government to keep prolific offenders off our streets, increase prosecutorial resources and establish mandatory care facilities. We NEED the help if higher levels of government to keep our street safe. CONTINUE to work with RCMP and bylaws for safer streets with stronger enforcement. Now that Kelowna is not longer responsible for policing in West Kelowna and Lake Country we can put our full attention into Kelowna.

CONTINUE to improve our supply of attainable housing options. Kelowna has met our MANDATORY housing numbers from the Province. Four years ago, Kelowna's rental vacancy was below 1% and now it is closer to 7% giving residents a real choice, although affordability still remains a challenge for our citizens.

Economy - Identify and implement opportunities to enhance economic investment and diversification in our city. A strong economy is the cornerstone of a thriving community for jobs. As a business person working in the hotel industry for 40 years I believe this statement to be absolutely true and vital to our community. I voted to move the Economic Development Commission from the RDCO to Kelowna so that we may have more control over our economic
Editorial note: The priorities answer ends after “economic” in the original submission. No missing words have been supplied.

How would you handle conflicts of interest, lobbying, gifts, campaign support, closed meetings and recusal? What additional disclosure or independent oversight would you support?
Answer: I have always done this in the past. I have been very accessible to all Kelowna citizens over my tenure in council. I answer my phone calls and return emails in a timely manner and easy to find either in my business, in media or at city hall.

Disclose business ownership, employment, directorships, development interests, paid advisory roles or other financial interests relevant to the office. Give public sources and explain how you would handle related decisions. Do not include home addresses, account numbers or confidential documents.
Answer: I am extremely community minded, having founded the Maxine DeHart - United Way Drive-Thru Breakfast that has now raised over $1.2 Million Dollars for our community. I will be celebrating my 25 year with the breakfast in 2027. I have sat on over 30 different local, provincial and national boards and feel I have the strength and governance ability to continue. I bring energy and determination to keep our Kelowna moving forward.

1. The City should shorten and simplify the process for approving new homes.
Answer: Yes / Support

2. The City should reduce development cost charges on new housing.
Answer: We reducing the development costs just recently by 25% in council to help in this economic slowdown. Other years there has been a slight increase. .

3. Restrictions on short-term rentals should be loosened.
Answer: I excused myself from all voting as my husband and I own two short term rentals and short term rentals are also competition to the hotel industry that I have worked in for over 40 years.

4. The City should pursue expanded public transit service.
Answer: definitely and council has worked very hard continuing in this effort.

5. Infrastructure and service capacity should be ready before major additional growth is approved.
Answer: This would definitely depend on what area of the city we are approving zoning for.

6. The City should advocate for expanded involuntary addiction-treatment capacity.
Answer: I have advocated strongly for many years advocated for involuntary to help the citizen on our streets that need help and also to protect our citizens from undue risk.

7. The City should invest in wildfire prevention and preparedness.
Answer: I have been working with many areas of the city and residents to accomplish this with the provincial government.

8. The City should carry out additional spending audits or operational reviews.
Answer: The city does carry out additional spending audits and operational reviews now.

9. The City should make individual councillors’ voting records easier to find and search.
Answer: Any citizen can go on the city website and see this information very easily.

10. Would you have supported the October 27, 2025 electoral-reform study and conditional referendum-preparation motion? This bundled decision did not implement wards.
Answer: Undecided

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.
Answer: I excused myself from this item as my employers own two major golf courses in Kelowna that I am involved in, and also own land also own land abutting Kelowna Springs Golf Course.

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.
Answer: Yes / Support

13. The City should help expand co-operative housing and community land trusts.
Answer: Yes / Support

14. The City should strengthen protections for tenants displaced by redevelopment or renovations.
Answer: Absolutely and council has been doing a great deal of work with the province on this very issue.

15. The City should allow more small shops and cafés within residential neighbourhoods.
Answer: Yes / Support

16. The City should advocate for a second bridge crossing of Okanagan Lake.
Answer: Yes / Support

17. The City should invest in filling gaps in its sidewalk and cycling networks.
Answer: The city does have a plan for this and has been working diligently to provide more sidewalks and cycling networks. I am a walker - 6 km per day and I see the increase in the above. .

18. The City should expand foot patrols in commercial areas experiencing crime and disorder.
Answer: Absolutely and this has also been done in the past.

19. The City should support expanded non-police response teams for suitable mental-health and substance-use calls.
Answer: Yes and the city has been diligently trying to get IHA and the province on board with this. It had been a huge struggle with IHA. We need to keep advocating for this very issue.

20. The City should increase access to public washrooms.
Answer: Yes / Support

21. The City should prioritize protecting agricultural land when making land-use decisions.
Answer: I am a huge proponent of saving agriculture land. The farmers know that I support them and will continue to support them. My father-in-law was an orchardist for many years and struggled to keep his land because of weather and water. I know the struggles of farmers very well.

22. The City should strengthen protection for existing trees.
Answer: Yes / Support

23. The City should limit annual property-tax increases to inflation.
Answer: Yes / Support

24. Mayor and council pay increases should take effect only after the next election.
Answer: Yes / Support

25. Would you support a ward system for Kelowna, where residents elect councillors to represent defined geographic areas?
Answer: No / Oppose

Which actions would you prioritize to make housing more affordable in Kelowna?
Answer: "Speed up and simplify housing approvals, Allow more housing in areas with infrastructure and services, Partner on non-market, co-op and affordable rental housing, Protect existing rental housing and tenants, Use public land for affordable housing, The city has sped up housing approvals in the pasts four years; the city has partnered on attainable housing; the city has made great strides on protecting rental housing and tenants."

Beyond housing, which actions would you prioritize to make everyday life more affordable in Kelowna?
Answer: "Expand affordable public transit, Partner to improve access to affordable childcare, Reduce recreation and community-program fees, Plan walkable neighbourhoods close to daily needs, Support local jobs and business opportunities"

What important issue did we miss? Add any policy position, clarification or response to the existing guide that you want voters to consider.
Answer: www.maxinedehart.ca

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