Kelowna to Break Ground on New Emergency Services Campus

Construction will begin September 16 on the Glenmore Protective Services Campus, a major new facility in Kelowna designed to enhance regional emergency response and public safety. Located along John Hindle Drive, the campus will include a modern fire hall, a headquarters for Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR), a dispatch centre (including backup capability), and a dedicated training facility. The project aims to address longstanding deficiencies in the current infrastructure, such as limited amenities and operational inefficiencies for volunteer and professional personnel.

With an estimated cost of $49 million, funding will come from multiple sources: the City of Kelowna, the provincial Growing Communities Fund, and a $6 million donation from the Barry Lapointe Foundation toward the COSAR facility. The COSAR component will be about 9,500 square feet and will consolidate operations currently spread across several locations, helping improve coordination and readiness.

Officials say the campus, once completed (expected in 2027), will improve emergency services capacity, reduce response times—especially in fast-growing north Glenmore—and provide modern facilities to support both training and multi-agency collaboration. The dispatch centre is intended not just for routine operations but also as a fully functional backup in case the primary center becomes unavailable. Community leaders see this development as a critical investment in safety and resilience for Kelowna and the Central Okanagan region.