Lakefront boardwalk in front of Kelowna’s Eldorado hotel to stay open to the public – Okanagan | 24CA News
The combat over the gate at Kelowna’s Eldorado resort has come to an finish with a plan to maintain it open so the bigger group can entry the boardwalk it intersects.
The dispute between the resort and the City of Kelowna began in 2021 when the town requested that the Eldorado cease blocking entry to the walkway alongside the shores of Okanagan Lake. Hotel officers claimed they had been doing so due to COVID-19 well being orders, and at the moment the courts sided with them.
Then the City of Kelowna went again to court docket to get a everlasting injunction to forestall the Hotel Eldorado from proscribing future entry to the resort boardwalk and to a point, they received what they wished, with the gate being opened when the restaurant it might entry was closed.
In a call this week, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Allan Betton didn’t problem a everlasting injunction, noting that the resort had indicated there could be no unauthorized closures of public entry going ahead, however upheld the statutory right-of-way registered on the property in 2000.
Rudolf Heider, director of hospitality for Argus Properties which owns the Hotel Eldorado, says they’ll adjust to the court docket ruling although, not with out reservations.
“Throughout this process, we have always been driven by a fundamental concern for the health and safety of our hotel guests, staff and members of the public using the boardwalk in front of the hotel, ” Heider mentioned.
“As the court recognized, this was an ongoing challenge as we adjusted to the impact of the global pandemic and needed to comply with mandatory public health orders from Dr. Bonny Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer. That said, safety concerns remain.”
Heider this resolution clarifies the authorized standing of the boardwalk and permits the events to maneuver ahead.
“We will of course comply with the court’s decision as we have from the beginning. That said, the safety issue remains. The boardwalk terminates on the south end at the city boat launch, which over the years has been a source of constant construction and maintenance. We continue to believe accessing the boardwalk at the boat launch is inherently unsafe.”
Heider additionally mentioned permitting e-bikes and different motorized strategies of transportation on the boardwalk is unsafe for pedestrians, resort company and workers.
The Hotel Eldorado has been part of Kelowna’s historical past since 1926.
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