Westbank, British Columbia

Westbank is one of the communities within the City of West Kelowna in the province of British Columbia. It is 12 km to the west of Kelowna. Other communities in West Kelowna include Casa Loma, West Kelowna Estates, Shannon Lake, Smith Creek, Glenrosa, Rose Valley and Lakeview Heights. Westbank is at the southern end of the municipality.

This article is about the community in Canada. For the territory in the Middle East, see West Bank. For other uses, see West Bank (disambiguation).
Location of Westbank, British Columbia

Westbank was for many years an unincorporated area within the Central Okanagan Regional District. Following a December 2007 governance referendum it became a neighborhood within what is now the City of West Kelowna. It has no legal borders since it is a neighborhood and opinions vary as to exactly where Westbank begins and ends. The City of West Kelowna has a total population of about 35,818[1] as of January 2020.

When a post office was opened in 1902 it was given a name indicative of its location on Okanagan Lake. The name was suggested by John Davidson who arrived in the district in 1892.[2]:292

Self-Government municipal regulatory powers have been given by treaty to the Westbank First Nation (WFN).[3][4] Westbank First Nation spans 5,340 acres of Reservation land, separated into five land parcels.[5]

Westbank area attractions

Westbank area has numerous orchards, wineries, golf courses, and is a twenty-minute drive away from former ski resort Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. To the south of Westbank are the towns of Peachland and Summerland, and the city of Penticton.

Recreation

Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre is the main recreational facility in Westbank. It includes a 25 m swimming pool, a whirl pool, a steam room, a gym, and an exercise area, as well as a skateboard park.

The YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club operate in Westbank supported by the Westside.

There are many beaches along Okanagan Lake and many sports fields.

There are several public launches into the Okanagan Lake most notably that at Westbank Yacht Club

Development and growth

Like the rest of the Westside, Westbank has seen enormous growth rates in recent years. On the adjacent Westbank First Nation lands there has been substantial commercial development in particular.

Numerous other commercial and residential developments are planned both on and off Reserve.

References
  1. "Population Estimates - Province of British Columbia".
  2. Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
  3. Incompleted, illiberal and Expensive: A Review of Treaty ... - Page 74 "In Westbank, a suburb of Kelowna, the Westbank self-government agreement gives such governmental powers to the Westbank Nation so that its few hundred members govern several thousand non-aboriginals (i.e., Canadian citizens) who ..."
  4. "Agreement between Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada and Westbank First Nation".
  5. "Westbank First Nation Government - Quick Facts".

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