Business owners on Commerce Avenue in Kelowna are raising concerns over recent crime incidents including break-ins, vandalism, and drug-related activity. Security camera footage shows various crimes such as a bicycle theft and open drug use. One incident involved an office door being locked with a garbage bag to facilitate vehicle theft. Business operators like the Goertsens report feeling unsafe due to threats and witnessing individuals carrying weapons. They also note an increase in litter, human waste, and needles around their businesses since 2018 following the opening of Hearthstone Supportive Housing. The city spokesperson acknowledged these issues and highlighted steps taken by the city to improve safety, including Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design reviews and a new rebate program for security improvements.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Kelowna businesses on Commerce Avenue are expressing growing concerns over crime, including break-ins, vandalism, and open drug use, as captured by security cameras. Recent incidents include a bicycle theft from an RV rack and a glass door being kicked in. The Goertsen couple, who have owned a business there for more than a decade, reported being locked inside their office building after someone tied the door shut with a garbage bag two weeks ago. They attribute the worsening conditions to the opening of Hearthstone Supportive Housing in 2018. While acknowledging that many root causes fall under provincial and federal jurisdiction, the city remains committed to improving safety within its authority.
Written for “Crime Concerns Kelowna Businesses” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
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Leaning score withheld for article 8733: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-14
Businesses on Kelowna’s Commerce Avenue say a series of break-ins, vandalism and other incidents are leaving them increasingly concerned about safety.
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series → say → safety
Security cameras have captured a range of crime-related incidents, including a bicycle being stolen from an RV rack, a glass door being kicked in and open drug use.
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bicycle → capture → rack
“It’s unacceptable to steal, it’s unacceptable to vandalize people’s property,” said Janine Goertsen, who owns a business with her husband Gerald on Commerce.
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who → ’ → Commerce
One of the most recent incidents happened just two weeks ago when the Goertsens found themselves temporarily locked inside their own office building.
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themselves → happen → building
“All of a sudden my car alarm is going off and I go and run to the door, and the door was tied shut with a garbage bag,” Gerald Goertsen said.
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Goertsen → go → bag
“We saw it on the camera after he tied it with a garbage bag and then went to break into our vehicle.”
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he → see → vehicle
The couple has operated a business on Commerce Avenue for more than a decade.
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couple → operate → decade
They say conditions have deteriorated significantly in recent years, a change they associate with the opening of Hearthstone Supportive Housing in 2018.
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they → say → 2018
“They walk around with knives and needles and all this stuff.
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They → walk → knives
So you never know.
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you → know → ?
Like it’s not safe,” Gerald Goertsen said.
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Goertsen → ’ → ?
“The RCMP have told me, don’t touch them, even to take them off the property because they can stab you.
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they → tell → you
They can hurt you and it
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They → hurt → you
The couple says they are now regularly cleaning up drug paraphernalia, garbage and human feces around their business.
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they → say → business
They also say they have witnessed people carrying weapons and have been threatened multiple times.
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people → say → weapons
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Janine says she was nearly attacked by another woman.
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she → get → woman
“My husband had to step in and she kept trying to go around him to get to me,” she said.
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she → have → me
Alicia Parsons, who works on Commerce Avenue, says she has also witnessed incidents that have left staff feeling unsafe.
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that → work → staff
“It’s absolutely wild,” Parsons said.
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Parsons → ’ → ?
“They actually locked themselves into the bathroom and broke in after hours.
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They → lock → hours
We’ve had people wander into the office while one of the staff was there alone and actually terrified her.”
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one → have → her
Global News did not receive a response from the John Howard Society, which operates the facility.
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which → receive → facility
In an email to Global News, a city spokesperson said the city is engaging with business operators to improve safety.
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city → say → safety
“While many of the root causes of the rise in crime across communities in British Columbia fall within provincial and federal jurisdiction, the City remains committed to doing everything within our authority to improve safety and livability in Kelowna,” said Kevin Duggan, Community Safety Services Manager.
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Duggan → fall → Kelowna
The City says it has taken additional steps to improve safety for businesses, including Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design reviews at 129 Kelowna businesses this year, resulting in more than 800 recommendations.
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it → say → recommendations
It also pointed to a new rebate program, which offers businesses up to $3,000 for security improvements and the business CCTV Registry, which now includes 135 registered cameras.
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which → point → cameras
The Goertsens say they believe more could and should be done at the local level.
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more → say → level
Among their suggestions are a call centre that would allow bylaw officers to respond more quickly to complaints, as well as curfews for people staying in shelters.
“We should not have to deal with this,” Janine Goertsen said.
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Goertsen → allow → this
She also suggested community leaders travel to other countries that have much better control of social challenges.
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that → suggest → challenges
What are they doing?
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they → do → What
What are some of these cities doing that they don’t have the high percentage of unhoused people?” said Goertsen.
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Goertsen → do → people
