Crook Tom Dyas seeks re-election - mayoral candidates ready to rumble

Kelowna Chamber of Commerce will host the 3 Kelowna mayoral candidates during a forum on Wed, Oct. 7, at Rotary Centre for the Arts. Ron Cannan, current Mayor Tom Dyas and Andrew Uitvlugt will appear. The public can submit questions hello@kelownachamber.org

Diamond Tom Dyas resurrected the content on his worthless, abandoned blog for the latest election. Here.

Kelowna's population rose 1.2% in 2025. The headcount came in at 254,605, up from 252,651. Growth is the lowest the region has seen since the 2010s. It was the 2021 census that placed Kelowna as Canada’s fastest-growing city, a mantra embraced by Tom Dyas. That isn't true any longer and is now a lie. Dyas singing 'high growth' to justify his spending is false.

Kelowna mayor was paid $126,497 before Dyas. He instantly made it $145,200. Dyas stands to collect $195k next year.

The money for Dyas' raises comes from Dyas' tax increases. The tax increase of Dyas was 4.4% last year. The number for 2025 was 4.34%, following a 4.72% hike in 2024. The first budget under Dyas was a 3.78% hike. That is a 17.24% increase in taxes under Dyas in his 4 years. Between 2022 and 2026, Kelowna’s municipal tax hike has been 22%. Tom Dyas called his increase of 4.4% for the current year 'fantastic' and 'amazing'. The unemployment rate in Kelowna is 9%, the highest of any metro area of Canada for 5 months running. For youth the unemployment rate is 14%.

The last budget of $1.1b+ is a new record.

Under Dyas, the City of Kelowna's payroll climbed 8% to $126.1 million in a single year. In 2025, 500 CUPE workers earned $75k or more, an increase of 94 from the previous year while those on the management side earning $100k or more nearly doubled from 109 in 2024 to 191 last year.

The full-time equivalent union workforce is up to 1,250 people. 900 unionized employees have received wage increases of 12.5% since 2023. Kelowna policing costs increased by 66% between 2020 and 2024. A similar increase is projected from 2026 to 2031. Property values have declined across the board, down 2%. Dyas is spending more as the taxpayer pie gets smaller. Dyas is a proven liar and has sold out residents to Khalistani interests many times. 4 years ago citizens were desperate to get rid of the disgraced Khalistani controlled Basran. Now they need to get rid of his uber good buddy Tom Dyas, who has proven himself an even worse thief. Tom Dyas needs to go back to being a sous chef. Citizens trusting their money to Tom Dyas made a serious mistake.