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Housing cost handcuffs Kelowna RCMP recruitment

“Direct correlation with the cost of housing in Kelowna impacting ability to recruit officers’
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The high cost of housing in Kelowna is causing recruitment problems for the RCMP. (File photo)

The high cost of housing in the Central Okanagan is getting in the way of recruiting for Kelowna RCMP.

“There is a direct correlation with the cost of housing in Kelowna impacting ability to recruit officers who typically come for the northern regions and are able to choose their posting after serving limited duration postings,” said RCMP Supt. Kara Triance.

According to the RCMP website, an entry-level constable starts with an annual salary of $65,776. It rises to $92,722 after 12

months of service, $99,988 after 24 months, and $106,576 after 36 months.

Kelowna RCMP is able to draw from those officers who have the means to afford to live in the city and surrounding area, and also those who are able to come from the Lower Mainland, Triance added.

“So we’ve had to work very closely as a division to prioritize how we staff Kelowna, and I am grateful for the response from our division.”

Triance would not comment on how many additional officers are needed.

“I can tell you we look at it every week and we have been steadily climbing over the last quarter. We have added 29 additional resources since Jan. 1.”

Supt. Triance made her comments at a news conference Wednesday while addressing a Statistics Canada report that showed the Kelowna area had the highest crime rate in the country last year.

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@GaryBarnes109
gary.barnes@kelownacapnews.com

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Gary Barnes

About the Author: Gary Barnes

Recently joined Kelowna Capital News and WestK News as a multimedia journalist in January 2022. With almost 30 years of experience in news reporting and radio broadcasting...
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