Kelowna businesses raise concerns over crime on Commerce Avenue

Businesses on Kelowna’s Commerce Avenue say a series of break-ins, vandalism and other incidents are leaving them increasingly concerned about 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.

“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.

One of the most recent incidents happened just two weeks ago when the Goertsens found themselves temporarily locked inside their own office 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. “We saw it on the camera after he tied it with a garbage bag and then went to break into our vehicle.”

The couple has operated a business on Commerce Avenue for more than a decade.

They say conditions have deteriorated significantly in recent years, a change they associate with the opening of Hearthstone Supportive Housing in 2018.

“They walk around with knives and needles and all this stuff. So you never know. Like it’s not safe,” Gerald Goertsen said. “The RCMP have told me, don’t touch them, even to take them off the property because they can stab you. They can hurt you and it’s not worth it.”

The couple says they are now regularly cleaning up drug paraphernalia, garbage and human feces around their business. They also say they have witnessed people carrying weapons and have been threatened multiple times.

“My husband had to step in and she kept trying to go around him to get to me,” she said.

Alicia Parsons, who works on Commerce Avenue, says she has also witnessed incidents that have left staff feeling unsafe.

“It’s absolutely wild,” Parsons said. “They actually locked themselves into the bathroom and broke in after hours. We’ve had people wander into the office while one of the staff was there alone and actually terrified her.”

Global News did not receive a response from the John Howard Society, which operates the facility.

In an email to Global News, a city spokesperson said the city is engaging with business operators to improve safety.