People Were Told This Was “Selective Tree Removal.”

On March 19th, hundreds of trees/shrubs and large sections of stunning riparian habitat were cleared along Mill Creek at Parkinson Recreation Centre.

Residents were told this was “selective tree removal” and “invasive species removal.”

What many woke up to instead was the rapid and devastating clearing of one of Kelowna’s most loved shaded urban creek corridors — a place filled with flowing water, mature trees, wildlife, childhood memories, birdsong, and quiet spaces people returned to every day.

People regularly documented salmon, osprey, owls, beavers, herons, turtles, bats, flickers, and countless other wildlife throughout this corridor.

It was clear cut in what feels like under 10 hours. Meanwhile, project documents themselves describe Mill Creek as:
“a source of rich biodiversity” that “must be protected and enhanced.”

One City response regarding the clearing stated:
“the trees came out early, I’m seeing that now.”

Residents have also received conflicting explanations from City representatives.

Some describe the creek work and redevelopment as “completely separate projects”, while others state:
“No, they're all the same projects. They're all the same because Mill Creek runs right through, right through the heart of the project.”

Some Council members have stated they were fully aware of the scope of the clearing, while others say they were not and do not believe there was true public transparency.

Residents also note that a Council update regarding the clearing was circulated on March 23rd — four days after the March 19 clearing — around the same time related documents appeared online. By then, almost all of the corridor had already been removed.

Another major concern is that phrases like “selective tree removal” and “invasive species removal” did not reasonably communicate the true scale of what was about to happen. Most people hearing those terms would not expect one of the city’s most beloved mature shaded creek corridors to be almost entirely stripped in a matter of hours.

Residents requesting environmental assessments, biological reports, fish surveys, wildlife reports, and riparian records through Freedom of Information have now been given a $450 fee estimate to access the documents.

Since the clearing occurred, residents have spent countless hours documenting the site, reviewing project reports, filing Freedom of Information requests, contacting elected officials, reaching out to environmental agencies, filing formal complaints, and seeking legal guidance in an attempt to understand how this occurred and whether proper oversight took place.

People are not angry because they oppose restoration.

People are angry because a mature ecosystem disappeared almost overnight, and many feel the public was never clearly told the true scale of what was coming until it was already gone.

This conversation is not quietly disappearing because a small group of residents refused to let it.

But now this conversation needs to get much louder.

We are asking people to:
• share this petition
• comment why this matters to you
• talk about what was lost here
• and help push this conversation beyond Kelowna social circles

We are now trying to push this petition past 2,000 signatures.

If you believe Kelowna deserves transparency, accountability, and meaningful protection for urban wildlife habitat, please share this petition with friends, family, neighbours, and local community groups.

This corridor mattered.
And people are refusing to pretend it didn’t.