West Kelowna residents look ahead to recovery as realtors expect post-wildfire boom

Crews battling the Kelowna-area wildfires continue to make progress as people who lost their homes are getting a clearer picture of the destruction and what it will take to rebuild their lives.

But what will those recovery efforts look like, and will some choose to move away from wildfire risks?

It’s a question more Canadians are tackling as the country faces a record-breaking wildfire season and more regions deal with smoke and flames on an almost annual basis.

An Angus Reid survey this week found one-in-eight affected by wildfires or smoke in the past five years would consider relocating to a place that feels “safer.”

“Young adults say this is on their mind at higher rates (24 per cent) than others, as they consider where to set down roots and build their lives,” the report said. “Climate migration in Canada may be a new concept, but this research suggests it is on the minds of many.”

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But, some in Kelowna’s real estate industry feel the region remains very attractive for homebuyers, and are predicting a strong rebound after this year’s wildfires.

“Looking back 20 years ago — and I personally lost my home in the Okanagan Mountain fire 20 years ago today — there was an immediate slowdown directly following that fire. There were 267 home losses in that fire but, in the months following that, there was huge rebuilding activity and, in fact, the local economy boomed,” said Elton Ash, an executive vice president for RE/MAX based in Kelowna.

“And demand picked up dramatically at that time, after the fire. In talking to local residents and realtors over the past 24 hours, we are not anticipating anything different this time. There will certainly be a rebuild and as I look across at the ridge behind me that was on fire, it’s amazing the homes that were spared.”

Ash says that is a testament to the advancements in fighting interface fires, along with the skill of crews who have been battling the flames in West Kelowna, Kelowna, and Lake Country.

“I think long term there will virtually be no effect to the real estate market other than an immediate increase in building and demand,” he told CityNews, adding that economic conditions may play a larger role in how rapidly that happens.

When it comes to the long-term effects of climate change and more extreme weather-related events, Ash feels the Okanagan will remain a “destination” market.

“I think that the desire to move to the Okanagan for people right across the country will remain as strong as it has always been. We live in wine country, golf courses, skiing — it’s a lifestyle community and that will remain as strong as it has ever been.”