At the Calowna Costume store in downtown Kelowna, B.C., it’s all about make-believe, but the criminal activity shop owners like Kerri Brandel have to put up with is far too real.
“It’s so defeating,” Brandel said. “We have security film. We have to put bars up. People have doorbells to let certain customers in, certain customers not in.”
Brandel has owned the store for more than three decades but says she’s never experienced so much crime like the past few years.
“We actually had somebody break in three months ago,” Brandel said. “Then we’ve just had another window smashed and this is all coming out of a little business profit that there is hardly any of to begin with, let alone the safety of our staff and customers.”
On Monday, RCMP will present mid-year crime stats to city council.
The report reveals that property offences in Kelowna have increased by 6.4 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same time period last year.
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Some of the offences that have increased include shoplifting (up 12.3 per cent), mischief (up 9.7 per cent) and bike thefts (up 38.7 per cent).
While business and residential break-ins are said to be down by 4.8 and 9.2 per cent respectively, they are up by 55 per cent from construction sites and compounds.
On a positive note, arsons are down by about 45-per cent as are thefts from autos, which decreased by 5.6 per cent.
The report states that assaults with a weapon have gone down by around 34 per cent.
Despite some progress, crime is still a considered a big problem, with repeat offenders blamed for a lot of it.
According to Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas, 15 repeat offenders were responsible for more than 1,000 police files last year alone.
Calling the justice system a revolving door, Dyas said the city has written a letter to Ottawa pleading for changes.
“We know that there is a review of bail reform coming up by the federal government this session and we want to share with them exactly how it is affecting businesses and business owners,” Dyas told Global News on Thursday.
For Brandel, changes to Canada’s bail system can’t come soon enough.
“When do we matter, when do our stores matter,” she said.
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