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UID:538@askuskelowna.ca
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250722T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20250722T160000
DTSTAMP:20250719T175130Z
URL:https://askuskelowna.ca/events/follow-the-church-money-trail-rally-for
 -fair-taxes/
SUMMARY:Follow the Church Money Trail: Rally for Fair Taxes
DESCRIPTION:Follow the Church Money Trail: Rally for Fair Taxes – TUESDAY
  July 22\, Kelowna City Hall\n\nKelowna\, BC— On TUESDAY\, July 22 at 3:
 30 PM\, outside Kelowna City Hall\, the Fair Taxes – Fair Future delegat
 ion—led by the Kelowna Atheists\, Skeptics and Humanists Association (KA
 SHA)\, and supported by the BC Humanist Association—will rally Kelowna r
 esidents to demand an end to unjustified tax breaks for religious organiza
 tions.\n\nBring your signs!!!\n\nKelowna City Council has consistently ref
 used to hear a formal presentation from the delegation. So now\, the publi
 c will hear what council refuses to hear.\nWhat’s at Stake? $5 Million f
 or Kelowna Tax Payers to Fund Religious organizations in Kelowna currently
  enjoy sweeping property tax exemptions under Policy #327.\n\nAs a result\
 , approximately $5 million over the term is shifted onto the shoulders of 
 local taxpayers to support public schools\, libraries\, hospitals\, and es
 sential city services.\n\nWhere Does the Church Money Go?\nPublicly availa
 ble CRA data shows that many tax-exempt churches divert large sums to inte
 rnational missions\, political lobbying\, and causes that do not reflect c
 ommunity values or support local services:\n• Evangel Tabernacle (2023
 –24): Exempted from $63\,183 in property tax\; donated $289\,000 (just $
 49\,444 to Kelowna causes).\n• Trinity Baptist Church (2023–24): Exemp
 ted from $145\,632 in property tax\; donated $221\,876 (only $35\,849 stay
 ed in Kelowna).\n• Willow Park Church (2023–24): Exempted from $73\,06
 7 in property tax\; donated $274\,732—$0 to Kelowna initiatives.\nDiscri
 mination Still Gets a Discount\nMany of these groups enforce policies that
  marginalize 2SLGBTQIA+ people\, or restrict membership or public use of 
 their facilities based on gender or belief. These practices directly cont
 radict the City of Kelowna’s2040 Official Community Plan and would disqu
 alify them from most other public subsidies.\n\nA Broken Policy for a Chan
 ging City\nKelowna has changed—85% of residents do not attend religious 
 services. Yet religious groups still benefit from tax exemptions designed 
 for a time when they served as community hubs. Some now rent their tax-fre
 e properties out for profit\, further distorting the purpose of the exempt
 ion.\n\nWhat We’re Demanding\nThe delegation calls on City Council to:\n
 • Pause all five-year tax exemptions for religious organizations under P
 olicy #327 this fall.\n• Approve only a temporary one-year exemption for
  2025.\n• Establish a community-based task force in 2026 to review and m
 odernize exemption criteria.\n\nRally Details\n• What: Fair Taxes – Fa
 ir Future Rally\n• When: Tuesday\, July 22 at 3:30 PM\n• Where: Outsid
 e Kelowna City Hall in front of Water street entrance.\n• Why: City Coun
 cil meets at 4:00 PM. We’ll be outside\, asking them—and the public—
 to listen.\nIt’s time to ask: Why are Kelowna taxpayers indirectly fundi
 ng exclusion\, foreign missions\, and tax-free profits?\nJoin us and deman
 d fairness for all!
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://askuskelowna.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/
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CATEGORIES:Outside,Special
LOCATION:Kelowna City Hall water street\, 1435 Water St\, Kelowna\, Canada
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=1435 Water St\, Kelowna\, C
 anada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Kelowna City Hall water street:geo:0,0
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