The executive director of Pathways Abilities Society has yet to directly answer the question regarding who will live in the new Pridham Site, a replacement building for the evacuated, low-income apartment Hadgraft Wilson Place.
All 69 units at Hadgraft Wilson Place were evacuated on Apr. 2, 2024, and the more than 80 former tenants have since had to go back to market price rentals costing double or triple the monthly rent of their previous apartments, which were run by Pathways.
Before moving into Hadgraft, the residents had to apply for affordable rentals through BC Housing, proving their income and their status as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Spokesperson for the tenants, Monique Saebels, said some of the tenants had to wait three years after applying before finding out if they would be accepted to move into Hadgraft.
Hadgraft Wilson Place housed people with diversabilities, single parents, residents on fixed incomes, and others facing intellectual barriers.
When asked by Black Press if the former Hadgraft tenants would be guaranteed a unit in the new building, executive director Alan Clay said they would be eligible to apply.
“We’re two years out… when the time comes for screening for tenants under BC Housing guidelines for affordable housing, every provider has to do that in this province, we’ll welcome those tenants… but we’re two years away and a lot can change in people’s lives."
Saebels has had several former tenants reach out to her asking about their fate.
#Kelowna evacuated tenants still in limbo as Pathways stays quiet on new build @KelownaCapNews pic.twitter.com/Vl92b1SDDK
— Brittany Webster (@thebrittwebster) September 17, 2025
"The difference in information has been all over the place," Saebels said. "I'm getting phone calls, people want to know, 'Are we going back in the building? Are we not?' And I have to say I have no idea, because no one has contacted me."
Saebels questioned whether Pathways had the people of Hadgraft at the front of mind or if the building was the only priority.
"The first part of all this was getting a new building," Clay stated when asked about priorities. "We've got a new building and now we've got two years to deal with getting the building built and then looking at how we're going to get the occupants in there."
Pridham Site, the replacement building for Hadgraft, will be built near Capri Mall, amalgamating four residential properties to build an equivalent 69-unit apartment building. The plans were announced by the joint task force comprised of members from Pathways, the City of Kelowna, and the University of B.C. (UBC).
"I was hoping they were trying to come up with a plan for all of us," Saebels said of the task force. "But I believe that it was probably them coming up with a plan for themselves."
The city owned the land on which Hadgraft was built, which was evacuated after the construction of UBC's downtown Kelowna campus caused ground shifting. Four other buildings were also evacuated, however, Hadgraft is the only building that still remains standing.
In the meantime, Saebels is still waiting for someone from Pathways to reach out to her or any of the evacuated residents regarding the Pridham Site.
"It would have been nice of them to come and speak to us. We're the ones that are affected," Saebels stated. "All of this seemed to happen behind closed doors, not really considering what we've been through."
