The displaced residents from Kelowna's low-income, accessible apartment building Hadgraft Wilson Place are getting a new home.
In a release from the University of B.C. Okanagan (UBCO), it was announced that a new purpose-built facility for Pathways Abilities Society will be constructed near Capri Mall.
“I’m very pleased to see that so much progress has been made and that we can now focus on a clear and positive outcome,” said Dr. Lesley Cormack, Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for UBC’s Okanagan campus. “I’m immensely grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding, as well as for the countless hours that have gone into moving this solution forward.”
The new property will be known as Pridham Site and will be designed as an equivalent replacement for the apartments at 1360 Bertram Street. The land acquisition and development arrangement was made by a task force that was assigned to the matter back in March with members from UBC, the City of Kelowna, and Pathways Abilities Society.
“While the situation at HWP has been difficult and unintended, we are excited to be moving forward on a new building in an ideal location for our future tenants,” said Alan Clay, Executive Director of Pathways Abilities Society.
“When we established the working group back in March of 2025, we had a shared goal to have an apartment building that our tenants can call home. We’ve taken a huge step to make that goal a reality with today’s agreement. We were open-minded and creative.”
The former tenants of Hadgraft were evacuated on April 2, 2024 after ground shifting from nearby construction of the UBC Okanagan downtown Kelowna campus caused neighbouring buildings to crack and deteriorate. Hadgraft Wilson Place was the last of four buildings to be evacuated around the site and is the only one of the four that remains standing.
“This agreement represents a significant step forward in what has been a personal and challenging situation for members of our community,” Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas said. “The City of Kelowna is pleased to have facilitated discussions that prioritize both the immediate needs of Pathways Abilities Society and the long-term service delivery for individuals with diverse abilities in our community.”
Demolition of the existing buildings at 1243 and 1255 Pridham Ave. and 1244 and 1254 Sutherland Ave., the location for Pridham Site, will begin in October, with construction of the new building to start before the end of the year.
As part of the agreement, UBC Properties Trust will take over the Bertram Street property and swap the land with the city for the new site. The future of Hadgraft Wilson Place will be determined at a later date.
A lawsuit remains open, filed by the tenants of Hadgraft Wilson Place against UBC and the City of Kelowna, alleging wrongdoing. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
UBC Properties Investments alleges that the consultants and experts did not make any recommendations that excavations on the tower project should be stopped.
"All recommendations made by consultants and experts were followed by the UBC Defendants," states the response.
As such, UBC Properties alleges that it acted reasonably in relying on the expertise and recommendations of the consultants. It states that all work was done in accordance with the necessary permits, codes and bylaws.
The City of Kelowna concedes that construction activities conducted on the UBC Okanagan Development land caused damage to the Hadgraft Wilson Place Building, but denies wrongdoing. It claims that the city did not contribute to or cause the damage to Hadgraft Wilson Place.
