Innerspace Watersport's Kal Beach rental operation (Innerspace Watersports Inc./Facebook)

By Liam Verster

'We Were Providing A Public Service'

Innerspace owner upset with Coldstream pulling Kal Beach license

Apr 13, 2022 | 12:37 PM

The owner of Innerspace Watersports Inc. is upset with the District of Coldstream’s decision to prohibit commercial operations at Kal Beach this summer.

Chad Edwards told Vernon Matters that since 1995 his company had set up their rental equipment on the beach between July 1 and the September long weekend.

“We only operate there for less than 60 days in a year, and we had done so for 25 years. We always provided everything: all of our own locks, cables, equipment. Everything was always brand new, such as the kayaks, the paddleboards, the lifejackets,” said Edwards, adding that they were mostly providing a public service as the company wasn’t making profit on the Kal Beach operation.

Edwards said on average, his company would put $22,000 worth of product on the beach for 60 days and use $10,000 to $15,000 to pay wages to the university or high school students they employed to run the operation.

Edwards also said they have used the operation to donate thousands of dollars worth of services over the past 25 years to low-income families, dry grad fundraisers, Rotary Club fundraisers, and more.

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He added that having their operation on the beach, which he said was fully licensed and insured, allowed for everyone from individuals to large groups to arrive at the beach and get on the water without having to bring their own equipment, and also made it convenient for his staff and customers at the downtown store location.

“As you know downtown Vernon is awkward to get in and get out of parking, get in and out of loading and unloading, and a kayak is moveable, but they’re not the most simple thing for a first timer if you don’t have a proper car [or] vehicle roof rack,” said Edwards.

“We’ve noticed that most people are not savvy on how to tie down a kayak or do these things as well, so the whole reason why we did the rentals on the beach was just to make it simplistic for the community by saying ‘If you’re interested in the product, it’s already there for you, go give it a whirl.'”

Edwards added they never received complaints about their operations as the site they were operating out of, on the far east side of the beach, was near a condemned dock and in a spot where ducks and geese often frequent, meaning they weren’t in the way of beachgoers or swimmers.

Kal Beach is a public beach, meaning any person could bring a kayak or paddleboard to the water there, but Edwards said more people having to bring their own equipment would create a new logistical problem.

“If you’ve ever tried to drive down Kal Lake Road in the heart of July and the parking’s across the street, that crosswalk’s being used every few seconds, so the cars are always stopping and traffic backs up,” said Edwards.

“So you want the public to now carry a kayak from the parking lot that’s on the other side of the train tracks down a 45 degree ramp with a 90 degree corner? It’s actually almost impossible to carry a kayak down there, even to the beach if you tried.”

He also stated that people can no longer take a bus or their bikes to the water and get a rental, and having to bring more of these items to the beach will take up more space in the parking lot.

Edwards also told Vernon Matters that if his company or another provider wished to run a delivery service to Kal Beach, it would also create traffic and pollution problems.

“When they say a mobile guy would drop off [the equipment ], you just watch the impact of how many times that guy pulls in and out, pulling an enclosed trailer,” said Edwards.

“That infrastructure is not set up for a big truck and trailer to be parked there six times a day, in the handicap loading and unloading zone, next to the bus stop.”

The Innerspace Watersports owner added that vehicles also can’t technically stop there, meaning the vehicle will sit there idling while delivering the equipment.

The District of Coldstream has stated that they are producing a ‘Head of the Lake Plan,’ and while the work to create that is underway, they have decided not to renew all operating licenses on the beach aside from the concession, and are not allowing new services to open.

Edwards told Vernon Matters that the district should not have dismissed their operation, and instead realized that the company has been collecting statistical data on the beach in the form of rental records over the past 25 summers.

Edwards added that pulling licenses will hurt the local tourism sector.

“We would always tell our Kelowna customers ‘Hey, did you know it’s just as fast to drive to Vernon on a beautiful highway along Lake Country to go enjoy a beverage at Alexander’s Beach Pub, to rent a kayak and give it a whirl and support our nice little community? Because it’s a lot better than driving from the north end of Kelowna through Kelowna traffic to get to the waterfront in Kelowna.’ So we did our diligence on pretty much promoting a safe activity that was properly done, properly maintained, properly executed, properly advertised and everything else that a city would stand for.”

Edwards told Vernon Matters that since he felt he was not consulted fully before the license was revoked, and because the service he provided was not profitable, he likely won’t be going back to fight the district on the issue.

He said the only way he would return would be if the District of Coldstream were to approach him and acknowledge that Innerspace had been providing a public service and ask them to resume their operations.

RELATED NEWS: Innerspace operations come to end at Kal Beach