‘We Were Forgotten’: Lake Okanagan Resort Condo Owners Still in Limbo Nearly Two Years After Wildfire

Nearly two years after the McDougall Creek wildfire devastated Lake Okanagan Resort near West Kelowna, B.C., dozens of displaced condo owners remain in limbo — unable to rebuild and left without basic utilities like water and electricity.

“This was our home,” said Maria Hart, who lived at the resort year-round. “We were a tight-knit community out here, and now it feels like we’ve been forgotten.”

The 74-acre resort, located about 20 kilometres from West Kelowna, was once a popular vacation destination and residential enclave. Today, most of it lies in ruins, with just one hotel building still standing behind industrial fencing. The fire in August 2023 reduced many condos and chalets to rubble.

‘You can’t rebuild without water and power’

For Hart and others who owned apartments on the property, rebuilding has been impossible. The condominiums relied on the resort for utilities — water, hydro, and in some cases, sewage — and those systems have yet to be restored.

"Rebuilding on the site cannot occur until critical infrastructure, including utilities, is restored,” said the Regional District of Central Okanagan in a statement.

The utilities are owned and operated by Lake Okanagan Resort itself, which is controlled by Richmond-based DHI Holdings Inc. Despite repeated outreach by the strata council, the company has shared no clear plans to rebuild.

“They’ve stopped returning emails and calls,” said Heather Ormiston, a condo owner and member of the strata council. “It’s extremely frustrating — that’s actually an understatement.”

Calls for government action

With months of silence from the resort’s owners, the strata has turned to local and provincial governments for help — but so far, no intervention has been forthcoming.

"We’ve lobbied our MLA, the regional district, the BCUC — everyone we can,” said Ormiston. “The holdup now is the lack of government action.”

Because the resort sits outside city limits, it's not connected to municipal utility systems. The B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) and the Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship have both acknowledged the issue — but say their hands are tied.

In a letter last month, the Ministry told the strata it has no authority to force the resort to hand over ownership of its private water systems. The BCUC added that the resort has “no plans to rebuild its wastewater system,” leaving future occupancy uncertain.

'A very complicated situation'

Tony Gioventu, executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association of B.C., called it one of the most complicated post-disaster scenarios he's seen.

“This is really the first of its kind in B.C.,” he said. “And reconstruction after a tragedy of this scale is never quick — it can take years.”

In cases involving private utilities and multiple strata corporations, legal action may be the only way forward, Gioventu added.

Left in the ashes

For residents like Hart, the wait has been agonizing — made worse by the lack of communication and clarity. She continues to pay mortgage and strata fees on a unit that no longer exists.

“I feel like I’m in limbo,” she said. “People ask, ‘What are your plans?’ But how do I make plans when I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to return home?”

Hart and her neighbours say they’re not asking for special treatment — just for accountability and a path forward.

“I just want to know if I can ever live in my home again,” she said. “Right now, it feels like we’ve been left behind.”