Penticton to stick with municipally-run library

Council turned down having a referendum to join the Okanagan Regional Library

Penticton to stick with municipally-run library Published 5:31 pm Tuesday, July 14, 2026 The Penticton Public Library will remain on its own after city council turned away from a referendum on joining the Okanagan Regional Library. After having an independent third-party review, and public consultation, council was unanimous in keeping their current model.

The Penticton Public Library is the only library in the Okanagan and Similkameen that is not part of the ORL, after splitting off in 1968 following a referendum. A new referendum to rejoin the ORL won’t happen, as after the review, council did not see enough clear benefits to risk upending the system amid harsh public backlash. “I’ve received hundreds of emails and the overall thesis is kind of the same; dollars and cents, ORL to the PPL, is it worth it?” shared Coun.

Ryan Graham. “In my humble opinion today, our Penticton Public Library is a gem of this province, and the culture and community which uses this library. I don’t foresee the transition making any big differences, positive, or negatively.”

The third-party review found slight differences between the two models, with the ORL offering more program sessions per capita than Penticton, more specialized staff, and shorter wait times for popular materials while Penticton kept a deeper stock of material in general, offered home delivery services for residents and much more offerings with its Library of Things. Graham noted that out of those who responded to the public survey, over 60 per cent were opposed to joining the ORL, with another 11 per cent either neutral or unsure. Additionally, other members of council expressed concerns about the ability to properly inform the community on the merits of sticking with the municipal model or moving to a regional one in time to vote on the matter during the upcoming October general election.

The possibility of booting the question down the line to the next general election in four years was put forward but rejected over being unwilling to tie another council’s hands, and deferring it to another potentially nebulous future opportunity was also rejected. Moving to the regional model would have come with estimated general savings of $200,000 a year, based on the 2026 budget figures. Coun.

Isaac Gilbert had recused himself from the discussion and vote due to a conflict of interest. Graham’s motion to accept the report and keep the existing model was passed unanimously.