Kelowna business owner calls for more action after a series of break-ins

A downtown Kelowna business owner says she wants to see more action after her shop was broken into for the third time.

Wendy Munyanyi, owner of Mary-Claris Hair Extensions, says three wigs worth a combined $900 were stolen during the latest break-in Tuesday morning.

“I just feel so devastated,” Munyanyi said.

The latest incident left a window shattered.

Munyanyi says the rock used to break the window was thrown deep inside the store.

“It flew all the way inside the store,” she said.

Jonathan Williams was working nearby when he heard the store’s alarm go off.

“I realized the window was broken and she was trying to get in there,” Williams told Global News. “I went over and said, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ With a few extra words and then she said, ‘Oh, I need a wig.’”

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Williams says the female suspect took off. He called 911, but the damage had already been done.

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Following a business forum earlier this year, the City of Kelowna implemented several measures, including a CCTV registry to facilitate RCMP investigations and a security grant program.

2:09 Kelowna community safety forum

However, some business operators say those measures have not gone far enough.

“Nothing is changing for me. Like literally, nothing is changing,” Munyanyi said.

Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas, who is seeking re-election, says the city has increased efforts downtown and will continue to push higher levels of government for additional services.

“We’ve done a series of things with regards to, you know, downtown core teams, with regards to increasing RCMP, increasing bylaw patrols, and we will continue to do that and continue to listen to make the changes that we need to until we’re able to get that assistance from those higher levels of government,” Dyas said.

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Incumbent councillor and mayoral candidate Ron Cannan says local partnerships could also be part of the response.

“What the city can do is provide that second-stage sober housing,” Cannan said. “We’re not doing that. We provide housing for homeless. So why can’t we provide partnerships? We have nonprofit organizations or philanthropic individuals that come forward and say, ‘We want to help.’”

For Munyanyi, the message is simple.

“I just want to see the city take more responsibility,” she said.

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