Kelowna voters will cast ballots next year the same way they have for more than 50 years.

A proposal from Coun. Ron Cannan to have municipal staff examine the possibility of switching from at-large voting to a ward system found little support among his colleagues.

His proposal was defeated, meaning the issue won’t be considered by staff and then put to voters in a referendum question next year for possible implementation in 2030.

Critics offered a litany of reasons why they opposed the idea, warning it could lead to “parochial decision-making” with areas of the city being played against each other. They also said there wasn’t enough time to study the idea, a process estimated to cost $250,000, and said they didn’t believe there was any real public interest in making a switch.

“We’ve be

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