Darren Brewer

The City of Cranbrook is pleased to announce ConvergX Cranbrook, a two‑day regional leadership event bringing together decision‑makers, industry partners, innovators, and community leaders to explore collaborative opportunities that support economic resilience, technological advancement, and long‑term regional growth.

The City continues to work on diversifying the local economy with regional partners from Calgary and Spokane, thanks to grant funding from the CanExport Community Investments program, through Global Affairs Canada and Pacifican. This initiative aims to explore how Cranbrook can strengthen supply chains and foster innovation in the aerospace industry and its supporting sectors. It will involve strategic planning through a Business Case study and a Regional Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Attraction Strategy

The program brings together a lineup of world‑class experts delivering presentations across key sectors shaping the future of the region. Supply chain strategist Peter Sholtz will outline practical pathways for strengthening industrial readiness and economic opportunity. Kim Van Vliet will provide insight into the evolving landscape of aerospace and defence, highlighting how cross‑sector collaboration accelerates innovation. Tim Troxel, a leading specialist in electro‑optics, will explore advanced imaging and surveillance technologies driving global competitiveness. Rounding out the program, Sheldon Decosse will share perspectives from the Global Airborne Observatory, showcasing cutting‑edge environmental mapping and flight operations used around the world. Together, these sessions offer attendees access to internationally recognized expertise and actionable knowledge.

March 10, 2026 – Leadership Reception & Registration-Cranbrook City Hall

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 11, 2026 – Morning Strategic Roundtable (By Invitation)- College of the Rockies – President’s Boardroom

9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

March 11, 2026 – Afternoon Leadership Sessions (Open) – Key City Theater

12:00–1:00 PM — Lunch

1:00–1:45 PM — Peter Sholtz & Darren Brewer: Morning Debrief / Supply Chain & Business Case

1:45–2:15 PM — Tim Troxel, Infiniti Optics

2:15–2:45 PM — Sheldon Decosse, Asner Global Airborne Observatory

3:00–4:00 PM — Kim Van Vliet: ConvergX Xpand

To attend the March 11th Afternoon Leadership session please register :

ConvergX® Cranbrook

Cranbrook has a lot to celebrate in 2025. This achievement is more than numbers—it’s a testament to preparation, alignment, and teamwork. Mayor, Council, City staff, and the community worked together toward a shared vision, proving that collaboration drives results. “Many of us have been here for both record years—2020 and now 2025. This shows the benefit of staying united and focused,” said Darren Brewer, Economic Development Officer at the City of Cranbrook.

The numbers tell the story. Building permit values surged from $37 million in 2024 to over $93 million in 2025—a 151% increase with one month still to go—shattering the previous record set in 2020. Permit revenues also jumped from $280,978 to $1,019,895, reflecting strong investor confidence and positioning Cranbrook as a leading destination for development in the region. This momentum isn’t slowing down. Projections indicate similar positive activity through 2026 and 2027, supported by major projects with announced funding already moving through development stages.

The economic impact is significant and immediate. Contractors and trades will remain active through the winter, ensuring steady employment and progress on transformative projects that will shape Cranbrook’s future. These developments strengthen the local economy, create jobs, and reinforce Cranbrook’s reputation as a city that plans ahead and delivers results. “This success is not by chance—it’s the result of preparation, collaboration, and a shared vision for Cranbrook’s future. Let’s keep building on this momentum together.

Cranbrook just got a little closer to wine country—and a whole lot more connected.

Pacific Coastal Airlines officially launched its new direct flight between Cranbrook (YXC) and Kelowna (YLW), marking a high-altitude win for regional connectivity, tourism, and economic development. The inaugural flight wasn’t just a takeoff—it was a celebration.

The flight departed YXC at 9:00 a.m. and landed in Kelowna at 8:55 a.m. (yes, time zones are wild), right on schedule. But this isn’t just about getting from A to B—it’s about unlocking new opportunities for business, talent, and adventure.

And for our friends in the Okanagan? You now have a direct line to the Basecamp of the Kootenays. Cranbrook is where ideas launch, businesses grow, and adventure begins. It’s the place to build something bold—and yes, we’re also the sunniest city in BC. Sorry Kelowna, but we’ve got the stats and the sunglasses to prove it.

So pack your carry-on, grab your business cards, and get ready to fly.

Cranbrook, BC – October 17, 2025 — The City of Cranbrook is celebrating a major victory in the world of economic development, having just scored a rare double win that’s turning heads across the country.

Choose Cranbrook has been awarded the prestigious 2025 EDAC Canadian Marketing Award for Best Website, a national honour recognizing excellence in municipal marketing. But the celebration doesn’t stop there—earlier this year Choose Cranbrook also clinched the 2025 BCEDA Award for Marketing Innovation, making it one of the few communities to sweep both provincial and national awards in the same year.

“It’s like winning the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season,” said Darren Brewer, Economic Development Officer for the City of Cranbrook. “We’re incredibly proud of this achievement and what it represents for our community’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation, investment, and opportunity.”

The award-winning website—www.choosecranbrook.ca—is a bold, interactive platform designed to showcase Cranbrook’s strengths in natural resources, emerging technologies, and lifestyle advantages. With clean design, intuitive navigation, and compelling storytelling, it’s become a powerful tool for attracting talent, investment, and attention to the region.

The Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) praised the site for its “engaging and professional presentation,” while the British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) highlighted its “innovative approach to regional marketing and stakeholder engagement.”

“This recognition is a testament to the collaborative spirit of Cranbrook,” added Brewer. “From local businesses to regional partners, everyone played a role in helping us tell our story in a way that resonates across Canada.”

To explore the award-winning platform, visit www.choosecranbrook.ca or check out Cranbrook – Website: Marketing Awards 2025 on Vimeo

The Canadian Rockies International Airport (YXC) is proud to announce its busiest June on record, with just under 15,000 passengers travelling through the airport. There were 750 additional passengers last month than in June of last year, marking a milestone in regional travel and continued community growth.

“Increased passenger volumes reflect a strong return to travel, growing confidence in regional tourism, and the value of connecting Cranbrook and the Kootenays to the world via Western Canada’s hub airports,” says Tristen Chernove, CEO of Elevate Airports Inc. “This record-setting June tells a powerful story about how people are rediscovering the beauty and accessibility of flying from YXC.”

Adding to the excitement, Delightfull, YXC’s new on-site restaurant, has officially opened its doors—offering great breakfast and lunch selections and premium coffee to travelers and airport staff alike. The long-anticipated arrival of Delightfull has been warmly received as a vibrant and welcome addition to the terminal experience.

“The Canadian Rockies International Airport continues to demonstrate strong and consistent performance, now exceeding our pre-COVID passenger numbers. We’re incredibly fortunate to have such an important gateway right here in our city—connecting Cranbrook to the world with reliability and convenience.” added Darren Brewer, Economic Development Officer for the City of Cranbrook “These milestones reflect the hard work of our team and the growing trust of travelers near and far. We look forward to continued growth and new opportunities for our region.

“We’re focused on more than just numbers,” adds Chernove. “We’re building a gateway that reflects the values of our region—hospitality, safety, and community care.”

Cranbrook, BC – It was a weekend of celebration for Cranbrook at the 2025 BC Economic Development Association (BCEDA) Awards in Penticton B.C taking home not just one but two prestigious honors for its innovative work in economic development.

Leading the charge was the City’s investment attraction platform, Choose Cranbrook, which proudly claimed the title of “Best Website Ever”—well, that’s how we’re describing it around the office. Officially, it won the 2025 BCEDA Marketing Innovation Award for Best Website. But let’s be honest: when a platform works this hard, tells stories this well, and looks this good, we’re not afraid to throw in a little flair.

Choose Cranbrook isn’t just a website. It’s a fully integrated investment attraction tool that combines a rich data portal, a dynamic YouTube channel, and a suite of digital storytelling tools designed to make one thing clear: Cranbrook is open for business, and it’s ready for you.

This is where storytelling meets strategy. We’ve moved beyond static brochures and dusty PDFs. We’re not cavemen painting on cave walls—we’re using stunning visuals, sweeping drone footage, and powerful local voices to craft a message that resonates with investors, entrepreneurs, and future residents alike

Whether you’re looking to build your business, relocate your family, or just understand what’s driving growth in the Kootenays, Choose Cranbrook makes it big, easy, and obvious. The platform keeps things visually appealing, stat-packed, and tailored for the people who matter most—those ready to help Cranbrook grow.

And the good news didn’t stop there. Kootenay Employment Services also walked away with top honours, receiving the Community Resiliency Award for their Rural Entrepreneur Development (RED) Program. This initiative is a powerful example of how rural communities can create opportunity from the ground up. Gregg Berg accepted the award on behalf of the team, offering a heartfelt shoutout to Kerstin Renner for her role in shaping and delivering the program.

A special thank you goes out to Sasha Bogdanovic from Cityviz, who expertly manages our ever-evolving data portal and ensures the numbers behind the stories stay meaningful and accessible. We also want to recognize Chris Botterill and his incredible team at Genex Marketing, who manage the Choose Cranbrook website with care, creativity, and technical excellence.

Two major wins, one remarkable community.

The Canadian Rockies International Airport (YXC) is flying higher than ever! Starting this May, we’re cranking up the air service with more flights, more seats, and way more reasons to pack your bags. Compared to last year, WestJet and Air Canada are rolling out three extra Q400 flights per week each—that’s a whopping 48,000 more seats annually jetting in and out of the East Kootenay region.

That’s right—24,000 extra seats per airline in 2025. Whether you’re chasing powder, sealing deals, or visiting family, YXC is officially your upgraded launchpad to wherever-you-need-to-be.

“We’re thrilled to see this level of investment and commitment from both WestJet and Air Canada,” says Tristen Chernove, Airport Manager at YXC. “These added flights not only increase convenience and flexibility for our passengers, but they also support the region’s economic development, tourism, and accessibility.”

So what are you waiting for? With more flights and better connections, the sky is quite literally the limit. Book early, travel easy, and let YXC take you where you want to go—faster, smoother, and with a window seat.

The City of Cranbrook continues to work on diversifying the local economy with regional partners from Calgary and Spokane, thanks to grant funding from the CanExport Community Investments program, through Global Affairs Canada.

This initiative aims to explore how Cranbrook can strengthen supply chains and foster innovation in the aerospace industry and its supporting sectors. It will involve strategic planning through a Business Case study and a Regional Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Attraction Strategy. The project builds on previous efforts to prepare investment-ready lands for development. The total cost is $81,000, with both the City and Global Affairs contributing equally. The City’s contribution of $41,000 will come from Economic Development, which focuses on attracting new businesses and jobs to Cranbrook.

“This is an initiative that fits well with our long-term development vision for future development of the industrial land at the Canadian Rockies International Airport,” says Mayor Wayne Price.

This project will host events in Cranbrook, Calgary, and Washington State to build support and partnerships, aiming to make Cranbrook a key hub in the Pacific Northwest aerospace sector. It will encourage collaboration, trade missions, and knowledge sharing, while attracting investment from companies in advanced materials, aircraft manufacturing, and aerospace technologies.

“We are committed to fostering regional collaboration and investment opportunities,” says Darren Brewer, Economic Development Officer. “This will help form our long-term investment attraction strategy and strengthen ties with Calgary and Washington State.”

The City of Cranbrook gratefully acknowledges the CanExport Community Investments program within Global Affairs Canada, and the Government of Canada for this important grant funding, which is designed to help communities like Cranbrook attract foreign investment to help diversify local economies and create economic growth.

You can learn more about CanExport online here.

Cranbrook, BC (January 27, 2025) – After three years of extensive public engagement and valuable input from community stakeholders, City staff and new provincial legislation, the City’s new “Official Community Plan (OCP) – Our Path to 2042” was officially adopted by Council at their regular meeting on Monday.

This OCP, which replaces the previous one in place since 2006, sets a bold vision for the City of Cranbrook to guide our future growth, development, and changes for the next 20+ years. The plan was developed with extensive engagement to ensure the direction reflects the community’s input and desires.

“I would like to thank staff for their hard work and patience in the development of this new Official Community Plan, which will help to address housing concerns and provide new vision and direction for future development in Cranbrook,” says Mayor Wayne Price. “A special thank you to the many residents and businesses who provided their valuable ideas and comments which really helped shape this plan.”

The updated OCP also includes guiding principles, integration of various plans, new policy sections, and revised Development Permit Areas. It also features updated map schedules, neighborhood plans, and other changes driven by public feedback and the implementation of Bill 44, a recent piece of provincial legislation.

“The adoption of our new OCP is a big step forward for the future of the City of Cranbrook. It could not have happened without all the hard work and input from the previous and current term Councils, the community, stakeholders, staff, and our consulting team,” says Rob Veg, Manager of Planning. “This document is something we should all be proud of.”

The OCP review process started in fall 2021 with the aim of creating a new plan to guide Cranbrook’s future growth and development. The updated plan focuses on land use, community building, and strategic decision-making. It is built around Cranbrook’s Vision, Guiding Principles, and policies on key areas such as housing, social well-being, climate action, food security, economic development, heritage, arts and culture, parks and recreation, environmental hazards, transportation, and infrastructure.

The new OCP has also updated the development permit area guidelines and map schedules. No changes were made to the existing neighbourhood plans as those were not included as part of the scope of the rewrite; however, it is anticipated that those plans will be amended over time.

Learn more about the research and engagement work undertaken, and review the new OCP online @ https://cranbrook.ca/our-city/city-departments/oic/official-community-plan-ocp.

Cranbrook, BC (January 21, 2025) – Proposals are being accepted until April 21, 2025 by BC Builds and the City of Cranbrook for what is envisioned to be a new 30-unit mixed use apartment building, with social/community care or small-scale commercial use. The BC Builds Program is a partnership initiative, connecting landowners, developers, and housing operators to build housing for middle-income households.

The project site, located at 1501 1st Street South, in between the Baker Gardens Seniors Housing complexes near Baker Park. This location offers a prime opportunity for a mixed-use medium density development, with its proximity to the downtown, schools, and services.
The project site, located at 1501 1^st Street South, in between the Baker Gardens Seniors Housing complexes near Baker Park. This location offers a prime opportunity for a mixed-use medium density development, with its proximity to the downtown, schools, and services.

“Inflation, high interest rates, and construction costs have driven up costs and rents, and the reality is not enough middle-income housing is being built. Cranbrook is feeling this pressure, along with so many other communities across the province,” says Mayor Wayne Price. “We are happy to be working with BC Builds on purpose built rental accommodation for middle-income people like teachers, nurses, and construction workers that we so strongly need in Cranbrook, as part of the recommendations coming from the Mayor’s Task Force On Housing. This is such a positive step forward for Cranbrook.”

You can view the full notice online here.

For those interested in submitting proposals or looking for more information, BC Builds and the City are jointly hosting an information session on Monday, February 3, 2025 from 3:30 to 4:30pm MT. You can sign up to attend online at https://www.bcbuildshomes.ca/1501-st-cranbrook.

The provincial and federal government offer multiple funding streams for subsidized and low-income housing, but many middle-income working residents do not qualify for these programs and are still struggling to find appropriate and adequate housing. BC Builds, delivered by BC Housing, is working to fill that gap for middle-income earners. While it is not a low-income housing program, it is still important to provide for all housing needs in Cranbrook.

With this initiative, we will hopefully see new development of rental homes for middle-income working people throughout BC to find housing they can afford in the communities where they live and work.

Learn more about BC Builds at https://www.bcbuildshomes.ca/.

To learn more about development opportunities in Cranbrook, check out: https://www.choosecranbrook.ca/development-opportunities/.

For more information, please contact.

Santana Patten, Community Planner, Phone: 250-489-0204