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City Sells Former Tembec Property to Peak Renewables

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

The sale of the former Tembec industrial lands on Theatre Road in Cranbrook is now official, with Peak Renewables the new owners.

The sale of the property was completed earlier this week for $6 million. The property was originally purchased by the City for $3 million in 2018, resulting in a significant profit of almost double the original investment. The profit from the sale will be directed toward future initiatives supporting jobs and tax revenues.


“This is a strategic move intended to leverage our position as the regional hub, aligns with our regional economic initiatives and provides growth in new and emerging technologies,” Mayor Pratt adds. “We, as a City, spent the last three years working hard on the vision and delivering that vision. Our entire team deserves much credit on this project from engineering, planning and business development. They all played an important role in making this possible.”

“The potential for new, good paying jobs for our residents, new tax dollars, new growth and economic development opportunities for the City, is very exciting,” Mayor Pratt notes. “We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this important piece of industrial land and we will work with Peak Cranbrook Properties to help them realize their goals.”

“Peak Renewables and Brian Fehr bring decades of success and innovation in the forestry sector to Cranbrook,” says Darren Brewer, Business Development Officer for the City of Cranbrook. “Brian is known as a pioneer in automation and for launching artificial intelligence in the mills. His work continues by bringing new and innovative solutions for biomass and cross-laminated timber to market.”

The land sale will benefit the City and residents with new jobs and tax revenues to fund City services, and the direct cash profit from the proceeds of the sale for future initiatives. Discussions between Council and staff are underway to find ways to create long-term financial returns from the sale proceeds that can be used to help fund new projects and investment in the community.


“Our economic forecast predicts hundreds of good paying jobs supporting our local economy, and this announcement will significantly add to the City’s ability to attract new investment,” says Brewer, adding, “we knew this would happen. We knew capital would follow smart people with good ideas. This is a great announcement for everyone in Cranbrook.”

Creative Redevelopment Planned for Former Canadian Tire Property

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

Kanas Corporation, a company known for innovative solutions and a triple bottom line approach, has purchased the building and land at 1100 Victoria Avenue North.

“This fits very well within our housing strategy and will be a huge benefit to our overall economic development plan. We are very pleased to see this investment in Cranbrook,” says Mayor Lee Pratt. “The former Canadian Tire site has been given a new life. There are new jobs and new homes on the horizon because of this re-development.”

Kanas President Robert Sipka agrees, “We, too, are pleased with this investment. We are impressed with the opportunities to grow within the East Kootenay, and believe Cranbrook is a great place to begin that growth.”

Next steps for Kanas include:

  • Adding a solar panel array to the existing building to reduce its future environmental footprint.
  • Developing a master plan for the property, together with local and regional stakeholders.
  • Applying to change the OCP and zoning of the property to allow for a mix of uses.

Initial use discussions include adding a residential building to the North. Environmentally- healthy, accessible housing is one of Kanas’ clear strengths. Housing purpose-built to meet the needs of Cranbrook’s diverse population is a clear need, as identified in the City’s recent Housing Needs Report.

The existing building, at 44,400 sq. feet, could be used as a storage, assembly, and logistics hub, given its proximity to Highway 3. Or it could house a craft brewery, commercial bakery, glass-blowing studio, or other creative workspaces. Kanas welcomes expressions of interest.

Small Business Week – Get Your Taste of the #EatLocalYXC Festival

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

Celebrate and help support local food entrepreneurs during Small Business Week with the first-ever #EatLocalYXC Festival in a series of fun and engaging Facebook Live events and deals showcasing culinary artisans in Cranbrook and Kimberley.

How does it work? Beginning Thursday October 22 and running until November 15, score deals from local restaurants and tune into the #EatLocalYXC Festival every Thursday. It is a chance to go behind the scenes online at local restaurants and get to know the business owners in the region.

“Cranbrook is the retail centre of the region,” says Darren Brewer, Business Development Manager for the City of Cranbrook. “The #EatLocalYXC Festival dovetails nicely with Small Business Week. We have a lot of great businesses in Cranbrook and we need people to come out and support them. The biggest part of our economy is retail.”


This kind of online event comes at the perfect time for businesses who all must adapt to how COVID-19 is impacting their livelihoods. “We have a good audience. It is about getting people to change their business; you have to go online to help support your own business. This is where you will find unrealized revenue”, Brewer says.

The #EatLocalYXC festival aims to do just that. Participants will engage with the business owners and learn their tips, tricks, and secrets – without having to leave their homes or workspaces. During the sessions, some of the businesses will create their favourite recipes and drinks and tell people about their showcase menus and other incentives they are offering all month long.

Brandi Boothman, one of those, along with FestivalSeekers, who is spearheading the four-week event, says our communities are home to many talented chefs and food artisans passionate about feeding locals and they are eager to get involved.

“Because so many people get their information from social media, the #EatLocalYXC Festival Facebook Lives and festival offers are the perfect vehicle to engage with people and learn about their entrepreneurial neighbours along the way,” Boothman says.

“It’s good exposure. Every time someone likes and shares and comments on restaurants, it helps expand their reach” to fans and then friends and family of fans.

Brewer says shopping and eating local has been identified as the highest priority during COVID-19. “Small businesses need our help. It’s a gap we can fill.”

Here are some of restaurants and the times and dates they will be participating in weekly online Facebook Live events:

  • Ella’s Café (Oct. 22, 3 p.m.)
  • Bohemian Spirits (Oct. 23, 11 a.m.)
  • The Nest (Oct. 29, 3 p.m.)
  • Chaos Coffee (Oct. 29, 4 p.m.)
  • The Heidout (Nov. 12, 3 p.m.)
  • Sweet Gestures Chocolate Shoppe (Nov. 12, 10 a.m.)

Stay tuned for more details, and get a taste of the #EatLocalYXC event on Festival Seekers Facebook page.

Innovation at Work: Announcing the #LiveLocal #EatLocalYXC Festival

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

The City of Cranbrook, along with its partners, are excited to announce the first annual #LiveLocal #EatLocalYXC Festival kicking off Oct. 22, 2020.

“There is no question, 2020 has forced many in our business community across the region, to innovate and manage some pretty unique situations,” said Darren Brewer, Cranbrook’s Business Development officer.

“The City, along with our colleagues within Ktunaxa and Kimberley, have been watching the trends to see how our entrepreneurs, producers and creators are going to be successful through this year and going forward,” Brewer added.

Consider some of these facts:

  • Several studies have found there has been a huge spike in Canadians’ collective screen time. A September 2020 Harvard Business Review reports social media, video and content marketing are THE forms of communication for business in our “new normal.”
  • According to Statistic Canada, year-over-year, e-commerce sales have more than doubled, reporting a 110.8 per cent increase since May 2019.

The #LiveLocal #EatLocalYXC Festival capitalizes on these trends by empowering Ktunaxa, Cranbrook and Kimberley’s entrepreneurs, producers and creators with digital media education and promotion allowing them to harness the changing landscape of e-commerce.

“Digital media education is critical for our business community in 2020,” said Janice Alpine, #LiveLocal festival partner and director of the Kootenay Aboriginal Business Development Agency (KABDA). “They need to be able to do more online that generates awareness and ultimately sales.”

Launching Thursday, Oct. 22 and running through Nov. 12, 2020, those who shop local across our three communities are invited to “tune in” to a series of Facebook LIVE events, hosted by Cranbrook, Kimberley and Ktunaxa’s business community on their Facebook pages. The collection of Facebook lives includes virtual tours and the ability to “go behind the scenes” at some of our top regional offerings.

The City has partnered with the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce, Kimberley, and District Chamber of Commerce, KABDA, the City of Kimberley, Cranbrook Tourism and Community Futures East Kootenay to make this unique experience a reality.  Thanks to Columbia Basin Trust for funding a portion of the initiative.

“We’ve recruited Seekers Media to support the Festival’s production, a Western Canadian award winner in advancing local business opportunities through social and digital media,” said Brewer. He added Cranbrook Economic Development has been following the success of Seekers Media’s efforts in Alberta, which garnered them the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association award.

“With this template, we knew it would be a perfect fit for our community’s strategy in supporting our small business,” added Brewer.

Seekers Media founder Jim Barr explained the process, in which businesses are encouraged to join the free festival, where they will receive one-on-one training on the art of using their smartphone as a content generation and business development tool. “With an increased online presence, this template has shown increased sales for those participating, while encouraging more people to #LiveLocal and shop local,” Barr said.

For more about #LiveLocal #EatLocalYXC, check out the event’s Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/events/451960912446796/.

For those businesses interested in learning more, they are encouraged to reach out to KABDA or to the Cranbrook and Kimberley Chambers of Commerce, but do not delay as space is limited.

Regional Economic Summit in Cranbrook Focuses on Strategies to Strengthen Regional Economy

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

Understanding the economic climate post COVID-19, and the creation of regional economic development strategies is behind a collaborative strategic planning session held in Cranbrook last week.

The roundtable held on July 29 at the Cranbrook History Centre was led by Mayor Lee Pratt, Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick and Canal Flats Mayor Karl Sterzer was designed to help develop a series of recommendations on investment attraction for the City and the region’s economic development programs.

The session focus was on understanding the current state of the energy, forestry, mining, aerospace and defense sectors in Cranbrook and region.

“This was one of many steps we are taking to determine what type of investment in the region is best suited to attract,” says Mayor Pratt. “Meetings like this and others will help us target realistic economic development goals.”


“Creating real economic impact in a rural region is difficult; the leadership from this group is strong and determined to make things happen,” says Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick.


“We are looking forward to the continued collaboration with all forms of business, other local governments, First Nations, and the RDEK to bring to pass jobs and economic success in our region,” says Canal Flats Mayor Karl Sterzer.

Other participants in the summit included: College of the Rockies, the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST), the Columbia Lake Technology Centre, the Columbia Broadband Corporation, the Canadian Rockies International Airport, and several regional business leaders.

The City of Cranbrook received over $113,600.00 in additional funding for economic development Initiatives in 2020 highlighted by an $80,000 award from the Ministry of Forest, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (MFLNRORD) for Economic Resiliency Initiatives – Post-COVID and $33,600.00 from CanExport for the creation of a foreign direct investment strategy.

“While COVID has been a challenge for all of us in the valley, it’s not all bad news. For example, the City of Cranbrook Building Permits over the last 5 years is over $210 million compared to $133 million the previous 5 years, We are on pace for the best year in a ten year period with 2020 estimated to be at over $55 million,” says Darren Brewer, Business Development Officer for the City of Cranbrook. “We are lucky to have had this wave of momentum, our downtown is looking better, and the Tembec lands project holds a lot promise. Our future looks bright and this Summit was a great first step in our planning post COVID.”

City Launches New Development Guide to Help Navigate Municipal Applications & Processes

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

The City of Cranbrook has launched its new development guide – a document that provides a one-stop location for information related to development applications and processes.

The guide is made up of colour-coded individual sections and fact sheets of information that have also been combined into one comprehensive twenty-five (25) page guide. 

“This is something we have been asking for some time, and I am very pleased to see that is has been developed,” says Mayor Lee Pratt. “With the increase in our building permit numbers and interest from developers both local and from outside the city this will be very helpful in navigating the various procedures and expected timelines.”

Each section provides detailed background information, flow charts and descriptions for each of the development application  process and other development related information a person might encounter in the City of Cranbrook.

To access the development guide, visit our website at www.cranbrook.ca/business/development-guide.

Council Reviews Extension Of 2020 Property Tax Penalty Deadline for Business to October 1st

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

Commercial properties (light industrial, business, and recreation/non-profit) in Cranbrook will have an extra three months to pay their 2020 property tax to the City without penalty up to October 1, 2020.

The due date for all property owners remains July 2. Late payment penalties will be applied to unpaid balances on July 3rd for residential, utility and farm properties. The later penalty date of October 1 enacted by the Province, applies to commercial properties only.

In a communique issued on April 16, 2020, the Province announced temporary changes to the property tax framework including measures to provide financial support for businesses. The Province has postponed the application of late payment penalties for property tax on commercial properties to October 1, 2020. The Province has also reduced the school tax rate for commercial properties resulting in a tax savings of approximately 11% for a typical commercial property in Cranbrook.

Council reviewed the temporary changes to the Provincial property tax framework at their regular meeting Monday night and endorsed a July 2 property tax due date for all properties.

The City is strongly encouraging all property owners, including businesses, who can pay, to pay their taxes by the July 2 due date.


The Province has indicated that these are initial steps. They will continue to monitor the situation closely and will make further adjustments or take additional action to ensure the right tools and measures are in place to maintain service delivery of critical local government services and that all local governments remain financially sustainable.

“As about 62.5% of the City’s operating costs are paid for by tax revenue, the timing of the receipt of that revenue is very important. The City has several large contractual obligations including remittances to other public authorities, that have been structured for payment after July 2nd. The City needs to ensure that adequate cashflow is available to meet those obligations and to continue to fund operations for, not only the next six months to December 31, but also to fund operations for the first six months of 2021,” says Charlotte Osborne, Chief Financial Officer for the City of Cranbrook.

“Keeping with a property tax due date of July 2nd and penalty date of July 3 for non-commercial property owners and incorporating the Provinces October 1st penalty date for commercial property owners, will help to minimize risks to the City’s cash position and ensure its financial sustainability,” Osborne adds.

If you have questions, please contact our Finance department by calling 250-489-0233 or 311.

All City property tax notices for 2020 are scheduled to be mailed out in mid-May.

Council Endorses Plan to Defer More Than $7.3 Million In Projects In 2020

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

In an effort to help reduce costs in the municipality during the COVID-19 pandemic, Council endorsed a plan Monday night which defers more than $7.3 million dollars in projects. Most of these projects will be carried forward to 2021.

The Industrial Land Development (ILD) projects, which included construction of deep and shallow utilities, and gravel road installation, have been removed from the 2020 budget, for the time being, due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 situation. Approximately $566,000 of that budget will be reallocated back to the 2020 Capital Works Program. The City is diligently working to complete the subdivision and environmental assessment processes of this project. The ILD project will come back for discussion during the 2021 – 2025 budget deliberations.

“Council and staff worked diligently on identifying the essential and non-essential items or projects for the balance of this year. We know that some decisions are not going to be popular, but rest assured they were necessary. The citizens best interests were always considered,” says Mayor Lee Pratt.

Key projects that will continue in 2020 are the capital works program, which includes the annual road rehabilitation program, water, sanitary and storm sewer works. Western Financial Place roof, replacement of the brine chiller, and the replacement of boards at both WFP and Kinsmen arenas, will move forward. The water quality asset management plan, wheeled excavator replacement, and the Joseph Creek sediment control and channel construction will also be completed.

“While a lot of work went into identifying priority projects for the 2020 – 2024 Five Year Financial Plan, the City needed to take steps to ensure that sufficient liquidity levels could be maintained to protect against reduced cash flows due to COVID-19,” says Charlotte Osborne, Director of Finance with the City of Cranbrook. “Projects that could be temporarily deferred without increasing risk to people or other city owned assets, and where the City would not lose out on grant funding, were identified and reviewed with Council.  These projects will not be acted on in 2020 but will be carried forward to 2021.  If it becomes necessary to free up funds to temporarily finance operations until cash flow improves, some of these projects may be eliminated from the budget and would need to be brought back during a later budget cycle for reconsideration.”

“This move represents good financial management and will help the City be able to continue to provide services to the residents, meet its contractual obligations and be better able to deal with potential emergencies such as flood or wildfire events,” Osborne adds.

In all, $8.54 million is earmarked for projects to proceed, with another $6.36 million to be expended on projects that are already underway or will be completed in 2020. $4.71 million in new projects have been deferred. $2.62 million in other projects are being monitored and if the situation changes or is not as bad as anticipated may be brought forward for completion in this year.

“I am extremely happy with the Council and staff on all their efforts put forth in this exercise. I also ask the citizens and general public to be patient and understanding during these unprecedented times,” says Mayor Pratt, adding, “together we will get through this.”

Council Approves Waiving of Some Monthly Downtown Parking Fees Until End of June

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

Customers who lease parking spaces downtown Cranbrook will have their monthly fees suspended retroactive from April 1 until June 30, 2020, after a decision of Council at their regular meeting Monday.

The decision was made in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic and is to help reduce the financial burden on residents who work downtown and may have had their work hours reduced or have been laid off. The City will also be suspending the need for payment at all metered parking spots through the downtown for the same period.


The current cost of a monthly parking stall downtown is $35 plus tax per month and this decision of Council waives that fee temporarily.

“The Council is pleased to provide this relief and exemption for parking fees during this COVID-19 crisis,” says Mayor Lee Pratt.  “We are deeply concerned for our business community and their employee’s success and well-being during this time. We are endeavoring to help where we are able to under the Legislation and Community Charter guidelines.”

For more information or if you have questions about the parking fee suspension, please call us at 311.

Working Hard to Support Our Community During This Pandemic: Statement from Mayor Pratt

Posted on by Omar Trujillo

his COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all into unprecedented and uncharted situations.

I want to assure you that our City staff are doing everything they can to provide the services our business community and our residents deserve. We want to make sure all our staff are kept safe and have closed City Hall to the public and some employees are working from home. Those that are not, are practicing all the suggestions from the BC Public Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. I want to thank our staff, our emergency responders, such as paramedics, fire department employees and local RCMP for their efforts. Also, a big thanks to our health care workers who are under a lot of stress and working diligently for all of us.

We have been receiving a lot of calls and correspondence demanding we do some things and asking us why we are not doing or enforcing some others. Most of these are under the jurisdiction of the provincial and Federal Governments and their respective Public Health Officers. We do have limited authority.

We must abide by the rules and directives these authorities provide. Complicating the issue is that we have no idea how long this is going to last and consequently cannot answer a lot of the questions we are receiving. This is not that we are ignoring these calls – we just simply do not have any answers currently.

The Emergency Operations Centre is doing a very good job coordinating all the efforts of everyone involved and keeping the public informed. You can receive daily updates on our website.

We have also set up an Economic Resiliency Task Force with several working groups. These groups have all the necessary stakeholders involved. The goal is to help our business community with the necessary information during the pandemic and establish a plan to help everyone get back to normal as quickly as possible after the pandemic. In the meantime, we ask for your patience and cooperation.

Last night (April 7) Council passed a bylaw regarding the payment of our utility accounts which were due April 30, 2020. We have extended the deadline for payment to June 30 and have waived the 2% late penalty charge to after June 30, 2020. This will provide relief for residents and businesses by allowing two additional months to make payment. The next utility bill will be mailed out at the end of July.

Council and staff are also drafting a bylaw to deal with the payment of property taxes and giving some relief. We are restricted by legislation as to what we can do. We will do what we can. We are also in daily contact with the Province encouraging them to possibly change the restrictions that are in place today. Hopefully they will announce something before the end of April.

A big thank you to all the citizens of Cranbrook who are social distancing and implementing the good health practices given by our Public Health Officers.

Let’s continue to practice the protocols in place and get through this together.

Mayor Lee Pratt

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