news

Cranbrook, BC (March 18, 2020) – The City of Cranbrook continues to work closely with Interior Health and the provincial government to monitor the COVID-19 situation and respond appropriately.

Due to the latest updates regarding reducing the potential for transmission of the infection, the decision has been made to close all City of Cranbrook offices and facilities to the public and suspend face-to-face counter services effective Thursday March 19, 2020 until further notice. This includes City Hall, Building and Bylaw Services, Public Works and the Cranbrook Fire Hall.

“We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause but we appreciate your understanding as we work to protect the health of all of our citizens and of course our employees,” says Mayor Lee Pratt. “We have a committee formed to deal with all situations which may arise from the COVID-19 pandemic and will be proactive in making some well informed decisions as necessary.”

This reduction in public access follows the closure of Western Financial Place, the aquatic centre, the Memorial and Kinsmen arenas and the Cranbrook Public Library announced on Monday March 16, 2020.

Services including water treatment and delivery, fire and emergency response and garbage collection will not be affected. It is important for residents to remember to please ensure that there is no loose garbage or open garbage bags left out on your collection day, otherwise it will not be picked up. This is an important step to ensure the health and safety of our collection team.

City staff will continue to work both remotely and in their offices during regular business hours to provide service to our residents, including building inspection, land use planning, bylaw, tax and utility payments and other services. Staff will respond to public inquiries and requests by both phone and email. You are also encouraged to access City information on our website at www.cranbrook.ca.

The City has also postponed the regular meeting of City Council set for Monday March 23. All scheduled meetings going forward will be assessed on a meeting-by-meeting basis to determine if they will be held or not.

If you have bills to pay, you can mail your payment or use the drop off box located at the front of City Hall. You can also pay online using our online payment portal or through your bank.

Property owners who are on pre-authorized payment plans for utility bills, withdrawals will continue to be made on the first of every second month with the next payment scheduled for April 1, 2020. Property owners with pre-authorized payments for property taxes, those will continue the 15^th of each month. If you wish to cancel or put these payments on hold, please call 250-489-0233.

Meantime, the Canadian Rockies International Airport remains in operation, closely following the protocols laid out by the Federal Government, in order to continue to provide service to regularly scheduled flights that remain. Office hours to the public are limited, but some airport administration staff remain working remotely and are answering phone calls and emails from the public.

The airport restaurant has chosen to remain open for now with reduced capacity and greater distance between tables and may close by the end of the week. The airport vending machines will continue to be monitored and fully stocked.

It is important for those individuals who are continuing to fly and need to know about the status of their flights, to please contact their airline directly  - not the office of the Canadian Rockies International Airport.

We encourage you to visit https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-feature/coronavirus-disease-covid-19 for the latest information on COVID-19.

We are a strong, caring community well known for looking out for one another and looking after those in need. We encourage you to check in on and support your neighbours, share supplies, and please don’t hoard products and goods by buying only what you need.

We appreciate the community’s continued patience and understanding during this difficult time as we work together to ensure the well-being of everyone in our community and help slow the spread of COVID-19.