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Cranbrook, BC (April 7, 2025) – Continual concerns around patron, staff and facility safety at Western Financial Place due to issues with youth congregating in common spaces both inside and outside have forced the City to make some changes within the facility recently.

In an administration update to Council at their regular meeting on Monday night, staff highlighted and discussed many of the ongoing issues staff and security deal with on a daily basis. Incidents like drugs and alcohol with intoxicated youth passing out or entering the facility under the influence, vandalizing tables, murals and washrooms and creating unnecessary disturbances in the building with horseplay, vaping and smoking, yelling and swearing. The City has also contracted security services for an additional cost of $70,000 per year to try to help mitigate these problems.

Since early last summer, staff have removed the tables under the gazebo beside the children’s playground and in March 2025 removed the tables and chairs in the concourse area of Western Financial Place to help deter this unwanted congregation of people creating issues. These furniture pieces had become unsafe over years of use, abuse and vandalism. Once the restaurant lease spaces are filled and operating, staff intend on putting up portable tables and chairs for the public to use to enjoy the food and drink being sold.

“The goal of these changes is to improve the landscape of Western Financial Place to bring the facility back to a much more enjoyable and safe space for our patrons and employees to be able to enjoy the rec facilities,” says Trevor Thors, Director of Recreation and Culture. “Our staff regularly act as security to deal with many of these issues, which creates both an unsafe environment for our staff, and takes away their ability to focus on the important work they should be doing day-to-day.”

Administration at Western Financial Place is working closely with both School District 5 and the Cranbrook RCMP detachment to find ways to both curb and deter this kind of activity.

“Aside from the removal of public Wi-Fi to deter the youth loitering inside and outside the building, we are working with the School District to help get youth back to class, and working to have the RCMP patrol the facility on a regular basis,” says Thors. “We need to get back to a place where parents with small children, patrons coming to Western Financial Place for classes and programming, and our staff can all have full access to our facility without feeling intimidated.”