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Cranbrook, BC (July 30, 2024) – Homelessness, and the challenges it can create for both homeless individuals and the community has been growing significantly over the past few years in BC, Canada, and the world. Cranbrook is not immune to those challenges. The City of Cranbrook has been taking positive steps to try to alleviate some of these pressures with community partners.

“The issue of homelessness is not getting any better anywhere you go. It’s been an issue in Cranbrook, and it has been growing. Our work through our Social Development Coordinator, our Bylaw Services team, the RCMP, the Mayor’s Task Force On Homelessness, Community Safety and Wellbeing, along with our many local support services and non-profits has done so much to try to lessen the impact of homelessness on businesses and citizens and is what I think is a reasonable solution,” says Mayor Wayne Price. “This is what we have been able to do and will strive to continue to do.”

Up until last year the largest group of those living rough in Cranbrook was beside Ridgeview Road, behind places like McDonald’s and Dairy Queen – a highly visible location with tents and debris in the open for residents and tourists to see, with a lot of challenging interactions between those living there, the nearby businesses and their patrons.  Last year, the City dismantled the tents on Ridgeview, with those living rough choosing to move to other locations, including Moir. 

The current laws in BC ensure that those living rough have the right to have a place to sleep, with some locations being more visible than others, and some have more fire hazards being in forested areas or having no fire truck access. The City has bylaws to discourage camping in some areas, however, the rights for those living rough to sleep on City land exists. No matter where those living rough choose to reside, there will always be challenges. There are other smaller camps near and inside Cranbrook city limits, some with significant fire hazards and no firefighting access. 

The City has improved access for firefighting equipment to the site at Moir, with the creation of a fire guard on that side of the Moir property being installed this week. Planning is also underway to also conduct regular prescribed burns starting in the fall of 2024 to further reduce fire fuels. Council approved financial support to this effort at their regular meeting on July 29, 2024 by transferring $40,000 from the Wildfire Mitigation Reserve to the Fire Protection Mitigation account to help cover the costs of this work.

In partnership with local support organizations and non-profits, RCMP, emergency services, and bylaw services, the City is working together to be supportive of those without homes residing here, while making efforts to be supportive of residents and businesses.

“Until such time as more housing spaces are created and opened for those who are living rough, in tandem with a significant increase in the number of treatment facilities available to those who need it, this situation is never going to improve,” Mayor Price says. “If there was a solution found somewhere, we would simply do that. But there isn’t, so we will continue to work together as a community to try to find ways to improve things for everyone.”