Cranbrook budget survey closes Oct. 2 with hospice land question
A City of Cranbrook map shows the proposed hospice building and parking area on the Mount Baker RV Campground property. The lower western portion of the site cannot accommodate buildings because of a statutory right-of-way containing a sewer main.
Photo credit: City of Cranbrook
CRANBROOK — Cranbrook residents have until Friday, Oct. 2 to respond to the City’s 2027 budget survey, which this year includes questions about whether municipal land should be donated for a proposed 10-bed hospice house and where that facility should be located.
The annual consultation also asks residents about community safety, policing, taxes and City services. Results from both the City’s random-sample survey and a separate survey open to all residents are expected to go to the newly elected mayor and council on Nov. 23, ahead of 2027 budget discussions.
The City mailed what it describes as a statistically valid survey to 1,600 randomly selected residents. A separate public-opinion version is available online to all Cranbrook residents, with paper copies available at City Hall.
The two sets of results will be reported separately. The City says responses are anonymous and will be compiled by an independent firm. Its published 2027 survey material does not provide enough detail to independently describe any weighting formula or other statistical adjustments used for the random sample.
Among the questions this year is a land request connected to the proposed Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice House.
The City says the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society has requested the Mount Baker RV Campground property for the proposed 10-bed facility. Residents are asked whether they support donating that property and are also asked about five possible locations identified through the City’s review.
Those sites are the Frost Property at 500 16th Ave. S.; the Highlands Lot at 600 30th Ave. S.; a portion of the Baker RV Campground at 1501 1st St. S.; the Slaterville Parcel at 600 5th St. NW; and an area associated with the south parking lot at the Kinsmen Quad Ball Park, 1700 Willowbrook Dr.
The campground parcel is separate from Baker Park. According to the City, Baker Park is legally protected as a park and is outside the hospice land request. The City has also identified a statutory right-of-way containing a sewer main on the lower western portion of the campground property where buildings cannot be constructed.
Council approved public consultation on the five possible land-donation locations July 27. Mayor Wayne Price later invoked the reconsideration process, and council reaffirmed the consultation decision Aug. 10.
A final site decision remains outstanding. Council has also not completed a land donation or the land-use approvals that would be required for a hospice development.
The City says that if council later decides to proceed in principle with donating a site, rezoning would involve additional public consultation and public hearings. The current survey is intended to inform council’s decision rather than determine the outcome on its own.
The City’s current background chronology describes July 13 correspondence from the Hospice Society as a request for a donation of City land, while the survey wording says the society formally requested the Mount Baker RV Campground property.
Beyond the hospice issue, the survey is part of Cranbrook’s preparations for its 2027 budget and asks residents to identify priorities involving municipal services, public safety and taxation.
The City says both the random-sample and open-survey results will be presented at the Nov. 23 regular council meeting and posted publicly. Cranbrook has not published a specific closing hour for the Oct. 2 deadline.
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