Cranbrook Mayor Wayne Price says the city has made progress in its push against homelessness and crime, with more planned for the future.
Price says this is thanks to a collaborative effort from various community organizations and levels of government.
“We started the Homelessness Taskforce and I’m pretty pleased with how that came together. We have all of the agencies and non-profit organizations that work with the homeless population coming together,” said Price.
“I’ve seen the members of this group and the community all working together with common goals.”
The Homelessness Taskforce created a report with action items and recommendations for governments and agencies to act on.
The Task Force was originally meant to be disbanded after the report was completed in September, but plans have changed.
“I’m really impressed with this group and I’m really happy to say all of the members have decided to stay on and work on these action items,” said Price.
Price says there have been improvements in the community’s homelessness issues, even though some residents may not notice it.
“At this point in time, I believe we have just 17 people in tents in the city. The rest of them are in the motel or have found other housing, so we know we are making some strides,” said Price.
“Let’s be honest, we know we are not going to solve the problem. It’s a long-term issue, but it’s about trying to make a little bit of a difference in our community, and I think we’ve done that.”
The Mayor says Cranbrook has come a long way since 2023.
“Along the Ridgeway berm, I think there was something like 30 or so tents down there and it was really impacting businesses in that area,” said Price.
“If you look now, most days there are none, there may be two or three but we’re moving them along. I know that it’s visually better, but working with these agencies, they say they’re seeing an improvement.”
However, community safety is still a major concern for residents says the Mayor.
“We know the homeless population is responsible for a percentage of the crime, but it’s not just them who are creating crime in the community,” said Price.
“I’m optimistic with a new tool that we’re bringing forward in the new year. We’ll be working with the RCMP, but I can’t speak too much about it just yet, but I think it will really make a difference.”
He says the city will have to get creative as a means to further deter and prevent crime in the community.
“I think we have to step outside of the box and look at pilot programs on how the city can aid the RCMP,” said Price.
“We know we have limited resources and so does the RCMP. They’re doing everything they can with what they got, and we hope this program we’re looking at developing will assist them going forward.”
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