At a special meeting of council this morning (August 10), City of Cranbrook council reaffirmed its previous vote to move forward with public consultation on potential locations for the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice House – a proposed 10-bed hospice for the region being spearheaded by the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society.

As part of the upcoming 2027 Budget Citizen Survey, set to run from September 8 to October 2, residents will be asked if they support having the Hospice House located potentially at the Mount Baker RV Campground property as requested by the Hospice Society, or located in one of four other potential locations: the Frost lands near St. Mary’s School, in the Highlands area, in the Slaterville area on 5th Street NW or the south area of the Kinsmen Quad Ball Park off Willowbrook Drive.

It is important to recognize that the request is for the RV campground property, not Baker Park, which is legally protected as a park and is not part of this land request, councillors noted following the quick morning vote before a standing-room-only council chambers filled with engaged citizens.

The issue about the future use of Baker Park and area has gripped city residents in the past few weeks.

Mayor Wayne Price noted, “I’ve never seen so much correspondence” on a given issue in the time he’s been mayor.

The upcoming public survey will have a link to a website the city will create to have all the information about the request and the options, and all relevant background information.

The public will be asked the following questions:

On July 13, 2026, the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society formally requested of the City of Cranbrook to donate the Mount Baker RV Campground property for the purpose of building a 10-bed Hospice House. For clarity, the Hospice Society’s request is for the RV campground area only, not to be confused with Baker Park, which is legally protected as a park. Do you support the donation of the Mount Baker RV Campground property to the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society? Yes or no.

At a regular meeting on July 27, council directed city staff to seek input from the public about the potential donation of the Mount Baker RV Campground property, or four possible alternative locations for a Hospice House. Please consider the following five maps (see below) provided for reference and indicate your preferred location(s).

The results of the survey, along with any input received through any public hearings as part of any potential zoning or Official Community Plan (OCP) amendments later this fall, will help inform the new, incoming Council ahead of making their final decision on the location of the Hospice House.

If there is a future decision to begin the land donation process in principle, that is also subject to more public consultation through the future public hearings on rezoning of the land, where the public will be advised through public notices, and will have a say in rezoning the use as a legislative requirement prior to any rezoning and subsequent possible land donation, pointed out city chief administrative officer Mark Fercho.

 The public survey results are expected to be presented to council on November 23. If the process for land donation in principle continues to move forward, the public hearings would be November or later in the year, or next year.

The Mount Baker RV Campground operates seasonally from April to October and has seen steady use over the past two years. In 2024, the campground recorded 848 visits, with an average of just over five visitors per day and an average stay of just over two nights. In 2025, there were 830 visits and 1,663 total site nights, with an average of just over four visitors per day and an average stay of about one and a half nights.

Gross site rental revenue collected by the contractor was $60,800 in 2024, with the city receiving 10%, or $6,080. In 2025, gross site rental revenue was $67,176.60, with the city’s 10% share totaling about $6,700. These figures provide additional context for residents as they consider the potential future use of the campground property as part of the public engagement process, a city press release explained.

The contractor has an agreement for the 2026 season and there is one more available extension on their contract for the 2027 season. Future extensions will be determined next year.

Watch this morning’s special meeting of council.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW photos

e-KNOW

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