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Kimberley RCMP report 750% increase in shoplifting
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On April 13, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councilors Sue Cairns, Kevin Dunnebacke, Diana Fox, Woody Maguire, and Jason McBain were present along with Mayor Don McCormick. Coun. Sandra Roberts was absent.
An archive of the meeting can be viewed on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here.
RCMP Quarterly Report
Sgt. Dan Biggs, Kimberley RCMP Detachment commander, presented council with an update on RCMP activities from January to March 2026.
He noted a “slight increase” in total calls for service compared to Q3. During Q4, the RCMP received 409 calls for service compared to 391 last quarter. Year over year, the 2025 calls for service were similar to 2024 with around 2000 calls per year.
Sgt. Biggs noted “shoplifting has increased quite a bit.”
In 2023, there were 10 shoplifting files. In 2024 that dropped to four. Then in 2025, shoplifting jumped to 30 files. A “750% increase from the previous year.”
Primary targets have been BC Liqour Store, Shoppers Drug Mart and SaveOn Foods. He said there are “a lot of repeat clients.”
Sgt. Biggs reported two seizures of illegal drugs. The first occurred in early January when “approximately three ounces of cocaine, one ounce of fentanyl and six ounces of methamphetamine were seized out of a backpack around Church Avenue.”
The other incident also occurred in January when a search warrant was executed on Ritchie Street. “A quantity of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine was seized.”
Both investigations are ongoing.
Sgt. Biggs also spoke about “three incidents in the last four months” where vehicles have “fled” from RCMP. One incident saw a fleeing vehicle ram into an RCMP cruiser.
On Friday, April 10, a stolen F-150 out of Cranbrook was “spike belted here {Kimberley]. The people bailed and took off.” This investigation continues.
Commenting on these types of serious files, Sgt. Biggs said, “We seem to be getting more of them in the last little while.”
Property Tax Rates For 2026
Chief Financial Officer Krista Waite presented council with the Tax Rates Bylaw for the coming year.
She said, “Council approved a 3.23% increase that is applied across all property assessment classes except the light industrial class.”
The latter class will see an “additional 10%” increase in property taxes. Historically, Kimberley has the lowest tax rate on the light industrial class compared to other BC municipalities.
“The intent behind this adjustment is to gradually lesson the tax burden on residential properties without discouraging future development on light industrial properties,” she said.
Waite noted that projected 2026 tax revenue is expected to be just over $15 million.
The average single-family dwelling is assessed at $598,426 for 2026. It was $572,175 in 2025. The property taxes for 2026 would be $3,212.53.
As part of property taxation, the City of Kimberley is obligated to collect taxes for the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). The RDEK tax request amounts to a 9.02% increase over 2025. The city will pay RDEK just over $1.3 million.
Also, part of the city’s tax obligation is to collect taxes for the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District (KERHD). Waite noted that the KERHD requisition is “just over $1.2 million, which is a 16.01% increase over 2025.” She told council the large increases over the past few years were due to “increased contributions to the reserve funds” which are being used to pay for the Dr. FW Green Memorial Home and the expansion of the Oncology/Renal units at the regional hospital.
Using the chart below, Waite showed council a breakdown of where property taxes are being distributed.
Payment of property taxes is due July 2. After that date, any outstanding balance will be subject to a 10% penalty.
Kimberley city council assembles twice monthly starting at 7 p.m.
The next regular council meeting: April 27.
e-KNOW and City of Kimberley file photos
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