The East Kootenay region city of Cranbrook is home to over 20,000 residents, with a steady population growth of 4.2 per cent from 2011 to 2016. The city is a transportation and educational services hub for the region, home to both the main campus of the College of the Rockies and the Canadian Rockies International Airport. Construction values for 2017 topped $34 million in Cranbrook – up $8 million from the year before. Institutional project values led the way primarily with a $12 million increase in construction value – primarily due to the construction of a new trades training facility at the College of the Rockies. Expansions to Cranbrook’s airport are helping facilitate a continued trend of investment and migration from Alberta, with service to Calgary via WestJet to launch in 2018. Home starts and residential permit values are down year-over-year, though the city’s rental vacancy rate is slowly narrowing.
