PlaceDossier / BC places / East Kootenay
BC region · regional district
East Kootenay Regional District
Canal Flats, Cranbrook, Elkford, Fernie, Invermere, Kimberley, Radium Hot Springs and Sparwood and 6 electoral areas, 27,678 km² in all. 65,172 people lived in them in 2021, up 9.3% from 2016, not counting First Nations reserves, which the census counts on their own. 8.9% of the land is in the farmland reserve, and 8% has burned in a mapped wildfire since 1996.
Its places
Each place's page has its land, hazards, wells, climate, tax and census facts. Listed by name, not ranked.
| Place | People, 2021 | Land | In the farmland reserve | Burned since 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canal Flats village | 802 | 16 km² | 27% | none |
| Cranbrook city | 20,499 | 32 km² | 12% | none |
| Elkford district municipality | 2,749 | 110 km² | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Fernie city | 6,320 | 16 km² | 0.5% | none |
| Invermere district municipality | 3,917 | 12 km² | 12% | none |
| Kimberley city | 8,115 | 61 km² | 0.5% | none |
| Radium Hot Springs village | 1,339 | 6 km² | 14% | none |
| Sparwood district municipality | 4,148 | 194 km² | 3% | 2% |
| Electoral Area A | 1,875 | 4,628 km² | 2.8% | 6.5% |
| Electoral Area B | 2,011 | 2,858 km² | 22% | 7.2% |
| Electoral Area C | 6,536 | 4,571 km² | 10% | 7.4% |
| Electoral Area E | 1,686 | 4,298 km² | 11% | 7.5% |
| Electoral Area F | 3,521 | 6,171 km² | 8.5% | 12% |
| Electoral Area G | 1,654 | 4,707 km² | 5% | 5.9% |
Land and shares measured by us from the provincial maps (farmland reserve, BC Wildfire Service perimeters) over Statistics Canada's 2021 census subdivisions; people from the 2021 census.
Zoning
Reports for rural lots in the East Kootenay Regional District name the zone from its open zoning map, where 9 bylaws are drawn. Each of its 8 municipalities zones its own land; its page says what we show there.
- Columbia Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 3255, 2023Drawn in Electoral Areas F and G. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Electoral Area E Zoning And Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2502, 2014Drawn in Electoral Areas C and E. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Steeples Zoning Bylaw 2615, 2015Drawn in Electoral Areas C and E. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Electoral Area C Zoning Bylaw No. 2913, 2019Drawn in Electoral Area C. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Elk Valley Zoning Bylaw No. 829, 1990Drawn in Electoral Area A. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Jaffray, Tie Lake, Rosen Lake Land Use And Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 1414, 1999Drawn in Electoral Area B. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- South Country Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2320, 2011Drawn in Electoral Area B. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Sweetwater Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2127, 2009Drawn in Electoral Area B. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
- Wycliffe Zoning & Floodplain Management Bylaw No. 2256, 2010Drawn in Electoral Area C. Its commonest zones are summarised in plain words.
A bylaw is listed for an area where at least 20 ha and 1% of it lies there, measured by us from the regional district's map. Confirm a lot's zone with the East Kootenay Regional District before you buy or build. Every zoning bylaw we cover.
Building permits
Where the East Kootenay Regional District's building inspection covers its electoral areas (Building Regulation Bylaw No. 3254, 2023): there a building permit is needed and the work is inspected.
| Electoral area | Covered by building inspection |
|---|---|
| Electoral Area A | All of the area |
| Electoral Area B | All of the area |
| Electoral Area C | All of the area |
| Electoral Area E | All of the area |
| Electoral Area F | All of the area |
| Electoral Area G | All of the area |
Our reading of the Regional District of East Kootenay's own page, checked 2026-10-07. Inside a municipality, the town or city runs its own building permits; the BC Building Code applies everywhere. Do you need a building permit on rural land?
Wildfire
Since 1990, 48 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in the East Kootenay Regional District's places, in 14 seasons. The largest here:
- 2017White River wildfire26,399 ha in all26,399 ha here
- 2017Kenow Mountain wildfire15,449 ha in all15,436 ha here
- 2017Verdant Creek / Parks Canada wildfire14,155 ha in all14,155 ha here
- 2024Unnamed by the BC Wildfire Service (fire N21014)11,903 ha in all11,903 ha here
- 2017Quinn Creek wildfire11,764 ha in all11,763 ha here
- 2003Unnamed by the BC Wildfire Service (fire N10470)10,892 ha in all10,892 ha here
Each place's page lists every large and smaller mapped fire in it. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.
Major projects
The Environmental Assessment Office's register places 15 major projects in assessment or approved in the East Kootenay Regional District's places.
- Bingay Main CoalIn assessment; in Electoral Area A.
- Crown Mountain Coking CoalIn assessment; in Electoral Area A.
- Fording River Extension Project (Castle)In assessment; in Electoral Area A.
- Michel CoalIn assessment; in Electoral Area A.
- Baldy Ridge ExtensionApproved; in Sparwood.
- Bodie Waste DumpApproved; in Sparwood.
- Cougar South/Main Pits and West Spoil CoalApproved; in Elkford.
- Cranbrook Deep WellsApproved; in Cranbrook.
- Elkhorn Quarry ExtensionApproved; in Electoral Area F.
- Fording River Operations SwiftApproved; in Electoral Area A.
- James White Park WellsApproved; in Fernie.
- Kootenay West MineApproved; in Electoral Area F.
- Line Creek CoalApproved; in Sparwood.
- Line Creek Operations Phase IIApproved; in Electoral Area A.
- McGillivray CoalApproved; in Electoral Area A.
The register places each project at one point; a mine, pipeline or line can reach well past it. Every major project in BC by place.
Check one lot: is it in the ALR? · is it on a floodplain map? · has it burned? · how deep are the wells? · is there room for a septic field? · short-term rentals? · property tax?
Other regions: Alberni-Clayoquot, Bulkley-Nechako, Capital, Cariboo, Central Coast, Central Kootenay, Central Okanagan, Columbia Shuswap, Comox Valley, Cowichan Valley, Fraser Valley, Fraser-Fort George, Kitimat-Stikine, Kootenay Boundary, Metro Vancouver, Mount Waddington, Nanaimo, North Coast, North Okanagan, Okanagan-Similkameen, Peace River, qathet, Squamish-Lillooet, Strathcona, Sunshine Coast, Thompson-Nicola.