Priorities for Cumberland

Cumberland has a lot going for it. We also have a lot coming due at once.

Our infrastructure is aging. Major water and wastewater projects require long-term planning. Growth is changing the demands on our roads, utilities and community facilities. We may soon cross the 5,000-person threshold that changes how policing is funded. At the same time, residents are already feeling financially stretched.

We won't be able to do everything at once.

I believe the next Council needs to have an honest conversation with residents about the services we expect, what those services really cost, and what we can afford. We need to take care of what previous generations built, plan further ahead, and be clear about the trade-offs involved in the decisions we make.

My priorities are centred on infrastructure, fiscal sustainability and transparent decision-making.

Priorities at a Glance

Take Care of What We Already Have

Maintain roads, pipes, facilities and parks with realistic lifecycle planning.

Plan Major Infrastructure Before It Becomes an Emergency

Plan early so Cumberland has more time, more options and fewer surprises.

Be Clear About Taxes, Services and Affordability

Understand service costs, affordability and the long-term consequences of today’s decisions.

Prepare for the Next Stage of Public Safety

Prepare for changing policing responsibilities with a focus on safety, prevention and effective service.

Make Growth and Economic Development Work for Cumberland

Support a healthy year-round economy, protect what makes Cumberland special, and ensure growth creates lasting value.

Open and Understandable Government

Explain costs and trade-offs clearly, involve residents earlier and make Village decisions easier to understand.

Read the full priorities below ↓

1. Take Care of What We Already Have

Roads, water mains, sewer and stormwater systems, buildings, parks and other Village assets represent generations of investment. Maintaining them isn't optional, and waiting until something fails is usually the most expensive way to deal with it.

Cumberland already uses asset information to help plan capital work, but the Village acknowledges that it does not yet have a complete asset-management program. Current models are still being updated, condition assessments are needed, and further work is planned to determine Cumberland's long-term infrastructure funding requirements.

The numbers we do have show why this matters. The Village's 2026 budget material still refers to a 2019 Asset Investment Plan that estimated approximately $150.4 million in Village-owned assets and suggested, based on industry-standard lifecycles rather than Cumberland-specific condition information, that approximately $3.6 million per year would be required for eventual asset replacement. The Village itself notes that this information needs to be updated through the asset-management process.

I want Cumberland to develop a comprehensive understanding of:

what assets we own;
what condition they are actually in;
what services they provide and at what level;
which assets create the greatest risk if they fail;
when major maintenance or replacement is likely to be required;
what realistic future replacement costs will be; and
what we should be putting aside now instead of leaving the entire bill to a future Council.

Asset Management BC describes essentially the same questions for elected officials: what services assets support, what condition they are in, what maintaining and renewing them will cost, whether there is a sustainable funding plan, and how those choices are communicated to residents.

A new road, sidewalk or pipe doesn't stop costing us money when construction ends. We inherit decades of maintenance, operation and eventual replacement.

Those future costs should be understood when the original decision is made.

Water main replacement on First Street

Repairs to leaking fasteners on the Recreation Centre roof

Penrith looking East

Penrith Avenue is a useful example of the challenge facing Cumberland

The approved 2026 budget contained approximately $1.119 million for the Penrith Avenue road and utility work between First and Fourth Streets. By June 2026, the engineer's estimate for the planned work had reached approximately $2.643 million, a difference of more than $1.52 million. Staff recommended separating Penrith from the 2026 construction program while the design, scope and funding are reconsidered.

This isn't a construction cost overrun. The project hasn't been built yet. It is a significant gap between the financial plan and the more developed project estimate.

Staff identified several contributing factors, including expansion of the project scope, higher material and construction costs, and delays in updating asset-management estimates.

Penrith also raises a larger question about service levels.

If underground water, sewer and storm infrastructure needs replacement, what should we rebuild above it? How much sidewalk, curb, gutter, landscaping and formalized parking do residents want? What does each option cost to construct? What will it cost to maintain for the next 50 or 70 years?

First Street's recent reconstruction includes underground utility replacement, sidewalks on both sides, curbs and gutters, formalized parking and pedestrian improvements. Those features have benefits, but every additional asset also has an eventual maintenance and replacement cost. I've also heard concerns from residents about how changes were communicated, including from people who say they did not understand how parking in front of their homes would be affected until construction was underway. Major street projects should involve residents early enough that they understand the choices being considered and how those choices may affect them.

I don't think the answer should automatically be the cheapest street possible, nor should every reconstruction automatically receive the highest level of improvement we can design.

What level of service does this street need, and what can Cumberland sustainably afford?

2. Plan Major Infrastructure Before It Becomes an Emergency

Good infrastructure planning should tell us what Cumberland's next major capital problem is years before it becomes urgent.

The No. 2 Dam is a good example.

The dam and spillway have been identified for replacement because of a significant failure classification. The current project estimate is approximately $7.175 million. Cumberland has secured $4.475 million from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and another $2.7 million from the Strategic Priorities Fund, meaning senior-government funding now covers the current estimated project cost. Detailed design is underway, with construction anticipated in summer 2027.

That's a very positive outcome for Cumberland.

But the larger lesson shouldn't be limited to one dam.

A strong asset-management program should help future Councils identify major needs early enough to:

assess the condition
understand the risk
forecast the cost
build reserves
pursue grants
complete the work deliberately

rather than discovering the size of the problem when an asset has little useful life remaining.

The same approach applies to roads, underground utilities, buildings, fire equipment, water infrastructure and wastewater facilities.

Long-lived infrastructure also needs to be planned for the conditions it will face over its lifetime. Cumberland has relatively moderate weather, but recent heavy rainfall and flooding have shown the importance of drainage and resilience. When we replace roads, culverts, stormwater systems and other major assets, we should be thinking decades ahead rather than rebuilding solely for yesterday's conditions.

Cumberland has just completed Phase 1 of its largest capital project to date, the wastewater-treatment upgrades. Those improvements became fully operational in March 2026 and are designed to meet provincial and federal treatment requirements.

Major infrastructure will always be expensive. Better information gives us more time and more options.

Cumberland Wastewater Lagoon between Cumberland Road and Ulverston Avenue

Allen Lake, one of our Cumberland water reservoirs

3. Be Clear About Taxes, Services and Affordability

The former Cumberland Fire Hall, Council Chambers, Village Office and Recreation Centre. The Council Chambers have been closed due to a fire.

I don't believe it would be responsible to promise that Cumberland can simply hold property-tax increases to inflation over the next several years.

I wish we were in that position.

We're dealing with aging infrastructure, increasing construction costs, major equipment and facility needs, higher wastewater costs and a likely change in how policing is funded. The Village's current financial planning already shows significant tax pressure in future years, even while increasing contributions to infrastructure and asset-replacement reserves.

Residents are feeling financially pinched too.

That makes this a difficult conversation, but avoiding it doesn't make the costs disappear.

I think Council and residents need to get into better alignment about service levels.

If we want a higher level of service, we need to understand what it costs to provide. If we cannot afford everything, Council needs to be prepared to discuss:

what needs to happen first;
what can reasonably wait;
what level of service residents actually expect;
what risks we're comfortable carrying;
what can be funded through fees rather than general taxation;
and what new commitments we shouldn't take on yet.

Even core services involve trade-offs. For example, current planning for a new quint-ladder fire apparatus identified its future debt repayment as a major component of a planned 2028 tax increase, while staff have also stressed the need to continue increasing infrastructure and facility reserves.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't replace critical fire equipment.

It means Council should show residents the connection between the service we want and the money required to provide it.

My goal would be to move Cumberland toward a position where our costs are better understood, reserves are funded deliberately, major projects are forecast earlier, and tax increases become more predictable.

When an increase is necessary, residents deserve to know:

Why is it needed? What alternatives were considered? What service are we receiving? What result should we expect?

4. Prepare for the Next Stage of Public Safety

Cumberland is approaching an important change in how policing is funded.

BC Statistics projects Cumberland's population at approximately 5,130 in 2026, although the 2026 Census will determine the official population. Under BC's Police Act, municipalities with populations of 5,000 or more become responsible for providing municipal policing. Municipalities between 5,000 and 14,999 that contract for RCMP service generally pay 70% of the applicable RCMP cost base, with the federal government paying the remaining 30%.

Cumberland has been preparing financially for this transition. Village budget material shows a substantial Emergency and Public Safety Reserve and assumes that the Village could begin paying the higher share of policing costs in 2027 if the census confirms the threshold has been crossed.

That's good planning, but the reserve only helps manage the transition. Policing becomes an ongoing municipal responsibility.

If Cumberland is going to pay substantially more for policing, I want us to also discuss what level of service residents should expect.

I would advocate for a more visible and effective RCMP presence in Cumberland.

RCMP reporting for 2025 showed a 19% increase in property-crime files compared with 2024, with mischief-to-property files increasing particularly sharply.

But policing isn't the only answer.

I also want Cumberland to look at ways to prevent problems before they escalate: engaging young people, supporting positive places and activities for teenagers, addressing recurring nuisance behaviour, working with residents who look out for their neighbourhoods, and maintaining a constructive relationship with the RCMP.

The goal isn't simply more policing. The goal is a safer community and better value from the resources we're putting into public safety.

5. Make Growth and Economic Development Work for Cumberland

I want Cumberland to retain the character and sense of community of a small village as it grows, but the pressures for growth aren't going away.

Cumberland's 2024 Housing Needs Report projects a need for approximately 1,350 additional homes by 2041, using the provincially required methodology. BC Statistics also projects the population rising from about 4,655 in 2021 to about 6,660 by 2041.

The Province has also changed the rules municipalities operate under. Cumberland's new zoning bylaw now broadly permits small-scale multi-unit housing, including up to four units on many residential properties, and the new OCP uses an urban containment boundary intended to focus growth closer to existing infrastructure and services.

We shouldn't chase growth simply for the sake of getting bigger.

But we do need to plan for the growth that is coming.

I want that planning to include:

a reasonable mix of housing, because not everyone can afford or needs a detached home;
opportunities for young people, families and seniors to remain in Cumberland;
protection of important green space;
space for future community needs, including schools;
connected walking and cycling routes;
water, sewer, roads and emergency-service capacity;
and development charges that fairly reflect the infrastructure and amenities required by growth.

Cumberland now has both Development Cost Charges and Amenity Cost Charges to help fund growth-related infrastructure and amenities. Those are important tools, but they do not eliminate every future municipal cost.

The edge of development - Lindale Ave and Kendal Ave

Stoneleigh Station, an 84-unit development, added new housing options for Cumberland families

A Healthy Local Economy Matters Too

Economic development should be about more than attracting visitors or simply adding development. I want a vibrant downtown with occupied storefronts, small businesses that can start and grow, and a local economy that remains healthy year-round.

The Village can help by making its own processes predictable and efficient, including clearer permit timelines and service targets, supporting the adaptive reuse of older and heritage buildings where practical, and helping businesses rebuild quickly after major disruptions.

Bevan can broaden Cumberland’s industrial tax base, but economic development should be managed with the same long-term thinking as infrastructure. Growth should create enough lasting value to support the services and assets that come with it.

Think Beyond the Current Development Application

Development agreements can shape a community long after the Council that approved them is gone.

Some of Cumberland's major development agreements and covenants have roots going back many years. The Cayet/Trilogy planning process, for example, began in the mid-2000s, and agreements from that period continue to influence future road, park and development decisions. Village documents have long contemplated that development of those lands could eventually require relocation of the existing BMX track, one of our best community amenities.

That is a reminder that agreements should be written with the long term in mind.

Before an existing public amenity is displaced or a major obligation is accepted, I want Council to understand:

What replaces it? Who pays? Where does it go? When will it be delivered? What happens if development takes twenty years instead of five?

A covenant that makes sense today can still be shaping Cumberland decades later.

Growth Isn't Automatically a Financial Solution

Growth can bring new homes, businesses, jobs and tax revenue, but it also brings long-term infrastructure obligations.

The Village's Bevan Industrial Lands analysis illustrates the challenge. New roads, water and sewer infrastructure may be built as development occurs, but Cumberland can eventually become responsible for maintaining and replacing those assets.

That doesn't make growth bad. It means we need to understand the full lifecycle cost, not just the revenue development generates today.

Growth should leave Cumberland better able to sustain itself, not simply larger.

Read: Growth Is Not Automatically a Financial Solution

Bevan Industrial Lands

6. Open and Understandable Government

Residents shouldn't need to watch hours of meetings or work through hundreds of pages of agenda material to understand what their Village is doing.

Publishing a report online is important, but transparency also means making information understandable.

I would like to see:

engagement while meaningful choices are still available;
more workshop-style opportunities on major long-range decisions where appropriate;
regular updates on large capital projects;
plain-language explanations of major decisions and costs;
better use of the Village website and social media;
proactive release of information where possible; and
clearer reporting on whether Council's priorities are actually being achieved.

Penrith is again a good example.

The Village did engage residents in 2025, with 127 people providing feedback. That input influenced the one-way concept and the project's design. As the project subsequently encountered major cost and design questions, I think residents should be able to follow those changes just as easily as they followed the original proposal.

I would like to see a simple public scorecard for major Village projects:

Approved Budget | Current Estimate | Schedule | Status | Next Step

For Penrith, a resident should be able to quickly see that the budget and current estimate no longer align, understand why, and know what happens next.

The same principle applies to strategic goals.

If Council says something is a priority, residents should be able to see what we've done, what we've spent, what's behind schedule, and what's still outstanding.

One of the things I've tried to do as a resident is take complicated municipal issues and explain them in straightforward language.

I'd bring the same approach to Council.

Public Land Deserves Public Scrutiny

I understand that land negotiations sometimes need to begin in camera. But confidentiality shouldn't mean residents first learn important details through the community rumour mill.

When information can legally be released, I believe it should be released promptly, with enough background for residents to understand what is being considered and why.

I also believe Village-owned parkland should be retained wherever possible. Any proposal to change its use or dispose of public land deserves clear information and meaningful public scrutiny.

The Everyday Things Matter Too

Long-term planning matters, but so do the things residents notice every day.

Potholes, traffic and speeding concerns, safe walking and cycling connections, parking, bylaw issues, and clear communication all affect how people experience their community.

Not every problem requires a major capital project or a complicated solution. Sometimes the answer is a small repair, better signage, a change in how something is managed, or simply responding more clearly when residents raise a concern.

I want the Village to be good at both kinds of work: planning decades ahead for infrastructure and growth while still paying attention to the practical issues people encounter today.

That also means being responsive. Residents shouldn't have to repeatedly chase the Village to find out what is happening on their street, whether a problem has been reported, or what happens next.

Parking is one example. Cumberland's downtown parking study found unused capacity overall, but that doesn't mean every area works well. Parking can still be difficult around places such as the Post Office, Recreation Centre and busy parts of the commercial core, particularly during major events and the tourist season. The right solution may be different in different places, from better signage or time limits to more efficient use of existing spaces or additional dedicated parking where it is genuinely needed.

My approach is straightforward:

Understand the actual problem, look at the evidence, and find the simplest practical solution that works.

Good local government should be capable of planning 50 years ahead while still noticing what frustrates residents today.

We need to do both.

Before I Vote, I Want to Know:

What problem are we trying to solve?
Is this something the Village can realistically solve?
What level of service are we trying to provide?
What is the full lifecycle cost, not just today's price?
What benefit does the community receive?
What risks or obligations are we leaving to future residents?
How will we know whether it worked?

I won't agree with every staff recommendation, and I won't disagree simply for the sake of being different.

My responsibility as a councillor would be to read the material, ask questions, listen to residents and staff, understand the trade-offs, and make the best decision I can with the information available.

Good governance isn't about always having the answer before the meeting starts.

It's about being prepared to ask better questions before making the decision.

Take Care of What We Have. Plan for What Comes Next.

Cumberland has inherited a lot from the generations that came before us: infrastructure, parks, public facilities, a thriving downtown, protected forest and a strong sense of community.

Our responsibility is to take care of that inheritance while preparing for the people who will call Cumberland home next.

I want to bring a practical approach to Council: plan further ahead, understand the real costs, focus on the fundamentals, involve residents early, and make decisions we can explain and sustain.

Have a question or a different perspective? I'd like to hear it.

Contact Kevin Snaden

Sources & Further Reading

I like to support what I write with facts and reliable sources. I want the information I share to be accurate, verifiable and grounded in the actual reports and documents behind the issue. Even when the facts are uncomfortable, they should guide our decision-making. Here are the sources I’ve used: