Creston residents have voted against becoming a city.
In 2024, Creston Town Council directed staff to conduct a public survey to solicit feedback from residents on whether the town should reclassify itself from a town to a city.
Creston’s population exceeded 5,000 in 2011, making it eligible for city status. Census data collected in 2024 estimates the town’s population at 6,166.
A civic document states that potential benefits of municipal reclassification include fostering economic development, attracting more business, enhancing visibility, and gaining federal and provincial advocacy for emergent community needs.
A public survey was conducted from April 9, 2025, to May 9, 2025. The results were presented to council on May 27.
Survey results
A total of 218 residents took part in the survey, with 61.9 per cent opposing the reclassification process.
Just 24.8 per cent voted in favour, with the remaining respondents either unsure or having no opinion.
Municipal Services Director Kirsten Dunbar told councillors that those who voted against shared concerns about how an expanded population would increase crime and other perceived urban problems, as well as a fear of losing the small-town feel of Creston.
“The prevalent theme that came through was the close-knit feeling that respondents didn’t want to see dissolved. There was also some fear around increased taxes, but municipal classification and taxes are not linked. There’s no change to council, and there’s no increase in legislative responsibilities that council would have to take on as a result of becoming a city.”
Other concerns included lack of land for industrial development, resistance to further growth, and satisfaction with the town’s current status.
Next steps
Based on the results, staff recommended that the town refrain from moving forward with the reclassification process, which councillors largely agreed with.
However, Councillor Norm Eisler pointed out the potential for increased funding opportunities if Creston becomes a city in the future.
“When I was looking at the survey, one thing I thought of is the potential for more grant funding, and I think that would change people’s perceptions if we clarified that with something like this.”
Dunbar said Creston would benefit from increased provincial and federal funding as a city, but noted it would take time to see the benefits.
“When provincial and federal bodies look at granting, they focus on where it would have the most impact. So part of changing to a city is also acknowledging that we are growing, that we are an economic hub for the surrounding area, and that we benefit a wider community than just the town. But it would take time for us to get there.”
For Councillor Carolyn Hawton, her biggest takeaway from the results was the general perception around taxation, saying the town should use the findings as an opportunity to provide clarification.
“There were lots of comments suggesting that if we become a city, our taxes will increase because of that designation. Maybe a bit more clarifying information is needed, because those concerns were prominent in many of the responses.”
She said the same could be done to clarify how the town applies for grants and why it qualifies for the grants it receives.
While council won’t move forward with the reclassification process at this time, Councillor Keith Baldwin said it could be revisited in the future but echoed Councillor Hawton’s comments about providing more clarification on the implications.
“Clearly, it’s not the right time to push this at this point. But this process was very helpful to us. Let’s take some time; there is no time limit to do this, and there is also an opportunity to do a better job of clarifying what it would mean and why we could do it,” said Baldwin.
“Getting 218 people who felt one way or the other is fantastic. It’s not about the actual percentages. Yes, more people at the moment are opposed, but that just means we have to do a better job of explaining the implications.”
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