Dear editor:
The faces of most of Cochrane town council should be red with embarrassment following last week’s provincial announcement of $187 million for GreenTRIP transit projects in the Calgary region.
Transportation Minister Brian Mason announced $162 million for Calgary alone; for Airdrie, $12.6 million; Canmore, $5.9 million; Banff, $5.9 million.
And, for Cochrane? Zilch, nada, not a red cent.
That’s because when this council took office in 2013, the majority decided to shelve public transit planning, reject help for the many people needing public transit and ignore the environmental advantages and efficiencies that public transit brings.
This has left Cochrane seriously lagging in preparing for public transit. Money may be available in future years for further GreenTRIP support.
But, during tougher economic times, don’t bet on it.
In the meantime, most of council fell in love with this crazy, wavy pool idea – a facility, by the way, that many Cochrane people won’t be able to access without regular transit service.
When you see what other communities smaller than us are doing – Canmore, for example, is already increasing the frequency of service from Canmore to Banff, and adding to its local service – then it’s hard not to feel embarrassment at how far behind we are.
This is indeed a black mark on our community. Plea to council and administration: Get on board for this crucial community service.
Andy Marshall
