Sometimes I seriously wonder why I still believe that being involved in politics can actually do some good.
Take for example council’s current commitment toward public transit. It seems almost everyone has jumped on the ‘it’s not about the money, it’s about Cochrane’s future’ bandwagon.
Before I say more, let me be clear, I am not angry at the decision to proceed with the GreenTRIP feasibility study; other than it took so long to happen, the potential that it might be incomplete and that it appears to have been rushed. I am also in favour of council taking advantage of at least some of the GreenTRIP funding if, and that’s a big if, it’s applied in moderation to grow as our needs grow. I would have preferred having all the data present years ago and to have done some field-testing before making a full commitment to this level of debt. I also question if Cochrane needs the size or the number of buses being proposed.
What I am angry with is that the people who were the most against any public transit and actively blocked any efforts to fairly evaluate when and/or how a public transit system would be best implemented in Cochrane are now either silent or trying to be an advocate. In the recent past, Couns. Jeff Toews and Mary Lou Eckmeier can be seen in the papers wearing T-shirts protesting public transit but have now voted in favour of this application. Mr. Brooker voted against any feasibility study and/or GreenTRIP funding applications in the past but is now quoted as saying “Transit is never a money maker … but it’s weighing out of social aspects in your community.”
And where were the rest of council’s voices who now profess support of public transit when they approved multiple residential developments in our town that failed to include even basic, zero cost, infrastructure considerations for future public transit? That failure in planning is now going to cost us approximately $3 million or one-third of the total GreenTRIP funding which represents the cost of the bus stops and land purchases that are now needed. Some of this cost could likely not have been avoided but I’m willing to bet most of this cost could have been avoided if council had given some consideration for the future transportation needs of Cochrane.
So why such a dramatic shift in support for public transit? Oh, wait, that’s right, this is ‘free money,’ said with sarcasm because there is a direct cost to the town and we all pay taxes on provincial debt. Council has stripped the majority of provincial funding and municipal reserves to fund the pool in the hopes of having it ready prior to the next election even though other more sustainable funding methods were available and traffic congestion in Cochrane continues to escalate out of control so council needed to look like it was doing something. Council knows there have always been people who have supported public transit and, wait for it … there’s an election this year! Bingo, answer found!
I hate political gamesmanship, especially when it so transparent and self-serving. Dan Cunin
