FEBRUARY NEWS
- In-person dining resumed at Cochrane restaurants Feb. 8 after the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services announced eased health measures. Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre also reopened for limited use.
- The Town of Cochrane announced that council had made the decision to extend its mandatory mask bylaw until May 1. The bylaw was initially approved July 29, 2020.
- Rocky View County residents banded together to begin what would become a months-long fight over concerns of a gravel pit application from Mountain Ash Limited Partnership, that would see the so-called ‘Summit Pit’ built on a parcel of land near Big Hill Springs Provincial Park.
- A group of about 30 concerned Cochranites, including parents, youth and athletes, rallied together during the Let Them Play walk Feb. 7 to protest the province restricting youth from playing teams sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Protestors walked about four kilometres in -30 C from the Cochrane Arena to Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
- The town’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force presented the idea of creating a COVID recovery grant program intended to help local businesses weather the pandemic at a Feb. 8 council meeting. The idea was inspired by Mayor Jeff Genung who learned of a grant program offered by the City of Leduc at a Mid-Sized Cities meeting.
- Town council gave the first reading to a $23 million borrowing bylaw for the new protective services building being built off the intersection of Highway 1A and Horse Creek Road.
- Big Hill Haven emergency women’s shelter reported a rise in complex and intense experiences of domestic abuse believed to be brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A fundraiser was launched to help support single father, Christopher Simeon, and his two daughters, after their home burned to the ground on Stoney Nakoda First Nation Feb. 8.
- A meteor lit up the sky over Cochrane in the early morning hours of Feb. 22.
- The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation announced its newest fundraising effort, the Steward an Acre program, to allow anyone interested in supporting the Foundation’s work in the park through a sponsorship of an acre for $150.
- The Cochrane Ecological Institute worked with veterinarians to repair the broken wing of a short-eared owl named Cactus, who was found injured on the side of the road in the Peace River area.
- Helping Hands Society of Cochrane and Area hosted the Coldest Night of the Year walk for the first time Feb. 20. Cochrane High School students raised more than $3,000 alone for the cause.
- The provincial government released its 2021 budget Feb. 25, estimating a deficit of $20.2 billion for 2020-21 and a $18.2 billion deficit for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The budget included a 25 per cent reduction in Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding.
- Rebel Comics fell victim to a break and enter Feb. 28, resulting in more than $15,000 in items stolen, including rare comic books, Pokémon cards, video games, graphic novels and figurines.
- Five teens were hospitalized Feb. 24 after a single-vehicle accident that resulted in the vehicle catching fire east of Ranche Road, near Cochrane High School.
