Following a closely divided public hearing and extensive deliberation, Cochrane Town Council has voted to reject a proposal to transfer municipally owned land at 136 Quigley Drive to FrancoSud for the development of a new francophone secondary school.
The final decision came during the June 23 regular meeting, where all attending councillors and Mayor Jeff Genung voted against the land transfer. The rejection removes the site from consideration for the proposed school, forcing FrancoSud to revisit its site selection strategy. Councillor Morgan Nagel was absent from the meeting.
“The need for schools is real for our community and that’s not in question here tonight,” Mayor Genung stated during the meeting. “While this is an innovative way of using land, I think the impacts to the existing neighbourhood are too great to take the risk on the next steps for me.”
Genung cited parking as one of the primary concerns, reflecting on his own experience navigating the already-congested area during local events. He expressed doubts that the existing infrastructure could support the increase in traffic and congestion a new secondary school would inevitably bring.
Councillor Alex Reed was among the first to suggest that administration return to the drawing board. While acknowledging FrancoSud’s efforts to revise their proposal after the public hearing, Reed ultimately found the site unsuitable.
“Based on the information I have today, I don’t believe that placing, really what is an infill school, within a constrained keyhole site embedded in a long-standing, well-established community, is appropriate or sustainable,” Reed said.
Supporters of the proposal, including FrancoSud representatives and some community members, emphasized the value of having students progress from daycare through Grade 12 on a single, unified campus. However, the majority of Council did not find that rationale sufficient to override the logistical concerns presented.
“I completely understand FrancoSud’s idea that they want to have their kids go to school from daycare to Grade 12 on the same land parcel,” said Councillor Marni Fedeyko. “However, as a parent of three children, I can say many families in Cochrane never had that opportunity. It’s just kind of a reality of where we are with the education system.”
Despite the clear rejection of the current proposal, the future of the site was not so quickly dismissed by all. Councillors Tara McFadden, Patrick Wilson, and Susan Flowers were open to refining the existing plan or considering the location again under different design parameters.
“This is one of the toughest topics we’ve had to deal with this Council,” Flowers said. “There are so many people for it and so many people against it.”
Reed initially introduced a motion to refuse the proposal and direct administration accordingly, which ended in a tied vote. In response, Councillor Wilson proposed a counter motion that would preserve the site as an option for future reconsideration. That, too, resulted in a split vote.
It was ultimately McFadden who introduced a final motion, referred to as “Option Two” in the administrative recommendations, which called for the formal refusal of the proposed land transfer to FrancoSud. That motion passed 5–1, with only Reed voting in opposition.
“We’re not going to stop,” said McFadden, referring to the town’s continued commitment to working with FrancoSud. “We all know that we’re going to continue to work together.”
The decision means that FrancoSud will now need to explore other potential land parcels for their long-planned school. According to the Town’s current school site priority list, the proposed francophone secondary school is ranked third, following the expansion of Bow Valley High School and the proposed Rivercrest School.
While the Quigley Drive site may no longer be on the table, both Council and Town administration have reiterated their willingness to support FrancoSud in identifying a more appropriate location that aligns with the needs of both the school board and the wider community.
