The cloak of 2019 has been cast off and the first light of 2020 is upon us.
Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung is excited for the new decade. He told the Cochrane Eagle that by this time next year the Jack Tennant bridge will be open, the Centre Avenue corridor improvements will be complete and Cochrane will be a year closer to having the Highway 22 and Highway 1A interchange project complete.
“We should have a timeline from the province at that point,” he said of the state of the project in January, 2021.
“So that’s exciting.”
Genung expects Cochrane’s innovation centre should be nearing completion and the new RCMP detachment will be under construction. Genung said despite the doomsday narrative of the province’s economy, Cochrane appears to be in good shape compared to other similarly sized Alberta communities.
“Obviously we need to be aware of our surroundings, but Cochrane has always been a happening place as far as the economy goes,” he said.
“There’s always something going on in Cochrane. There’s still residents that want to move here, which is a positive thing. There’s still businesses that are wanting to locate here.”
Genung says that Cochrane has experienced some recent challenges, but our tightly knit community and strong volunteer core has helped us through the turbulent times.
“We have a solid foundation of a community and a lot of the problems we have are positive problems.” Genung pointed to the struggles of Rocky Mountain House which has seen their population decline since the oil and gas industry downturn. Genung said the town has had to increase taxes because they have less people to “share the burden” of the community. The community reported a population of 6,635 in 2016.
“We’re not in that position. I don’t mean to sound like there isn’t people in Cochrane that could use a hand out, all in all the average resident of Cochrane is not in a terrible position,” he said.
Genung points to Cochrane’s diverse economy and says the community will really benefit when the innovation centre opens. He says unlike other communities in the province, the innovation centre will help the town be less reliant on oil and gas.
“That’s not to say that we’re going to forget about oil and gas,” he said.
“I think the tech sector and oil and gas can work hand in hand to help promote the lowering of fossil fuel burning, but not do away with it. I think we’re naive to think that we’re going to be off oil and gas in the next five years.”
MP Blake Richards of the Banff-Airdrie riding said last October’s federal election results made it clear that Richards’ job this term will be fighting for his constituents’ future, livelihoods, pipelines and jobs. He said over the next weeks and months he will be using every opportunity and platform to fight for Alberta and get the province’s priorities on the agenda.
“2020 needs to be about pushing for pipelines, repealing the anti-pipeline Bill C-69, and the West Coast Tanker Ban C-48, and to continue our fight against the carbon tax which is doing nothing for the environment but having a serious impact on small businesses and for families,” Richards told the Eagle.
“My main priority for the year ahead is to fight for fairness for our province – for Albertans. I’ll be keeping that priority in the front of my mind in every action and every decision from here to Ottawa and across the country.”
After a trying year for the province, Richards is cautiously optimistic that the course will change this year. He said after meeting with Canadians throughout 2019 he learned that most don’t understand what’s happening in Alberta.
“When you take some time to share our message with them, people everywhere were instantly voicing their support and sympathy for Albertans,” he said.
“I know that this is something that we can continue to explore in 2020 because Canadians are listening and they do care, but we need to get our message out there because no one else is.”
Richards hopes to, with the help of his colleagues, get Alberta’s message out to Canadians and educate the rest of the country on the plight of our province and how a strong Canada depends upon a strong Alberta.
“Together our voice can have an impact and can reach Canadians everywhere. I’m confident that we can boost the profile of our priorities and get our concerns heard, so that more and more Canadians join our chorus that is calling for action and fairness for our province.”
Genung worried that 20/20 catchphrases have been overused leading up and following the new decade, but he couldn’t help himself. He said the clear vision of 20/20 is what he’ll be focusing on for this year.
MLA Pete Guthrie couldn’t be reached for comment.
