Transit received a narrow pass in a 4-3 vote in Tuesday morning council at the Cochrane RancheHouse. Mock council, that is. Holy Spirit School Grade 6 classes filed into council chambers to learn a thing or two about how town council and administration make decisions for the Town of Cochrane. The first group, Darcy Courtland's class, talked transit, with students presenting arguments in favour and against the idea. The second group posed putting an indoor trampoline in the long-vacant former Canadian Tire building off Fifth Avenue. Mayor, council and senior administration were all in attendance, with the exception of Couns. Morgan Nagel and Pat Wilson. "Finance, do we have the money (for buses)?" asked Mayor Jeff Genung's shadow, Abygale. "Okay, lights are going to come on, now," laughed Genung, at the remark by administration that taxes would likely need to be raised to pay for transit. Grace, who delivered a pro-transit presentation, highlighted such benefits as connectivity, traffic alleviation, less pollution, the ability to accommodate persons with disabilities who are unable to drive and future jobs with the arrival of buses to town. Karl, Brady and Paige countered with their anti-transit presentation, highlighting possible negatives as cost, possible increase in traffic with large buses travelling around town, losing Cochrane's small-town feel, the unlikelihood that the buses would accommodate enough stops and negative impacts on car dealerships. Hudson, who shadowed Coun. Alex Reed, suggested instead of buses the town install a zipline to cart citizens around town – a thought that was met with favour by a gallery of fellow students. Anti-transit talks brought up concerns such as security and how the town would ensure children are safe to ride on buses. Young mayor and council debated a range of solutions from installing security cameras to putting police or peace officers on buses. Mayor Abygale remained unconvinced that the town was ready for buses, on the merit that "it could be a problem with bad guys on the buses" and concerns over student safety. Coun. Daegan, who shadowed Coun. Marni Fedeyko, suggested self-driven electric buses could save the town money. Administration responded that more research would have to be done. Bus fare suggestions ranged from $2 to $5 per ride. Editor's Note: The Eagle would like to acknowledge the four mock reporter/photographers who helped cover the mock council session: Jade Bruce, Jonathan Myers, Jaylin Semien and Brooklyn Sanderman – touted by Genung as having the hardest job of the day.
