Mayors and representatives of municipalities along the line of the proposed Calgary-Banff passenger rail are writing a joint letter to the province in support of the project moving forward.
The group, which also included representatives of Parks Canada, met Friday (Jan. 7) to discuss next steps on the $1.5-billion project, being co-developed by Banff-based Liricon Capital Ltd. and Quebec-based Plenary Americas.
"There was some pressure from some of the proponents of the project to ask and have us, as municipalities, step forward and propose to the province some sort of financial contribution," said Mayor Jeff Genung in a Jan. 10 town council meeting. "We're saying that we will likely have a financial contribution.
"When and if a rail project were to come through Cochrane, we would have a rail stop to build included in our own transit [plan]."
The group also decided they would each follow up with their respective area MLAs in Calgary, Cochrane, Canmore and Banff to further discuss the project.
Liricon and Plenary submitted an updated proposal to Alberta Transportation, Invest Alberta Corporation and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to move from the development phase into design late last year, suggesting that if all goes according to plan, the rail could be on track to run as early as 2025.
While the project is not currently included in the town's 10-year capital plan, what they have done is left an open slot of land behind the developing transit hub for a train station with a project like this in mind.
In brief
In the same Jan. 10 regular meeting, council also gave a second and third reading to a land-use amendment bylaw concerning a public service lot, located south of the storm pond in The Willows of Riversong.
In June 2021, council advised administration to dispose of the parcel of land for no less than market value.
The lot, which was designated as a public utility parcel for the purpose of snow storage during the neighbourhood's development, was determined to no longer be required for municipal purposes through an internal review, and was sold.
The bylaw proposes to redesignate the lot from a public service district to a residential single and two-dwelling district.
Only one person, an adjacent landowner, submitted feedback voicing concerns with the advertising and notification of the sale which was addressed by administration.
A public hearing was held Jan. 10, however, no other public comments were received during the hearing.
Council was also directed by administration to make appointments to town committees with vacancies caused by the expiration of terms for some positions at the end of 2021.
Four vacancies were filled by public at large candidates on the Assessment and Review Board, three on the Cochrane Public Library, one on the Cochrane Planning Commission, two on Family and Community Support Services Advisory Board and three on the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.
The committee positions are effective as of Jan. 10 and expire at the end of 2024.
