The Town of Cochrane’s waste management bylaw did not receive unanimous consent from council June 23, temporarily putting its approval on hold.
The plan would bring recycling to multi-family dwellings by compelling condo and apartment complexes of eight units or more to hire a private recycling collector to pick up and haul material to a recycling facility.
Multi-family dwellings with less than eight units could apply for town collection, while any building with under 25 units could opt for a self-haul option, with the property owner or manager taking the recycled materials to a facility themselves.
Councillor Morgan Nagel remained opposed to the plan, saying that he was not comfortable supporting a bylaw that was 50 pages long, had just received four days prior and did not fully understand the document.
Nagel has been against the waste management bylaw since it was first presented to council March 24, as he does not feel multi-family dwellers should be forced to pay for a service from a private company with the town having no control over the cost.
Sharon Howland, waste and recycling manager for the town, said recycling service providers would be vetted first to avoid any abuse of the system, and a list of reputable companies would be provided to multi-family complexes and they would have to choose from that inventory of providers.
The town is being forced to keep its recycling moving forward, as the City of Calgary recently updated its program, and will have a landfill ban on paper and cardboard in 2018 and organics the following year.
Cochrane’s collected recycled material is hauled to a Calgary landfill, which means the town must comply with the city’s laws.
“We are being hurried up a little bit by the City of Calgary,” Howland said, adding that Cochrane is ahead of the game, as we currently recycle paper and cardboard.
Howland said the majority of trash found in Cochrane garbage bins is organics and yard waste.
Councillor Ross Watson questioned the severity of the penalty if paper or cardboard is found in a garbage bin, and wondered if Cochrane residents would be getting pinched for tossing a piece of paper like an empty toilet paper roll in the trash.
Howland said the City of Calgary’s enforcement strategy would be a staged process that would primary look to ensure that municipalities had a program in place, and that people would not be penalized for putting a piece of paper in the garbage.
The waste management bylaw will return to council for second and third reading in July and will not require unanimous consent at that time. Because the bylaw sought first, second and third reading all during one council session, a unanimous vote was needed.
Cochrane Light Up committee chair Marni Fedeyko asked town council for a $15,000 loan to purchase a 30 foot Christmas tree complete with a slew of lights for the annual community event.
The tree would be placed on the rooftop of a downtown Cochrane business – Fedeyko said the Rexall Drug Store was the most likely spot – and lit up during Light Up each year.
Fedeyko said the aluminum tree has a 15-20 year lifespan and boasts thousands of LED lights.
“We’re all trying to come together to produce the best Light Up event possible,” said Fedeyko.
Light Up would need an answer on the $15,000 loan by September at the latest, as the tree would need to be ordered, constructed and delivered by the end of November when the Light Up event takes place.
Fedeyko said the committee has been seeking sponsors for the tree, that they have approached Safeway corporation and Tim Hortons and feels Light Up will have no trouble finding sponsors and be able to pay back the loan.
Mayor Ivan Brooker said it is a rarity that council to front-end the purchase of something by a local group, but that they would discuss the matter.
If the tree is purchased by the Light Up committee, it would need to be professionally secured to the chosen building to ensure safety; Fedeyko said she would look to Cochrane Fire Services to perform the duty each year thereafter.
This year’s Light Up marks its 30th anniversary. Globalfest (a Calgary fireworks festival) will sponsor the 2014 fireworks display at Light Up.
Last year, between 7,000 and 8,000 people attended the event.
Jordan Tilma and Hannah Mahon presented an update to councillors on the Mayor’s Youth Council and what progress has been made on a number of recommendations made to council in August 2012.
Presented in a 10-minute video, featuring youth from school and organizations throughout Cochrane, such initiatives as increasing youth safety, transportation, social media and youth programming were discussed.
Many youth in the video said they would like to see more events like C3 Event (Compete, Connect, Communicate – Together We Make A Difference), which happened in Cochrane March 21.
Brooker and Watson commended the Mayor’s Youth Council, with Watson saying he recalled being concerned the initiative would fade away within six months when it was first launched, but is happy to see young Cochranites leading the council forward.
With Cochrane’s population now at 20,708, here are some statistics on the town’s current resident base:
- Most populated neighbourhood: Sunset Ridge (3,452)
- Least populated neighbourhood: the Industrial Park (16)
- Number of people under the age of 18: 5,397
- Population increase since 2013 Municipal Census: 10.4 per cent
- Population increase since 2011 Federal Census: 17.8 per cent
- Percentage of Cochranites who completed the census survey online: 57 per cent
