COCHRANE— Hosting a Facebook Live Event to connect with the community, Mayor Jeff Genung and Cochrane Council shared information on major projects and plans in Cochrane.
Genung said the Report to the Community Facebook Live Event on Wednesday (June 22) served as a great opportunity to connect with Cochranites. He added he was happy to see a lively engagement with the video garnering more than 1,400 views and almost 300 comments.
“It was really good to have a large number of people that were engaged and interacting with us,” Genung said.
The Facebook Live Event provided updates on major infrastructure projects including Highway 1A improvements, the new Protective Services Building and the Transit Hub and Innovation Centre, while highlighting the completion of the Jack Tennant Memorial Bridge and the first year of COLT.
Genung appeared on stage with host, Cochranite and former broadcaster Carla Minogue for the event, with members of council providing pre-recorded videos.
The Facebook Live ended with a question-and-answer period via the comments section.
The mayor fielded countless questions from the public, extending the Q&A by nearly an hour past its initially planned run time. Genung said he was happy to host a longer session because it helped share additional information on projects and plans in Cochrane.
The feedback the Town receives from residents plays an important role in guiding the decisions and ideas pursued by Cochrane Council and administration. The one-on-one feedback gained through events like Facebook Live provide insights on areas that are proving successful and others that may need more attention from the Town.
“I was pretty happy. People were asking good questions about good things, and really just spending the time to be informed,” Genung said. “In real-time when somebody can post a question that says, “I think this, or why did you do that,” and we can respond and say this is why we did that and this is the facts behind for doing that a lot of people go, “OK, I did not know that, or that makes more sense to me, or even I still don’t agree with the position of the Town,’ we want to hear it all.”
Communication has been a key concern for Genung during his term as mayor and he appreciates the different roles technologies can play in the process. He added Facebook is proving to be an effective way to connect with community members not possible during in-person events.
While these technologies cannot be used for all Town Council discussions, based on Municipal Government Act regulations, they can serve as a positive way to connect with residents, Genung said.
The event marked the second Facebook Live event hosted by the Town of Cochrane and Genung hopes to see the practice continue in the future.
“Even if this was a normal year, I still think this is a good platform for people to get involved. You can do it from the convenience of wherever you happen to be,” Genung said. “It’s a really good way of reaching people.”
