Sewage discharged into Bow River
The sewage and water line breach at Riverfront Park resulted in the Town of Cochrane declaring a State of Local Emergency and garnered national and even international media attention at one point. The contractor working on what the Town calls the Syphon Twinning Project broke the sanitary sewage pipe and the water pipe on Oct. 21, resulting in raw sewage being discharged into the Bow River for about 36 hours.
The Syphon project had been awarded to Whissell Contracting Ltd. of Calgary.
The irony was not lost on some observers that the damage was done while workers were engaged in a project designed to improve the capacity of the sewer infrastructure.
The Town pegged the ballpark cost at somewhere between $400,000 and $700,000, quickly confirming that it won’t have a direct impact on taxpayers.
Garmin announces major expansion
The hi-tech innovators invested in Cochrane again, announcing a major expansion to their Canadian headquarters on Feb. 6. The company expects to create 200 new local science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs. The expansion will double Garmin’s employment in Cochrane and lay the groundwork for even more significant growth that will have the potential of bringing several hundred additional STEM jobs to the community.
Garmin moved into their current building in 2018 and reached capacity in just over four years. Launching over 20 years ago in Jim Rooney's garage under the moniker Dynastream Innovations, the company evolved over the years as it expanded from those humble beginnings.
Qualico purchases Southbow Landing
Qualico Communities Calgary announced in Februrary the purchase of Southbow Landing and the development of the future community in Cochrane. Located east of Highway 22, Southbow Landing is expected to be a 545-acre neighbourhood that will feature residential spaces, a large future commercial centre, views of the Bow River, and green spaces. Qualico’s Emily Smith said the developer is very excited to share the announcement with the greater Cochrane community.
“Southbow Landing is the ideal location for those who, in the near future, are looking to make a change in Cochrane or looking to make Cochrane home,” Smith said in a release.
Protestors mar State of Town address at RancheHouse
At the mayor’s state of the town address Feb. 9, picketers made their way to the RancheHouse to protest the concept of 15-minute cities, despite the Town of Cochrane outlining their stance on the topic in an advisory sent out the same day, explaining Cochrane does not have any plans to adopt the ‘15-minute city’ concept. The demonstration turned aggressive when some of the protesters grabbed, berated, and even spat on some Town officials and attendees as they entered the RancheHouse. Coun. Susan Flowers said what she heard and witnessed online was unlike anything she’s seen in her time living in Cochrane and as an elected representative.
Will there be enough water?
On March 6, Town administration presented a report estimating that at current growth rates, Cochrane’s existing license to withdraw water from the Bow River (allowing for a population of 40,000 people) will be reached in four to five years. Applying the Town’s 4.4 per cent growth rate assumption to the current population, the population would be precariously close to the 40,000 limit in four years. The Town said they had submitted an application with Alberta Environment, seeking a solution.
In October, the Girl Guides came to the rescue by coming to a water license sharing agreement, which, once approved by the province, will mean water supply security for a number of years.
Clearcutting in Kananaskis and West Bragg Creek
In June, critics of a proposal to clear-cut in a popular wilderness area west of Bragg Creek pressured Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) to significantly modify their logging plans. In September, Sarah Elmeligi, Alberta NDP Banff-Kananaskis MLA added her voice to the call for the provincial government to pump the brakes on clear-cut logging. In October environmental groups revealed the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans had launched an investigation into SLS’s construction of a bridge in Kananaskis that may negatively impact threatened trout and their habitat. And in November, a group of protesters gathered at the bridge to highlight their demand for a pause in plans to clearcut 2,700 acres in the Upper Highwood drainage. They said extreme drought and water shortage conditions are expected to continue, necessitating a pause in logging. They also revealed that the mayors of Okotoks and High River had joined the call for a moratorium on logging the area. SLS has maintained they have followed all the rules.
Mayor and CAO expenses revealed through FOIP request
In June, documents showing the expenses of CAO Mike Derricott and Mayor Jeff Genung raised questions for one Cochrane resident and former town council candidate on how some of the Town’s taxpayer dollars are spent. Brandon Cruze, a Cochrane resident and previous town council candidate, said he received the information after submitting Freedom of Information and Protection of Policy requests to the Town. Documentation for Derricott showed receipts from IKEA and Canadian Tire, labelled as “fixtures for a new dwelling,” including a Brita water filter, Lysol disinfectant spray, a stainless-steel garbage can, cabinet fixtures, shelves, a soap dispenser, and a toilet brush for a total of $669.98.
Merits of COLT transit debated
The future of the COLT transit system in Cochrane was debated at a council meeting in March. It would still be under scrutiny at a Dec. 11 meeting. Figures released March 20 showed ridership at its highest in the last three years, in what was described as a “recovery from COVID” period.
In some areas, the service was meeting targets, and in others, it fell short. On the whole, director of community services Mitchell Hamm said the numbers looked pretty good.
In May, Coun. Alex Reed said, “I’m going to be looking at this carefully from a taxpayer’s lens and saying, ‘Yeah, we want transit,’ but not at any cost.”
Charges laid in 47-year-old cold case
In November RCMP Historical Homicide Unit (HHU) and Calgary Police Service (CPS) Cold Case Homicide Unit laid charges in a 1976 homicide case that went unsolved for 47 years. RCMP Superintendent, David Hall, provided an investigational update regarding the 47-year-old homicide. 16-year-old Pauline Brazeau was a Métis, single mother from Saskatchewan who relocated to Calgary and was the victim of a murder that took place on January 9, 1976.
She was last seen leaving Peppe’s Ristorante in the area of 7th Street and 17th Avenue in Calgary, at around 3 a.m. A few hours later, her body would be found in a rural area in Cochrane RCMP jurisdiction.
