I had the privilege of working with some of the most innovative thinkers in Cochrane on our Smart Cities submission. We put together a winning entry that will get us started on strengthening the connections in our community. Whether we win the funding or not, we have created awareness in Cochrane and outward, we honour our roots and embrace our future! My job now is to keep the momentum.
Imagine…
Working together with stakeholders, partners and residents, we will close the “digital divide” in our community and provide every resident with free access to wireless data, empowering everyone in our community to access online resources and connections. We will build on this ubiquitous network to develop a community platform (“Cochrane Cares”) that is open and accessible to all. This platform will support applications that can spark connections between residents, making it easy for people to participate in local community life. These applications will empower every resident to affordably move around the community, access support networks, and meaningfully serve their neighbours. Through our proposed Smart Cities approach, we believe that we can build fully connected, caring communities in our town and throughout the nation.
Our Smart Cities proposal outlines how we can provide a wireless network in Cochrane for all homes and businesses. By connecting, an average household will save $700/year freeing more than $8 million a year for Cochrane’s economy!
Just imagine our community builds an innovation center where tech businesses can come to start up and grow their ideas in an environment surrounded by innovators. Bringing with them high-paying jobs for our kids and a positive economic energy for the future. Our Smart Cities proposal is way more than just internet, it’s about community and Cochrane’s future!
When I ran for Mayor, I said I wanted to approach the issues facing our community in a different way. The Smart Cities Challenge gave us an opportunity. It gave us the opportunity to think about making Cochrane a Smart community and using different resources to address local issues.
We often say we live in a friendly community that has deep roots in cowboy culture and deep pride in Western values. So how is it possible that so many of us feel disconnected? This hit home with me as one of my goals is to strengthen our culture. If we can find a way to connect more of us through our wireless devices and the Cochrane Cares platform, we can increase the real connections we have and build the Cochrane we want to be in the future. When neighbours can help each other at the touch of a button, when Town services are available at a moment’s notice, and when anyone can participate in local events with ease — then we have a community where people feel connected.
This is only the beginning!
Imagine the Future…
