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Local photographer steadies shot at town council

“This town has given my family and I so much, it's been such an incredible town to live in. We love the people and I just want to be able to give back.”
Ryan McMillan runs for council
Ryan McMillan is running in the upcoming Oct. 18 municipal election for a spot on Cochrane town council.

Ryan McMillan said he wants to repay Cochrane for all the community has given him and his family over the past 13 years by sitting on town council.

Over the past three years, McMillan has been busy running his wedding photography business.

Living in Cochrane has provided opportunities for his family to prosper beyond his career, he said.

“This town has given my family and I so much," he said. "It's been such an incredible town to live in. We love the people and I just want to be able to give back.”

McMillan said he thought briefly about running in the last municipal election. About six to eight months ago, he said he felt it was time.  

Now he said he is ready to bear down on some of Cochrane’s infrastructure and traffic issues and promote more responsible government through more fiscal spending.

“We need to spend wisely and properly in this town,” McMillan said.

The river wave park proposed by the Cochrane Tourism Association last year is not a wise investment for the town, he said. 

Cochrane has some catching up to do in more fundamental areas like housing and growth management, he said.  

“Then there's the town growth that needs to be managed and this is going to be a tricky one because the problem with that, that I'm afraid of, is that if it's managed too strictly it could drive housing prices up and it can make it a harder target for new families to be able to attain housing here in Cochrane,” he said.

The Cochrane Society for Housing Options supported his family get their first home, so affordable housing is high on McMillan’s to-do list.

“I know some families and some people just need a hand up and you can’t leave people behind,” he said. “I really do care about that. That’s a really big issue and it’s a really important thing for me as well.”

McMillan is also concerned over a lack of conversation about Cochrane’s water rights and the cap of 40,000 people, a limit the town is creeping close to with a current population of more than 34,000.

“There are current development plans that will see Cochrane go up to 56,000 [people]," he said. "There’s many layers of government that we have to go through for increasing how much water we can draw from the Bow River, so there’s lots of issues around that and it needs to be sorted sooner than later.”

Many residents have been reaching out to McMillan over concerns with the “Jones Estate” in GlenEagles, a parcel of land that has seen three development applications struck down by council over the years.

McMillan said he will strike down any future requests of development for the site.

He also commends town council’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and said he wants to work with a solid team capable of accomplishing Cochrane’s many goals, even during times of distress.

“When I think of Cochrane, I think of neighbours doing what they can to help others," he said. "That’s what this town is all about. That’s easy to forget during a pandemic sometimes, but it’s what makes this community great.”

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