Dear Editor:
I love Cochrane.
I love the small town feel. I love our amazing views. I love our proximity to big-city Calgary and the Rocky Mountains. I love walking around the small shops on Main Street.
There is a pride of Cochrane that only a fellow Cochranite can understand and relate to.
I am aware of our mayor’s plans to build a shopping centre near the movie theatre. A pedestrian-friendly area with more of Cochrane’s loveable shops and stores. I think it’s a wonderful idea.
But has it occurred to anyone that once Wal-Mart comes it will put most of our little shops and stores out of business?
I believe there is something special about being the small town without the giant box stores. We have a Wal-Mart 12 minutes away in Calgary. Do we really need one here too?
Our beautiful small town will lose a huge piece of what we are when the Wal-Mart is here. Look at the other cities and towns that surround Calgary. My best example would be Airdrie — most of its small Main Street shops and stores have gone out of business.
It’s a sad truth. Bigger isn’t better. We will lose part of what we love about Cochrane when Wal-Mart builds and opens its doors. I am not anti-Wal-Mart. I am simply pro-Cochrane.
Catherine Therrien
