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Town of Cochrane releases draft Strategic Plan 2022-2025

What may be the most important document coming out of Cochrane Town council in the next four years was released to the public for the first time on May 16.
Cochrane Council
File photo/The Cochrane Eagle

What may be the most important document coming out of Cochrane Town council in the next four years was released to the public for the first time on May 16 at the group’s semi-monthly Committee of the Whole meeting.

The Cochrane Strategic Plan 2022-2025 has been in the works since the election in October 2021, and the draft is now going to be put out to the public for input. That feedback will be incorporated into the document before being presented to council for final approval.

The strategic plan’s importance is reflected in the fact it sits at the top of the planning framework hierarchy and guides the departmental business plans, operating and capital budgets, community master plans, and the measuring and reporting processes.

As such, it reflects the values, priorities, and principles to be used in all other decision-making, so it informs the planning processes and acts as an accountability tool as well.

It will have immediate impact on such things as the budgetary process and environmental stewardship.

Cochrane chief administrative officer Mike Derricott stressed to council on May 16 the importance of communicating clearly to the public what the Strategic plan is – and what it isn’t.

In seeing the document, residents will be encouraged to ask themselves questions about their town, Derricott said.

“When you read this, does this feel like the kind of Cochrane you want to live in, and want to be a part of, in a principle sense, in a value sense?” he said.

However, specific information on projects or capital plans will not be found in the document.

The plan is not long on details, which is deliberate. It is more of a guide that helps communicate to the public the trajectory of the Town’s overall planning.

Derricott said accountability will be a key outcome of the strategic plan, as staff and council review how their decisions align with the overall outline.

“This will be a report card to ourselves,” he said.

Mayor Jeff Genung liked what he saw in the draft.

“It sets the tone. This is us attempting to think bigger, look further, and really understand that we are at that pivotal time in our community’s genesis here and we will need to get a handle on what it is and where we’re going,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Marni Fedeyko said this exercise was about purposeful growth, which was a common theme she heard at the Cochrane Trade Show earlier this month.

“I think there’s a very big difference between just opening up the floodgates and creating purposeful development,” she said.

In 2015, the Town formally adopted the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, which identified the organization's values, mission and vision, and guiding themes for those four years.

The context of the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 is laid out in the plan itself, which states the town is at a crossroads.

“We are evolving as a vibrant and innovative community, while preserving our inherent charm,” the document reads. “This requires intentional, bold commitments: preserving our unique identity, protecting, nurturing and enjoying our natural landscapes, creating a vibrant and active community with connected neighbourhoods, creating an atmosphere where the modern economy can thrive, and bringing people together physically and socially.”

The public is asked to go to the Town’s website at cochrane.ca to provide feedback.


Howard May

About the Author: Howard May

Howard was a journalist with the Calgary Herald and with the Abbotsford Times in BC, where he won a BC/Yukon Community Newspaper Association award for best outdoor writing.
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