Cochrane boasts a lot of history. Some of this history can be found in this week’s Heritage section, celebrating Heritage day in Alberta, which falls on the first Monday of August, this year being the 3rd.
The province and its residents have celebrated its heritage on the long weekend since it was first declared an annual holiday in 1974.
There are plenty of historical things and places to see in and around Cochrane, including the Historic Cochrane Ranche site, the Old Davies Hospital, which is now located at the Ranche site and the McDougall Church in Morley, just to name a few.
There are also plenty of newer locations and sites that have been created over the past few decades that will surely one day be viewed as a historical location – Mitford Park, the Men of Vision statue and the Lions Rodeo Grounds, which has been hosting the Cochrane Labour Day Rodeo for 49 years, so some may say they are fast approaching ‘historical’ status.
Adding culture and depth to our community, these historically significant locations, both new and old, need to be preserved.
Check out pages 27-34 for stories on some history in the Cochrane area – history that may not survive if people don’t aim to protect it.
What do you think it costs for a taxi to take you 2.5 km in Cochrane?
Well, how about a cool $11? If you want to be nice and shoot the driver a tip, you’re looking at $13 – that’s $5.20 a kilometre.
According to the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), the average cost to operate a minivan is .57 cents per kilometre.
In Calgary, this same trip would have cost $7.77, approximately. The City of Calgary mandates how much taxicabs can charge, and that includes $3.80 for the first 120 metres, and then .20 cents for every 120 metres after that, assuming a travel speed of greater than 20 km/hr. If you get stopped at a traffic light, you get charged .20 cents for every 21 seconds, so that’s why the $7.77 figure is approximate, as it’s impossible to know whether a traffic light will hold up your travel.
So, it’s pretty pricey to get a ride here in our little town of Cochrane, and that doesn’t even touch upon how much it costs to get a cab ride from downtown to somewhere like Sunset Ridge, Riversong, GlenEagles or Fireside. Some Cochranites on social media have claimed to have paid in the area of $20 for that jaunt.
At present, there is no town bylaw that outlines how much a taxi company can charge in Cochrane, so it’s entirely up to the company itself to decide how the ‘fare’ cost.
Does this contribute to people making bad decisions, like getting behind the wheel when they should not be, after having one or two (or more) too many alcoholic beverages?
Yes, griping about an $11 or $20 cab ride does not excuse someone from making this decision and putting people’s lives at risk, but it also does not take away from the fact that it could very well be a contributing factor in the mind of someone who has had a few too many, and therefore become a danger to everyone in their path if they chose to get behind the wheel.
Which leads us to a very debatable question: should cab companies be forced to charge a reasonable rate in the interest of public safety?
Some would say that taxi companies should be able to charge whatever they want, and to hell with these ‘drunk’ people who are complaining about it. After all, they make the decision to go out drinking, making themselves unfit to operate a vehicle, and they should know that coming in.
Others would argue that although this may be true, is it not better for the public and for the safety of our streets to make sure people have an affordable ride home? After all, there’s nothing wrong (or illegal) with a person going out for a few drinks, and with Alberta’s new impaired driving laws (facing a fine, suspension and vehicle seizure for a blood-alcohol level of .05 or over), people have to be very accountable about their decisions.
But is it not wrong to gouge people who make the responsible choice and take a taxi home?
Perhaps if that responsible choice was a more affordable one, there would be less alcohol-related tragedies on our roads.
