A year ago, nearly to the day, Brian Mason, Alberta's minister of transportation, stood in Cochrane with then-mayor Ivan Brooker and proclaimed like a puffed up peacock that the NDP had done what no previous government had - finally committed to fund
A year ago, nearly to the day, Brian Mason, Alberta's minister of transportation, stood in Cochrane with then-mayor Ivan Brooker and proclaimed like a puffed up peacock that the NDP had done what no previous government had - finally committed to funding the upgrades to the intersection at Highway 22 and Highway 1A.
The $50-million announcement was celebrated with pats on the back, clasped hands and tons of political fan fair, no doubt to prop up municipal leaders running for re-election and save tanking opinion for the government in the riding.
The public was more skeptical, many saying they would believe it when shovels hit the dirt. It seems that skepticism was appropriate.
For more than a decade, Cochrane has been waiting for the much-needed upgrades to that intersection to help alleviate the traffic snarl caused by rapid growth combined with outdated infrastructure. After years of broken government promises and false hopes, Cochrane finds itself facing more of the same.
Suddenly the funding is not part of this budget, commitments are lukewarm at best and platitudes about processes and procedures are flying.
Combined with the fact that Rocky View Schools, the fastest growing jurisdiction in the province, did not receive any of its funding requests for Cochrane, one might wonder if a vindictive government is snubbing us.
Or maybe it is piling up the money to throw at this region in the next budget hoping to buy back as many votes as possible before the next election. Either strategy is unfair to Cochranites who have waited too long for a solution to what has become not only an inconvenient traffic problem but a dangerous one.
It does appear the province has thrown in the towel when it comes to public support in the new riding comprising Cochrane and parts of west Airdrie. MLA Cam Westhead, who has faced harsh criticism and heated debates on social media, has already announced he will be running in the new Canmore riding, despite having more than a year left to represent Cochrane and area.
Even the newly-formed United Conservative Party is circling, possibly smelling the weak position of the NDP in Cochrane. Party leader Jason Kenney has gone so far as to tout Cochrane as ground zero for the United Conservative movement. The riding has also attracted three UCP candidates to date with rumours of others waiting to announce their intentions.
The province insists that funding is still coming and it is simply waiting for the design phase to be completed before it funds the construction. With that in mind, Mason said the 2019 start date should still be realized.
Is government planning so bad that it jumped the gun two years early on announcing the funding?
Or is this simply another case of empty promises and platitudes, or possibly even blackmail, in a desperate attempt to keep the votes coming.
If it is the latter, we doubt Cochranites are going to fall for it. We are tired of unfulfilled commitments, especially with what is consistently touted as our No. 1 infrastructure concern.
