By Jack Tennant
The Eagle
Barry Batchelor is 60 years old and so is his bike.
Together they’re travelling across Canada and he recently spent two days in Cochrane.
Batchelor is a Brit. He still lives in England but 30 years ago he hitch-hiked across Canada and promised himself that one day he would return.
And he has.
Rather than speeding across the country in a car, he wanted to see it slowly so that’s why the trip on his 60-year-old three-speed Raleigh bike.
He arrived in Cochrane the evening of June 21, golfed Water Valley June 22 and continued his journey at 9 a.m. June 23 heading north on Highway 22, across Highway 567 to Airdrie and eastward to Saskatoon and eventually flying back to England Sept. 7 from Halifax.
How does a guy travelling by bike get to golf?
Well, he doesn’t carry clubs but he has a friend in Cochrane.
Forty years ago John Witts of Cochrane and Batchelor worked together in England pre-fabbing truck bodies. While not close buddies, they kept in touch over the years and when Witts heard his friend was embarking on a bike adventure across Canada he offered a place to stay in Cochrane.
Batchelor flew from England to Vancouver and even that held coincidence because five seats behind him was John Witts’ daughter and son-in-law and once they started talking they realized the connection.
Batchelor then flew to Vancouver Island and began his journey June 8.
He takes lots of photos, has seen bears, lots of deer and a cougar about four miles west of town.
The biggest danger he said was big trucks as they often come close to blowing him off the road.
“There’s hardship and challenge to be sure,”he said. “But the solitude is lovely. It’s just such a beautiful country it would be a shame to miss any of it by travelling too fast.”

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By Wes Gilbertson
The Eagle
With a contentious issue on the table, Coun. Jeff Genung unveiled his best juggling act at a June 26 meeting.
In one hand was a request from Timko Developments and local
businessman Tim Davidson that a four-acre parcel be rezoned to allow for a high-density condominium complex west of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on the south side of George Fox Trail.
In the other, the interests of area residents, many of whom had voiced concerns about the proposed development and how it might impact them.
The result was an example of diplomatic give and take.
Genung motioned that the rezoning bylaw be approved, but with three
stipulations: that the building be a maximum height of four stories, it contain a maximum of 80 units, and be reserved for “mature adult” occupants only.
The commercial component of the proposal was also scrapped.
“I’m hoping to find a middle ground here,” Genung said. “I believe the conditions placed on the zoning fits the highest and best use on this parcel of land.”
Coun. Ken Hynes touted the motion as “a good compromise to a difficult
situation.”
“Often times, we see things in our community as a win-lose proposition and I think that is terribly destructive,” said Hynes, a Bow Ridge resident. “There is room for compromise.”
A June 14 public hearing on the issue attracted widespread interest, with about 200 people cramming into council chambers to air their opinions, or just to hear the different sides being presented.
A petition opposing the rezoning application, signed by about 150 residents, was presented to council and numerous letters and e-mails were also received.
The impact of additional traffic on George Fox Trail, damage to the escarpment on the site and the proximity of the development to a pair of high-pressure gas pipelines were among the concerns raised.
And not all of those issues were addressed by Genung’s compromise, some councillors argued.
“I see where we’re going with these restrictions,” said Coun. Truper McBride. “But I don’t think this really addresses the concerns the residents had.
“It comes down to the fact that the residents in these communities are opposed to it, clearly opposed to it.”
Coun. Andy Marshall was also concerned about approving the rezoning bylaw, wondering what impact a condo complex would have on the environment and the aesthetic value of the site.
McBride and Marshall were the only councillors to vote against the motion, which passed by a 5-2 vote.
Darren Robson, president of the Bow Meadows Community Association, said he was disappointed in the result but had no plans to launch an appeal.
“I’m not pleased with it, but I’m not surprised either,” Robson said, adding that Genung’s stipulations would, at least, prevent a “worse-case scenario.”
“It’s unfortunate because it’s going to permanently take out a great area that was a nice backdrop,” he said.
But Davidson contended that would not be the case.
“We’re probably more concerned about the trees and keeping the natural beauty of the area than some residents are,” he said.
Davidson would not say when construction might start.

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By Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
Plans to drill a horizontal sour gas well in the Wildcat Hills area, northwest of the Village of Waiparous, have been met with the dismay, fear and the anger of local residents.
A June 26 meeting at Beaupre community hall saw Suncor Energy staff try to address the concerns of approximately 40 Benchlands and Waiparous-area residents who say they’re concerned primarily about safety issues and the impact the project could have on the environment if it goes ahead.
The new well will be drilled into a dormant well, and if successful, a second one will be drilled on the same site. The company said in its literature “that there is a technical risk of not being able to successfully drill the new well due to having to use much smaller equipment inside the old steel casing.”
Drilling will initially take place vertically for 3,300 metres, and then horizontally up to approximately 1,350 metres.
Suncor officials presented their emergency response plan should there be a spill, leak, well blow-out or other event requiring the evacuation of residents.
“These wells are deemed by the Energy Utilities Board (EUB) to be critical sour gas wells,” explained Paul Ronellenfitch, manager of surface land and stakeholder relations. “That means there’s more personnel, more controls in place and extra scrutiny involved.”
But area residents were unconvinced.
“May I ask why you’re putting us in jeopardy in this way?” asked Anne White, from Waiparous. “There’s a difference between dollars and cents and people’s lives. I know the human error factor is very large and you’re putting us and the environment at risk.”
Although Ronellenfitch said the project has already been approved by the EUB, talking to residents was important to Suncor.
He added that if they strongly opposed the project they could contact the EUB to voice their concerns.
But White has little faith in the EUB, a group she said rarely listens to the concerns of stakeholders.
“EUB is a farce,” she said. “I’m not against oil and gas, but it’s not logistically possible to get everyone out if something went wrong.”
Andrew Fox, also of Waiparous, said he’d like to see a more “cumulative” study of the project’s overall effects on the environment.
“I am a human being,” he said. “But I don’t consider myself to be separate from the birds and the bees. What is the whole encompassing effect going to be?”
Coral Hulse, senior communications advisor for Suncor, said there is a process for making a formal objection to the EUB though she hopes it won’t come to that.
“It’s really important to us that we talk to as many stakeholders as possible, and that we understand their concerns,” she said. “We don’t want to get to where they make a formal objection.”
Hulse said another meeting is tentatively scheduled for early August, but in the meantime, the company is willing to meet with individuals or small groups at any time.
Mark White, the deputy mayor of Waiparous, said his council has decided it would be more effective to address its concerns to Suncor in writing.
“They seem like nice people and they seem to be playing the game,” he said. “But it’s like every answer we get is a little more diluted than the last, so we’ve decided to pose our questions to them in writing.”
His wife, Anne White, is doubtful that will make any difference.
“I’m speaking as someone who is totally defeated,” she said. “They’re going to go ahead. It’s already a fait accompli.”
Anyone wishing to meet with Suncor representatives should call Ronellenfitch at 205-6875.

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By Jeremy Broadfield
The Eagle
Members of the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) spent June 26 in the Waiparous area counting fish in Meadow Creek.
Fisheries biologist Kevin Fitzsimmons and Chad Judd, a fisheries technician, were part of an ACA initiative to monitor the effects of an 11-year harvest ban on bull trout.
To do this Fitzsimmons and Judd were electro-fishing. Working as a team, Judd sent an electric current into the creek from a backpack mounted battery. Fish struck by the electric field were temporarily stunned and floated to the surface.
Fitzsimmons was then able to easily catch the fish in a net and deposit them into a bucket carried by Judd.
Once several fish were captured the pair measured their “catch” and recorded the species.
A formula is used to determine the population of the creek. It has been determined that electro-fishing in pairs is about 20 per cent efficient.
The information gathered by the ACA is passed on to the fisheries branch of the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, which then will update and develop management plans for the species.
Data will be collected over the summer and Fitzsimmons estimates the analysis will be completed by the winter.

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By Wes Gilbertson
The Eagle
The owner of the Cochrane Golf Club — and potential developer of the 6.5-acre driving range site on that property — has failed in an 11th-hour bid to postpone a public hearing on the contentious issue.
Citing the need for more time to react to new information, course owner Dennis Hong, through Coun. Larry Wackershauser, asked that a June 28 public hearing be rescheduled for September.
But a majority of councillors ruled June 26 that request was out of bounds.
“If there is more information being presented that won’t be in time for the public hearing, we always have the opportunity to recess,” argued Coun. Jeff Genung.
“That would sit better with me than postponing it . . . I would like to see the process just continue along the lines that we set out a very early date.”
Genung was one of four councillors to oppose the request. Wackershauser and Couns. Andy Marshall and Mary Lou Davis voted in favour of approving the postponement.
“I’m a little surprised although I see the dynamics of the situation have changed,” Marshall said.
“It only makes sense to me that if they need a postponement and its a reasonable request, then this should go forward,” added Wackershauser. “For me, this was a legitimate reason.”
In requesting the postponement, Hong and his
project team expressed a need for extra time to respond to a letter from the Calgary Health Region.
The group has also brought another development company on board and is concerned about “inaccuracies” presented to the Cochrane Planning Commission, according to a letter submitted to council signed by engineer Richard Geleta.
But Hong said June 27 that his group would be prepared to make a presentation at the June 28 hearing.
“We have to go by the schedule,” he said. “All that is required by the Town of Cochrane, we have done.”
“We’re looking forward to presenting the material that we have and we’re very excited about what we are proposing,” added Lorene Archdekin, one of the project planners.
As the June 28 public hearing conflicts with graduation celebrations for Bow Valley High students, a Riverview Community Association representative had previously submitted a request to postpone the public hearing to the fall, but was turned down.
That fact was not lost on councillors.
“I think we as a town and administration need to play by the same rules whether it is the developer or the Riverview Community Association,” Genung said.
The June 28 public hearing will be held at council chambers and is slated to get underway at 7 p.m.

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By Wes Gilbertson
The Eagle
Already a bone of contention for many Riverview residents, a proposed multi-unit condominium development on the driving range site at the Cochrane Golf Club now faces another opponent.
At its June 21 meeting, the Cochrane Planning Commission (CPC) — a committee that includes a pair of town councillors — ruled the project does not jive with current municipal planning documents.
The group will present its position at a June 28 public hearing on the issue.
“On administrative grounds alone, I don’t believe this project is viable,” said Coun. Truper McBride, one of four CPC members who voted to oppose the project.
“And there are clauses in the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) that back that up.”
Only Coun. Ken Hynes and Tim McLeod, chair of the CPC, voted in favour of recommending the rezoning bylaw be approved.
“Personally, I felt the planning commission should have endorsed or recommended the approval of the re-zoning,” Hynes said. “But the majority view of the planning commission was ‘No’ and I respect that.
“Their interpretation of the statutory documents was different than mine.”
Indeed, some portions of the MDP appear to contradict one another.
One section of the lengthy document discourages encroachment on completed subdivisions, such as Riverview. But another puts an emphasis on making better use of under-utilized infrastructure. The south portion of River Avenue, which runs parallel to the 6.5-acre driving range site, could fit that description.
“It became, at the end of the day, just different perspectives, which is democracy,” McLeod said.
Another issue raised at the CPC meeting is that the golf course and driving range were intended to provide a buffer between residential areas and the industrial sector. That buffer will disappear if the condo project is approved.
“If you look at where this is going, it’s right across the street from gravel extraction and just south of Spray Lakes Sawmill,” McBride said. “By putting the condos there, that eliminates the buffer land completely.”
Golf club owner Dennis Hong first applied to have the driving range site rezoned in the fall of 2003, and the CPC opposed the request.
His proposal was later defeated by council.
Both McBride and Hynes stressed that political factors are not taken into account at the planning commission level, and the decisions they make at CPC meetings only reflect whether or not they think a proposal falls in line with existing planning guidelines.
“Nothing in that decision factors into any political decisions, such as what the residents want,” McBride said. “You have to leave those aside at the CPC level.”
“The other debate, which will occur after the public hearing, is something else,” echoed Hynes. “It’s entirely possible that someone could vote one way at a planning commission meeting . . . and make a different decision when discussing it at the council table.”
Hynes admitted that being a member of both town council and the CPC can be “a tough line to walk” but he’s confident he can keep an open mind.
“When you are there, you’re wearing a different hat,” he said.
“That’s the nature of the beast,” added McBride, who has argued there should be no council representation on the CPC.

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By Wes Gilbertson and Katie Schneider
The Eagle
Cochrane residents will have to hang on a little longer for the possibility of a “big box” store on the former Domtar land as the company who owns a chunk of the site remains tight-lipped on any development plans.
At its June 26 meeting, council passed first reading of an amendment to the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan and Griffin Road Area Redevelopment Plan that would allow big box stores on the former Domtar site.
Edmonton-based Springwood Develop-ment Inc. applied to amend the bylaw, but Nathan Boscers, a partner with the firm said the first reading passing is just one of many steps.
“There are a lot of things that have to happen to make this thing a go,” he said.
A public hearing is set for Sept. 13 but Boscers said even then the plans that come up won’t be detailed.
“There will be no more details because we don’t even know the details yet.”
Rumours of a Wal-Mart on the site have been stirring for a few years. Springwood has a history of working with Wal-Mart, including overseeing construction of an Okotoks store four years ago.
But Frank Wesseling, director of planning and engineering for the town, said June 26 that no
specific retail business names have been released.
“Some of the preliminary plans we’ve seen show a big box store but other stores as well. It wouldn’t be just one building. More like five or six buildings,” Wesseling said.
“Springwood certainly has indicated to us they’ve had some discussions with Wal-Mart, but that’s all. There’s no commitment as far as we understand,” he added.
Boscers said the Wal-Mart rumour doesn’t surprise him.
“I think Wal-Mart has been talking about going to Cochrane for years so if there’s land available there’s probably going to be speculation,” he said.
On June 16, he said the firm had had conversations with Wal-Mart but that it had also been in talks with other retailers.
Wesseling said any development would have to be preceded by a cleanup of the creosote-contaminated site.
“The cleanup, in accordance with Alberta Environment, would have to happen prior to the land being
developed,” he said.
Depending on the type of development and the level of cleanup, Julian deCocq, the town’s chief administrative officer, said the site’s rehabilitation would cost millions of dollars.
Domtar used to treat railway ties with creosote on the site.

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Warren Harbeck
Coffee with Warren
Throughout Alberta, the past week has been a time dedicated to improving Aboriginal awareness. Here in Cochrane, special emphasis has been placed on getting better acquainted with our neighbours to the west. Through arts, crafts, music, dance and storytelling, members of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, at Morley, have shared their culture and kindness with Cochrane folks who have longed to see closer ties between our two communities.
And for this, the organizers and participants deserve a vote of thanks.
Such improved relationships do not have to depend on one week a year, however, nor does friendship with a person of Aboriginal ancestry necessarily require performances with drums, feathers and bells.
It might require nothing more complicated than a bench, a listening heart, and recognition of our common humanity.
This was made abundantly clear to me some years ago by Henry Holloway, then chief of the Chiniki Band of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
It was a beautiful late-June Saturday morning at Cochrane Ranche, and folks from throughout the Bow Valley were gathered for the Cochrane Aboriginal Recognition Event. Tepees from Morley were set up, and similar to this past week’s celebrations, music, dance and getting to know each other were the agenda for the day.
Lydia Graham, Cochrane’s mayor at the time, was on the grounds and happened to notice Henry Holloway’s arrival. She greeted him and invited him onto the speaker’s platform to say a few words.
He had no prepared speech to read, nor did he mount the platform with anything other than the down-home-on-the-ranch manner of someone who loves horses, cattle, the open range, and most of all, people.
Looking around at all the families sitting on the lawn in front of him, he began reminiscing about how the old-timers used to sit together on the bench outside the saddlery shop along Cochrane’s main drag. There were ranchers from the Jumping Pound area and from north and west of Cochrane. And yes, some were from Morley, too. They’d be comparing ropes and the latest news on livestock auctions, and so forth.
“But they weren’t sitting there as wasijubi — ‘White people’ — at one end of the bench, and as Îyethkabi — ‘Stoney Indians’ — at the other end,” he said. “They were together on that bench just as wîchastabi — just as ‘human beings’ who were enjoying each other for what they shared in common.”
And that was the challenge Henry gave to us that morning: to enjoy each other as individuals because of what we have in common — our common humanity.
As I think back on Henry’s words, I’m reminded again of lines from Louis Armstrong’s signature number, “What a Wonderful World” — the unofficial theme song of this column:
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying how do you do
They’re really saying
I love you.
ß ß ß
Mentioning Satchmo’s song reminds me also of a Cochrane coffee companion who has taught me so much about jazz. Laurie Hiscock, the silver-haired guy behind the Sears Catalogue desk in Cochrane, will soon to be moving to Ontario, together with his wife, Jo-Anne. I will miss my mentor and friend.
Finally, I was taking in my wife’s garden the other day and came across a pair of daisies that seemed a great way to celebrate our 43 years of marriage together. Happy Anniversary, Mary Anna!
(c) 2006 Warren Harbeck, warren@harbeck.ca.

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Sarah Junkin
Sarah’s Soapbox
One of the things I have come to appreciate about my mom was that when we were growing up, she used to frequently announce that an annual vacation was not a luxury, but a necessity.
Even when times were hard, like that summer our house was virtually burned to the ground because of a mysterious chip pan fire in the kitchen and the insurance company refused to pay up, she still insisted we eke out a couple of weeks on a beach — even though it meant all of us squishing into one tiny tent and living mainly on marmalade sandwiches.
This time of year when we have the whole summer looming ahead of us, there’s no better time of year because we have the delicious anticipation of weeks of warm weather and long balmy evenings with the fresh scent of flowers hanging in the air.
Summer vacations are on all our minds, though that doesn’t necessarily make us happy.
For many of us, apparently, the mere thought of getting away for a break is fraught with stress.
Believe it or not, the decision to take a summer vacation causes people all kinds of angst according to a major study carried out by Air New Zealand and some former NASA scientists.
Though summer’s the most common time to take a family vacation, recent surveys indicate a gulf between needing a vacation, and actually taking one.
With time, money, family commitments, workload concerns and guilt about leaving the office all cited as the main reasons not to take a vacation, 51 per cent of the 1,200 respondents surveyed said they’d be willing to work for less pay, or fewer daily breaks and benefits, simply to have more holiday time.
Yet the more vacation time we have, the more reluctant we are to use it.
When the ancient Jews initiated the Sabbath as a day of rest, the Greeks criticized them for being lazy. Maybe we’re still afraid of how it looks when we indulge in our hard-earned leisure time.
But if that’s the case, and you have difficulty being lazy on a beach with a good book for a couple of weeks, there are some pretty active vacation packages out there which are growing in popularity.
Storm chaser vacations are big business in regions like Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.
Companies track weather activity to determine the best place to find a tornado.
Then they’ll take you to the site of the expected tornado in their lightening-proof vehicles though they recommend you take out your own insurance.
Nothing like spending your vacation at the centre of a weather emergency.
Ever wanted to have your blood sucked?
Then consider travelling to Transylvania to explore Dracula’s world.
You’ll fly into Bucharest, Romania, and travel from there to the Snagov Monastery where you can visit the exhumed corpse of Prince Vlad at Dracula’s castle which was built in 1377.
You can even attend a vampire wedding there which ought to take your mind off the office for a bit.
Interested in a bit of spiritual growth?
Crop Circle and Sacred Places Research Tours offer a “spiritual renewal” tour that will take you to crop circles, cathedrals, labyrinths and ley lines which will help you enter a world of wider spiritual understanding.
Mysterious mansions and haunted house tours have become popular amongst younger travellers in search of some ghost encounters.
And for those of you who feel you’ve seen everything Earth has to offer, a vacation into outer space may be the answer.
Volvo, along with Virgin Galactic, is dedicated to the future of space tourism with flights set to begin in 2008 though you can make reservations now.
The cost is $200,000 U.S. and for a deposit of just $20,000 they’ll reserve a seat for you.
Cathy Martin is a Cochrane travel agent who said the types of vacations people are taking these days is definitely a reflection of Alberta’s economic boom.
“People are getting away more as families,” she said. “They used to go away for quick getaways for a long weekend or just a couple of days, but now they’re going away for longer. People in Cochrane are taking more time for themselves.”
Martin added that tourists are heading for more exotic destinations such as Fiji, Finland, Tel Aviv, Israel, or the Orient. Cruises are also on the rise, she said.
So far she hasn’t sold any tickets to the moon, but you can reserve your spot directly by visiting www.virgingalactic.com.
sarah@cochraneeagle.com.

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