By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
After a long debate between councillors about water supply options, the town will apply to build a new water treatment plant rather than installing a pipeline to Calgary.
A motion to adopt the pipeline option, as recommended by town staff, was defeated 4-3 at council’s Oct. 23 meeting.
With the water treatment plant option adopted, it was then agreed to have staff submit an application for funding under the Alberta Water and Wastewater Partnership program. If that funding is granted, the town’s portion of the phase one capital costs would be just over $13 million.
Director of Operation Services Jim Anderson presented a report to council based on providing a 40-year supply for the town’s water demand.
Anderson said the pipeline would be divided into two phases, in year one and year 29 of the 40-year timetable, for two pipelines and a reservoir. The water treatment plant would take four phases, constructed in years one, nine, 19, and 29.
He said the town’s current water license would allow for water diversion from the Bow River for 34,000 people to the year 2021, but tying into Calgary’s pipeline would allow the town to use the city’s license when it would need to obtain a new one in about 2021. And as of August 2006, the Bow River basin has been closed to new water licenses.
Calgary has made arrangements and secured licenses that would see the city’s population reach 2,200,000 people. With the city achieving its water conservation objectives, the existing license could serve 4,000,000 people, Anderson said.
The unit cost per person served by the upgrade would be cheaper for the pipeline option, at $354 compared to $638 per person with the plant, he said. The capital cost for phase one of the pipeline would be $25,392,000 for an additional population of 41,000, while the water treatment plant would cost $19,719,000 for an additional 20,700 people.
The pipeline would also be more expensive when looking at the total of capital and operation costs needed to be invested today to pay for all future costs over the 40-year period.
Anderson said the town’s goal is to have a new supply by the peak demand of 2009 so the pipeline option would have been easier to implement. It would essentially provide a second water supply to Cochrane so if the existing plant had to be shut down completely for upgrades, it could act as a back up for the town, he said.
He acknowledged there is also a social factor to tying in to Calgary’s water supply, including employee morale, service level independence and a sense of autonomy.
“From my point of view, I’m very proud of the water treatment operators and system,” he said, adding that though the existing plant will still operate, there is a potential for loss of pride in leaving the town’s water up to the city. Calgary flourites its water, for example, he said.
Coun. Truper McBride, along with Couns. Ken Hynes, Andy Marshall and Mary Lou Davis, voted against the pipeline. McBride said the town has already viewed the benefits of its own water plant. He added he is not comfortable with relying on Calgary for “everything that is our water.”
“I am proud of the leadership we have done here and think we should continue this. People don’t move to Cochrane to become a part of Calgary.”
Hynes, who called the water supply project the “single largest capital project in the history of Cochrane,” said he doesn’t think looking 40 years ahead is necessary and he fears residents will not be credited with water conservation if Calgary sets the rates.
Coun. Jeff Genung said tying into Calgary’s water is no different than using its electricity or gas that Cochrane residents still pay for.
“We need to start thinking differently,” regionally and globally, rather than only what is best for Cochrane, he said.

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By Ian Tennant
The Eagle
A hidden gem in Cochrane — and a valuable link to the ranching heritage — is gearing up for its annual fundraising event while also working on a number of unique projects.
The Stockmen’s Memorial Foundation is hosting a dinner and auction (live and silent) at the Cochrane RancheHouse on Oct. 27. The foundation was established in 1980 by people who wanted to preserve and commemorate the livestock industry. The Bert Sheppard Stockmen’s Foundation Library and Archives was first housed above the Texas Gate restaurant and bar on Railway Street, but it eventually became part of the former Western Heritage Centre before it was taken over by the town in 2002.
The non-lending library is a “pretty specialized” facility, said librarian/archivist Heather Nielson Oct. 23. It caters to common folk interested in ranching history, and to academics and authors researching the topic.
“If we were more well-known I bet we’d get more” researchers and walk-in traffic, Nielson added.
It houses thousands of books, journals, magazines, and documents, plus western artifacts and art. As much as it is a library, the facility is also a bit of a museum with displays changing periodically.
The library receives no provincial or federal money and relies heavily on donations and the fundraiser, said Nielson.
And if it wasn’t for some key donations, the library would not be able to pursue a couple of projects.
Robin Harvie, whose family sold more than 3,200 acres along the Bow River to the province in August for the creation of the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park between Cochrane and Calgary, made a donation that allowed the library to improve the storage of documents related to cancelled brands.
Each file contains correspondence, in some cases dating back to 1885, related to a request for a brand from the government “recorder”. The information may include a land description, a will or letters about ranching at that time.
Harvie’s donation helped pay for improving the storage of the old documents, including “acid-free” boxes, and for scanning the papers so they can be digitized and accessed without being touched.
“That’ll keep us pretty busy,” Nielson said.
Ted and Enid Jansen also chipped in some funds to help push along the hat book project.
When the library was housed above the Texas Gate in the 1980s, a farm supply store across the street had a collection of hats, mostly of the cowboy kind, on display. When it closed, the hats were donated to the library.
About 90 hats now hang from the massive wood beams at the current location and the goal is to connect faces and names to the hats.
“The information has started rolling in,” Nielson said. Eventually a book of the heads the hats used to adorn will be located at the front for visitors to view.
“I’m really excited about having some pictures in the book,” Nielson said.
Another project on the go, Heritage Voices, is a continuation of one started in the late-1980s but was later dropped. It is the recording of local history as told by long-time ranchers, farmers and seniors from the area.
“We just ask that they tell us about their lives and history,” Nielson said.
A digital camera was purchased so volunteers can fan out and capture “things that are disappearing,” the librarian added. A second part of the project is transferring voices recorded on VHS tape to the much more accessible DVD format.
Tickets for the fundraising auction and dinner may still be available, but those interested should call 932-3782 before the end of the day on Oct. 25.
Bids for the auction can be made online by accessing www.smflibrary.ca under the “news” section with a link to Team Auction.
The library is open from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturdays.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
For three days, more than 160 engineers, consultants, politicians and citizens gathered in Cochrane to share ideas about sustainable and low-impact development.
The Low Impact Development Conference, hosted by the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee (CEAC), took place at the Cochrane RancheHouse Oct. 18-20. It explored concepts, and real life examples of communities developing with the environment in mind, through a series of speakers, workshops and a bus tour Oct. 21 of places in Cochrane and Calgary that have begun to incorporate low-impact measures.
Bob McGregor, of the Earth and Environmental division of AMEC Consulting and Engineering Company in Denver, Colo., spoke at the conference Oct. 19 about using landscaping as an asset and to manage stormwater.
The traditional way to manage stormwater is to send it through sewers to rivers causing pollution, erosion and flooding. His company focuses on designing greenspaces and parkways that act as storm sewers that filter the water as it runs into ponds and rivers. Pollutants are absorbed by plants and become fertilizer while the water runs clean to ponds and rivers.
“A pollutant is merely a resource out of place,” McGregor said.
About 20 conference attendees saw examples of natural-looking landscape architecture during a bus tour of Elbow Valley off Highway 8. Depressions of land, or swales, located between houses and along roads filter and send water to nearby ponds. The landscaping, using long grasses and willows, not only saves money, improves ecology and attracts wildlife, it adds value to the properties in the area, McGregor said.
“You can do a lot of things through regulation . . . (but) the more powerful way to use it is as an amenity to add value to the community,” McGregor said.
Permeable pavement is another way to manage stormwater and has already been installed at the Curry Barracks, the former army base in Calgary that will be developed into commercial and residential property.
At the behest of Canada Lands Company, a Crown corporation, Westhoff Engineering Resources Inc. looked at ways to hold and treat water on site with permeable pavement, rather than with a large pond that takes up a lot of land, said Bert van Duin, an urban drainage specialist and senior water resources engineer with Westhoff.
During the tour, he showed an example of a swale in the Calgary community of Rocky Ridge as well as rain garden, which also filters water, located at the Curry Barracks site, both designed by his company.
Van Duin said he expects the future will be about re-using rain water rather than relying on potable water for irrigation.
“There’s still an awful lot to learn,” he said. “Definitely the impression at the conference is we cannot afford to wait. The pressure of industrialization is so great.”
Coun. Jeff Genung, co-chair of the conference, said there is a need “to take the time to educate our community, be a part of the change, not thrust it upon them.”
The first stop on the bus tour was a nature-scaping demonstration on West Terrace Drive where Lisa Fox, the town’s water conservation co-ordinator, talked about restoring the watershed using native grasses and donated ecostone like that at the Curry Barracks site.

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By Jack Tennant
What an incredible honour.
There I was sittin’ at the pickin’ and grinnin’ by musicians from Morley and Cochrane when Buddy Wesley tapped me on the shoulder and gave me the nod.
Sykes Powderface was at the microphone saying they were about to honour a guy for his efforts in bringing the two communities together.
I thought that was nice and was quite startled when Buddy said I was the guy.
So I walked to the front behind two guys singing a prayer in Stoney and stood before elder Charles Powderface who outlined some of the things we’ve done trying to bring the two communities together. He then presented me with an eagle feather.
The significance of it completely humbled me.
The honour of it completely intimidated me.
The tradition, honour and overwhelming gratitude also achieved something that doesn’t often happen to old journalists — it brought me to tears.
I’m the luckiest guy in the world because I have good friends in both communities.
And I’m also a very lucky guy to have witnessed Saturday’s pickin’ and grinnin’ that I’m sure history will record as a very important day in the relationship between the two communities.
It was a great experience watching and listening to two very distinct cultures share their respective talents through the positive common thread of music.
It was a great experience seeing the hall filled with folks enjoying each other and the talent.
The hall was jammed Saturday night and the crowd was about evenly split between Morley and Cochrane folks. I wondered how many were experiencing, for the first time, sitting beside and visiting with a native, or sitting beside and visiting with a white. And learning about each other.
Buddy Wesley had the quote of the day though as he observed the full house and said, “It’s like building a red and white bridge.”
Through the efforts of Buddy and the rest of the committee and the talents of many musicians from both communities, the bridge’s foundation has been poured, it’s strong and ready to be built on.
Planning is underway for another pickin’ and grinnin’ close to Easter but with a bigger venue.
Look out Cochrane RancheHouse, here we come and with Saturday’s event such a positive experience, there’s no doubt the communities will build significantly on the strong foundation of Buddy’s red and white bridge.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
Town staff will present the draft 2007 operating and capital budgets to council as information at a meeting Oct. 25.
Lori Craig, director of corporate services, said this year’s process was different because it was tabled a month prior to the debate of the document so council has a month to digest it, and it will involve feedback from the public.
The Annual Strategic Planning Session, usually held in May or June, took place in March this year. It involved sessions with council, staff and budget managers about ideas of what people want to see in their community and staffing requests.
Citizens can attend an open house from 4-7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Cochrane RancheHouse to learn about major projects being considered. Public input is also available via internet surveys and written responses until Nov. 15, before council formally debates the budget Nov. 24 and 25. Craig said final adoption is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Craig could not reveal specific numbers since council has not yet seen them, but her report highlights areas where increases are expected.
“We are estimating the power utility to increase 18 per cent over 2006 and insurance premiums to increase over 22 per cent, based on the increased value of property.”

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
A public hearing for the commercial development of the former Domtar land, which would make way for big box stores on the site, has been set for Jan. 25.
Council past first reading to amend the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan, Griffin Road Area Redevelopment Plan and sections of the Land Use Bylaw to allow for commercial development of the former Domtar property between Railway Street and Griffin Road.
The applicant, Edmonton-based Springwood Development, had withdrawn and resubmitted its application in August because it needed more time to gather necessary information for the Sept. 13 public hearing.
Springwood had also requested that the $5,000 application fee be refunded, but that was denied.
The applicant had also proposed to amend portions of the service commercial district and central business district to regulate commercial development of the land, including increasing the maximum floor area allowed to 18,500 square metres. Other proposed amendments include additional discretionary uses to each district and requirements to guide and control the development.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
Winter is just around the corner, members of the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and the Cochrane Alliance Church want to help people be dressed properly for the season.
From Oct. 18 to 26, FCSS encourages residents to drop off clean, used or gently used winter jackets, toques, mittens and scarves for people who need them through this year’s “Jacket Racket” program.
Those who need winter clothing, or know someone who does, can pick up items from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 27, and 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 28 at the Cochrane Alliance Church at 902 Glenbow Drive.
Last year’s 14th annual Jacket Racket handed out more than 300 jackets and accessories, said Claire Young, community resource worker for the FCSS.
“There are many people in Cochrane who, believe it or not, can’t afford to buy coats . . . for themselves or their children,” she said. “Cochrane is a very giving community (and there are) lots of people who want to get rid of coats.”
Young said the organization co-ordinated the event last year, and this is the first year it is working together with the Alliance Church.
Clothing donations can be dropped off at the FCSS office, the Cochrane Alliance Church, Extra Foods, Safeway, IGA, and the Boys and Girls Club, Young said.
Call 851- 2250 for more information.

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By Warren Harbeck
The previous two columns have celebrated the amazing acts of forgiveness shown by an Amish community in Pennsylvania in response to the schoolhouse murder of five of their children. Not everyone is totally comfortable with my recommendation that world leaders might want to consider following the Amish example, however.
Coffee companion Angus McNee, formerly of Ghost Lake Village and now living in West Bank, B.C., wrote that he “always has a bit of a problem with this ‘forgiveness’ thing,” especially when applied to our response to global terrorism.
“We just cannot forgive all these horrendous acts of terrorism,” he said. “The terrorists don’t want to be forgiven. . . . For the sake of each and every one of us, world leaders must take the strongest initiatives against those whose sole aim is to bring terror to our communities.”
Angus has brought us face-to-face with the tension that exists between forgiveness, on the one hand, and justice and the protection of society, on the other.
In responding, I’d like to draw on a tragic event in the life of another of our coffee companions, Martin Hattersley, an Edmonton lawyer and Anglican priest.
In 1988, Martin’s daughter, Cathy Greeve, a cheerful 29-year-old mother of two, was strangled to death in Edmonton’s Churchill LRT Station. Eighteen months later, Ronald Nienhuis was found guilty of manslaughter. The Sunday after the trial, Martin delivered a homily at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, St. Albert.
“‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven,’” he began, quoting Jesus’ words.
“This passage brings us to a crucial question. Is our religion just a convenient way of making friends and passing a Sunday morning in a way that makes us feel good?” he asked the congregation. “Or is Christianity for us a challenging and a desperately serious way of life: a way in which, by our own sacrifice, suffering and loss, we bring reconciliation and healing to the world?”
Our inhumanity toward each other is not simply “a matter of ‘us’ and ‘them,’ of good guys outside prison and bad guys on the inside,” he said. It is “the collective responsibility of the whole human race — and we are part of that human race. And we are called on to be an instrument of healing to people that on one level we would rather have nothing to do with.”
Martin had, in fact, visited Nienhuis in prison and personally forgiven him. When I wrote about this back in the 1990s, a reader was concerned that the murderer might construe Martin’s forgiveness as absolution from any accountability for his actions, and that he was free to do as he pleased in the future, including committing more crimes.
Martin and I have discussed this very issue at some length: If we are to be a forgiving people, then why should we look to the justice system when a wrong has been committed? Why not just “forgive and forget?”
At no point has Martin ever suggested that, because he had forgiven Cathy’s killer, the Crown should have dropped its case against the accused.
The court is not in the position to forgive or not to forgive; it is not one of the victims, Martin argues. Only the parties that have been wronged have the authority to extend forgiveness.
To the court is given a different authority: to carry out justice with respect to a person found guilty of a crime. And what is the court’s aim in carrying out such justice?
According to Martin, the aim of justice is deterrence, rehabilitation and punishment, for the protection of society. “Protection” is the key word here.
Justice is objective and relates to the very structure of society itself. Forgiveness is subjective and relates to the relationship between the wronged and the one(s) who committed the wrong.
Without forgiveness, individuals succumb to bitterness, rage, revenge — and the circle of violence grows ever larger.
Without justice, a society succumbs to anarchy and decay, and signals its members that they can do whatever they like against another, and no one will intervene to protect the innocent. Indeed, without a framework of justice there is little chance that forgiveness can serve its healing role, Martin says.
With reference to Angus’s concern, I believe something similar can be said regarding terrorism and the collective response of nations committed to the rule of law: Protection is of the essence.
But unless we can learn to forgive — to let go of often generations-old bitterness and desire for revenge — then we are guaranteed to prove the truth of Mahatma Gandhi’s saying: “An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
(c) 2006 Warren Harbeck
warren@harbeck.ca.

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Lt.-Gov. of Alberta Norman L. Kwong, will present the Caring Canadian Award on behalf of the Governor General of Canada to six Albertans, including two from Cochrane, during a ceremony Oct. 27.
The Caring Canadian Award is presented to those whose unpaid, voluntary contributions provide extraordinary help or care to people in the community.
Betty Goodsell, who helped found the Activettes and the Family & Community Support Services, and Duncan Strachan, who founded the 21st Calgary Young Offenders Scout Troop, will receive the honour at McDougall Centre in Calgary (455-6th Street S.W.) at 2 p.m. for their contributions to the community.

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