By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
Councillors have agreed to limit the town’s support for Cochrane Trailer Park residents facing an eviction notice in six months to whatever Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) can offer.
Services may include support of a community-based committee, if one is established, and help developing individual action plans to determine needs assistance of subsidies/compensation in conjunction with the developer, Pointe of View, council unanimously agreed Feb. 26.
Councillors had unanimously agreed to direct administration to not proceed with a detailed review of Option F, which would involve the sale of 5.59-acres of town land north of St. Timothy’s High School to Pointe of View at fair market value. Pointe of View would then sell the existing downtown 3.88-acre mobile home site to the town.
Council agreed to consider a resolution made at the Feb. 12 meeting to endorse Option A, which would limit town support to FCSS, that council had postponed to allow administration time to research Option F.
At the Feb. 12 meeting, council had agreed to allow administration time to research Option F and report before March 30, but make council aware at the Feb. 26 meeting of all costs to pursue a detailed review of Option F.
On Feb. 26, Chief Administrative Officer Julian deCocq said it would cost $5,000 to achieve market value appraisals for the St. Timothy’s site and the mobile home site. It would also cost $15,000 to develop a business case plan that addresses the anticipated revenue, operating costs, land appreciation and borrowing costs of the proposal.
But what was thought to be a difference of $500,000 between the value of the site north of town and the site downtown, will actually be more like $3 million, deCocq told council. If the north site’s actual fair market value is even double the current assessed value of $2 million, the property would still be significantly less in terms of total value, he said.
Pointe of View has indicated the value of the current mobile park is now $5.5 million.
The difference means that to purchase the trailer court the town would have to borrow and “extend the debt limits well above the current threshold established by council,” deCocq said.
The final asking price by Pointe of View may be higher than market value since the company has incurred costs between about $225,000 and $350,000. DeCocq said the developer may be interested in pursuing a lease but it may cost the town about $25,000 a month.
He said given the financial challenges associated with pursuing Option F, administration could not support pursuing it.
Coun. Jeff Genung, who had put the motion on the floor Feb. 12 to postpone Option A to give administration time to research Option F, said that was not the news he had hoped for.
“Given the differential now and the finances and the obstacles, I don’t see how we can move forward with a review of Option F.”
Coun. Truper McBride said council had “hit a dead end” with options and suggested incorporating Option H, which states the owner/developer, with assistance from the town, could prepare individual assessments to determine needs assistance of subsidies/compensation and prepare a plan of action for each individual.
“I don’t see any other option here,” he said, “We have to do more than what A says.”
McBride then put an amendment to the motion on the floor to include Option H within Option A to ensure every person is looked after and has a plan of action.
“(Council’s) decision to affect these people, in my mind almost completely by accident, is going to bother me for a long, long time,” he said. “I’m truly sorry it’s come to this, but I can’t think of anything else (we) can do without bankrupting the town.”
After the debate, residents’ lawyer Patrick Fagan said he was disappointed but not surprised with the decision, which he said was in essence Option A, an “option to do nothing” by the town.
“Nothing has changed,” he said.
Tariler court resident Gerald Martin said he has looked around at alternative places to live, but they were out of his budget.
“My family won’t allow me to live in a box,” he said, adding though there are people who may not have the same support he does.
Residents of the mobile home park at the corner of Glenbow Drive and Fifth Avenue have until Aug. 31 to vacate the site. Pointe of View is pursuing building condos on the site, which was made possible by a change in the Land Use Bylaw in 2005.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
Items left over from the former Western Heritage Centre (WHC) still being stored in the Cochrane RancheHouse’s basement will be auctioned, council agreed Feb. 26.
When the town acquired the former WHC in 2002, it also inherited a collection of memorabilia from the Hooves of History rides, art work, prints, artifacts, antiques and display items along with furniture and restaurant and office items, Ranche-House Facility Manager RoseAnne MacGregor told council Feb. 26.
Proceeds from the April 22 auction will be distributed to the North West Mounted Patrol Cochrane Posse, who has conducted an inventory of the items, the Town of Cochrane Community Grant Program, and the RancheHouse.
A moose rack and grizzly hide will be donated to the North West Mounted Patrol, who will register them with Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
Chief Administrative Officer Julian deCocq said efforts had been made to return a number of personal items to people who may have donated them.
“These are things nobody wants back,” MacGregor said.

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By Ian Tennant
The Eagle
Dana Boothby, coach of the Cochrane Generals, knows his players will have their work cut out for them in the first round of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League playoffs.
The Generals meet the Mountainview Colts in a best-of-five series that kicks off at 8 p.m., Feb. 28, in Didsbury.
Boothby describes the Colts as a hard-working team with at least eight or nine players who never quit working.
“They work hard, get the puck deep and pound ya,” he said Feb. 26.
The key for the Generals, the coach added, is to match that intensity, to have all players “firing on all cylinders” and not just a handful of guys.
“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team, but from time to time we take the night off.”
The Generals finished third in the Central Division, 10 points behind the Colts with a record of 20 wins, 15 losses and one overtime loss. Mountainview had 24 wins, nine losses, two ties and one shootout or overtime loss. The two teams split their four regular season encounters with two wins each.
“We match up very well with them,” said Boothby, suggesting Mountainview is a defense-oriented team while Cochrane has a fairly high-powered offense, led in part by David Sissons.
Sissons finished sixth in league scoring with 78 points (47 goals, 31 assists) in 36 games, including 18 on the power play, two while the team was short-handed, and two game-winning markers.
Tanner Boothby was 16th with 23 goals and 37 assists for 60 points.
Sissons had a goal and an assist in the Generals’ last game of the regular season, a 6-5 overtime loss on the road against the Banff Academy Bears.
Preston Hunter and Lany Kossowan also had a goal and an assist in Banff, while Straws Milan, Dave Holmberg and Chad Willis had two assists each.
Matt Foudy and Jordan Leal scored Cochrane’s other two goals.
The Generals had a 4-2 lead after 20 minutes, but the Bears tied the game 4-4 after two periods, and then took the lead in the third.
The Generals tied the game on Leal’s 13th of the season with six minutes left to play.
The Bears grabbed the win with a goal less than five minutes into the extra period.
The Generals’ special teams had a good night, scoring twice on the power play while giving up only one goal on 12 short-handed occasions.
Coach Boothby has been stressing the need to improve special teams’ play as the playoffs approach, noting they gave up six power-play goals in a 12-2 loss at home Jan. 27 against the Stettler Lightning, but only one in a 5-2 victory at Stettler on Feb. 17.
“I think the penalty kill is playing tremendously,” he said, adding the power-play unit still has some work to do.
The Generals host the Colts at 7:30 p.m., March 2 at Totem Arena, and then travel to Didsbury on March 3 for an 8 p.m. start.
If necessary, the next two games will be played at 3:45 p.m. March 4 at Totem Arena, and at 8 p.m. March 7 in Didsbury.
Prior to the drop of the puck March 2 at Totem Arena, an All Span Building Systems representative will award a $1,000 scholarship to one of the Cochrane Generals. Players who received first star recognition throughout the season will have their name in a hat from which the scholarship winner will be drawn.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
A man arrested in October 2006 after forging cheques exceeding more than $20,000 and depositing them into Cochrane banks has pleaded guilty to 69 fraud-related charges.
In Cochrane Provincial Court Feb. 21, David Justus Christian Didrik of Edmonton, who was living in town when he was arrested Oct. 18, pleaded guilty.
A Cochrane bank had alerted RCMP to the fraudulent activity. The investigation also included Edmonton, Airdrie and Calgary.
The 69 charges include 21 counts of forgery, 18 counts of uttering a forged document, 15 counts of false pretenses, eight counts under the Employment Insurance Act for the misuse of a Social Insurance card, one count of theft of mail, four counts of laundering proceeds, and two counts of fraud.
Didrik was ordered released on a $30,000 surety but didn’t meet his bail conditions, said Const. Nicole Dawood. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
RCMP remind residents to safeguard personal identity by shredding personal information rather than throwing it away, and taking an inventory of documents or identification that may be unnecessary to carry around, such as birth certificates and SIN numbers.
“Carry what’s necessary,” Dawood said.
Didrik is scheduled to be sentenced May 14 in Cochrane Provincial Court.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
Cochrane council adopted two bylaws that will allow for high density, multi-unit housing and single family homes along George Fox Trail.
At its Feb. 26 meeting, by a 4-2 vote council passed second and third readings to amend the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) to redesignate a parcel of land south of George Fox Trail, across from Bow Meadows, to Residential High Density Multi-Unit Dwelling District (R-M) from Residential Urban Reserve District (UR-R).
Director of Planning and Engineering Frank Wesseling said the purpose of R-M is to provide for a mix of housing units in different forms.
Coun. Ken Hynes said R-M is a type of high density housing Cochrane needs and Coun. Jeff Genung agreed it would provide more diverse housing choices. Couns. Truper McBride and Mary Lou Davis were opposed.
Council also passed second and third readings to amend the LUB to redesignate another parcel, further west on George Fox Trail, to Residential Single Detached Dwelling District (R-1) from R-M to allow for single family homes.
The redesignation would allow the applicant to meet restrictions regarding height and density.

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By Katie Schneider
The Eagle
To inform residents and avoid issuing tickets during this spring’s street cleaning program, the town has launched a six-week advertising campaign about how not moving cars impacts the community.
“We wanted to give a good heads up this year,” said Maggie Armstrong.
The program is scheduled to begin in late March, early April.
Last year, 191 parking tickets were issued during the street sweeping program, angering residents who complained they did not receive proper notice and were unfairly issued tickets.
One resident, Lisa Simpson, was ticketed as she was phoning her neighbour to ask if she could use her driveway. She had parked for five minutes to make the call, with keys in hand, and the street cleaners didn’t arrive until 90 minutes later.
About 116 outstanding parking tickets were thrown out in provincial court Aug. 25 due to a technical error in the way they were written. The town decided not to reissue them, and about 67 Cochrane residents who paid their tickets were reimbursed either through the provincial court or the town.
Special Const. Glen Fischer said officers have received proper instructions this year on how to issue the tickets so another error doesn’t occur, however, “we’re hoping not to write one ticket this year.”
This year’s advertising campaign will focus on the environmental, health, safety and financial impacts that can result when cars are not moved for street cleaners. One ad will explain that coming back a second time to clean streets delays other projects such as line painting, crack sealing and pot hole repair.
The program also features a 24-hour hotline (851-2551) that residents can use to check for updates during the program, such as changes in the sweeping schedule due to inclement weather. The hotline will be updated at 6:30 a.m. every day during the program, Armstrong said. The town’s website www.cochrane.ca will also provide updates.
“The whole idea is not to surprise anyone,” said Mayor Ken Bech, adding the program meshes well with council’s desire to spend tax dollars efficiently, and that the town does not budget for revenue from tickets issued.
In response to last year’s complaints of inadequate signage, $12,000 was spent on 200 “No Parking” signs to place on streets, said Kim Radloff, a roads division operator for the town. The signs, which will be placed on streets 12 hours before street cleaners enter the area, will inform drivers not to park between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m on a specified day of the week.
In addition, larger notice boards with red flags will again be placed at the entrances to residential areas 72 hours before sweepers enter a neighbourhood. Those will act as warning signs to inform people that street sweeping will be occurring in the coming days.
Armstrong said the town’s website will also post maps of alternate locations where people can park. If residents in an area don’t have driveways or garages and can’t park in one of the alternate sites, they will be permitted to park in their alleyways, on their lawns, or on a boulevard. Parking in town parks will not be permitted, she added.
Fischer said bylaw officers will drive around neighbourhoods with cameras to take digital photos of license plates to capture violators, and tickets will be issued through the mail.
“We’re trying to avoid any confrontation on the street,” Fischer said. “We don’t want to be the bad guys this year.”
Simpson said it seems the town is trying to give better notice this year with the extra signage and alternate parking, since last year she hadn’t seen the signs at all and one year she got in trouble for parking on her lawn. But the Glenbow resident is still concerned about the timeframe of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that residents are expected to be available to move their cars.
“It’s so much like the cable man,” she said. “It’s such a huge time-frame. You have to have a big chunk of time available for them.”
James Perras, who requested information from the town about how the program was run after receiving a ticket April 20, said the initiative seems like a step in the right direction if it informs people. Last year “most people didn’t know this was going on,” he said.
Although Perras understands it costs the town more money to clean a street a second time if cars are parked on it the first time, he said he doesn’t buy the environmental argument that cleaning is necessary to avoid road material from entering rivers through stormwater.
“That happens all year long,” he said, adding if it was an environmental concern, the streets “would be cleaned more than once a year.”

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The Annex, a church that holds services at the Cochrane RancheHouse, is hosting panel discussions on the environment, affordable housing and other “hot button” issues starting at 6 p.m. on March 4.
The Annex endeavours to be pro-active regarding the local community, and has over the past few weeks addressed issues such as global poverty, climate change and humans’ impact on the planet, poverty within Canada and Cochrane, and what a community can do to help bring about change.
“We hope that we can have a positive effect and see how we can work together as the community of Cochrane to help make this place better for our kids than when it was given to us,” said Pastor Robin Bailey in a press release.
For more information, call Pastor Bailey at 851-0909, or e-mail robin@
the-annex.ca.

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Coffee with Warren
by Warrren Harbeck
There’s a line in the Psalms that has long intrigued me with its candor on the brevity of life.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” the writer of Psalm 90 pleads.
This psalm is familiar to many for its majestic opening:
“Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
Mere mortals, on the other hand, are “like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.”
That’s why we are told to “apply our hearts unto wisdom” — and at the heart of wisdom are the stories of our brief, faltering steps toward full humanity.
In last week’s column I paid tribute to the memory of our recently-deceased coffee companion Gerald Kaquitts, a Morley photographer, philosopher and a leader among the Stoney Nakoda Nation whose stories buoyed me up in difficult times.
But in the past few days, we have also lost three other coffee companions: John VanderLee, longtime Bow Valley community leader who passed away in Florida, of failing health; and Chris and Betty Harvey, environmental bridge-builders formerly of Cochrane and most recently of Rimbey, Alta., killed instantly in a collision along a rural road.
Each of these helped me embrace the godly wisdom of enjoying each day as a gift to be celebrated in the spirit of love and gratitude.
Furthermore, reflecting on their lives and the all-too-short lives of others who have helped shape my own journey, I have come to appreciate the importance of eulogies and shared memories at funerals.
Such celebration of lives has not always been the norm, however.
Many years ago I attended a funeral where the pastor would not allow any reminiscence over the deceased’s life — no eulogies, no tributes. In fact, not even the name of the deceased was to be spoken, lest its mere mention evoke uncontrollable grief.
All the lessons of their lives — all their struggles and triumphs, laughter and tears, and insights and impact — were discarded as if they were of no more value than used coffee grounds.
What a pity, I thought.
For it is precisely this legacy of memories that is a treasure more valuable than gold. Writers understand this and make it their business to extend to subsequent generations the wisdom that otherwise goes to the grave at the end of a solitary life.
Indeed, our experience of another’s life is not unlike our enjoyment of a good book.
I go to my bookshelf and pull out a novel. After a few pages, I’m hooked by its captivating plot and beauty of expression. I relate to the characters, and they to me, as we sometimes agree — and sometimes disagree.
We step through the pages together, and powerful images are planted in my mind — images charged with maturing me into my full humanity.
Then I arrive at the last chapter, read the last words, and close the cover.
Shall I now, without a word, bury the novel among the books on my shelf from which it came — earth to earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, so to speak? Shall I now become so obsessed with having closed the book that I can no longer even speak about it? Shall I terminate the great dialogue of life, with all its loves and hates and dreams — all because the volume has come to its end?
No, not at all! I would celebrate the book with others, even recommend it to them.
And so it is with eulogizing those who have become part of our very being, whether Gerald, or John, or Betty or Chris, or others whose last chapter in this life has ended and the covers closed.
In this regard, I’d like to conclude with a word of gratitude for another life well lived — a life that helped shape the thinking and practice of many biblical scholars around the world, and especially those, like myself, committed to the science and art of Bible translation.
Prof. Bruce Metzger, of Princeton, New Jersey, finished his short life Feb. 13. He was 93. His leadership in the compilation of ancient biblical manuscripts and overseeing accurate translations of them into modern English has made the Scriptures accessible to readers for generations to come. His story will be remembered whenever the Greatest Story is told and retold.
He, too, numbered his days and applied his heart to wisdom.
(c) 2007
Warren Harbeck
warren@harbeck.ca.

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Wee Jackie weighs in
by Jack Tennant
Who would ever have thought a kids’ playoff hockey game would last about six hours and involve two separate arenas, yet that’s what happened Feb. 25.
The Cochrane Tier 5 Rockies — that’s nine- and 10-year-old Atoms — played the Morin team, which is near Drumheller, in the first game of the best-of-three playoff.
The game was at the Cochrane Arena and everything was going along just fine until just before noon. Cochrane was winning 6-4 with 12:08 remaining in the third period when the public address announcer issued the bad news: There was a gas leak and the building had to be evacuated immediately.
Town officials said Feb. 26 that an overhead heater malfunctioned and the building was vacated as a safety precaution.
Staff at the old arena were very professional and confident in explaining the situation, and getting everyone out in an orderly fashion.
So, two hockey teams, parents and officials hurried outside and waited.
At first officials thought it might be 30 minutes before the arena would be re-opened. Then it became an hour.
The arena was actually closed for four hours. What to do about 12:08 of unplayed playoff hockey?
Ann Roberts is a minor hockey volunteer who performs miracles with the scheduling of all those games, so she contacted the folks at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
Now that’s a very busy place most days, especially Sundays. But when the staff heard of the unplayed 12:08 they didn’t hesitate.
Come on down, they said, and we’ll work you in somehow. At 3:15 p.m. both teams took to the ice and finished the game. Cochrane scored two more and won 8-4.
So a tip of the hockey helmet to Mike Bigland, coach of the Rockies, and general manager Don Miller for making the major adjustment, the Morin team for going along with it to finish the game, minor hockey folks like Ann, and of course the staff at the sports centre for going the extra mile so kids could play hockey.
It’s attitudes like this that make Cochrane a great place to live — with or without big box stores.

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