Just the Facts
By Mary Lou Davis
Have you ever thought about building an addition to your home, adding a suite or putting a new garage on your property? Are you baffled by the complexity of who can be involved in a commercial development approval? Did you know that of the approximately 200 development permits issued by the development officer for the Town of Cochrane, less than 10 per cent are appealed?
I invite you to follow my column over the next few weeks and save each installment so that you can refer back to the facts as we progress through the development process.
This series is intended to help people understand that there is a process, there are laws that must be adhered to and there is an authority that directs town staff and council in their roles. I will be reviewing who has responsibility on these issues and in a later column will take you through a mock development to help clarify the process an applicant goes through to get their development application approved, or not.
The starting point is to know that there is going to be numerous people involved in any development application. Other than town staff, who can answer questions throughout the application process and issue you a permit, there are also committees of council involving members of the public and councillors that may have a say in what you are allowed to do. The general public, depending on their status in relation to the application of development, may also get involved during a public hearing or an appeal.
The town has statutory documents that dictate and are referred to in all zoning, subdivision and development approvals. These can include area structure plans, the Municipal Development Plan, the Land Use Bylaw, the Area Redevelopment Plans, Western Heritage Design Guidelines and possibly the Intermunicipal Development Plan.
As you can see, there is no simplifying this process except to rely on the knowledge and expertise of town staff to direct you every step of the way. Bring a notebook when meeting with the development authority and always ask, “What should I do next?” I have been through this process myself, four times in two different cities as a member of the public. No two experiences were identical.
Let’s begin by finding out which committees are involved in the development process whether a subdivision approval, a zoning change, a commercial development or the addition of a garage to an existing residential property.
There is currently a list of 18 committees on the town website (www.cochrane.ca). Of these 18, there are five that may be consulted for input on a decision regarding a development, subdivision or zoning application. These are the Cochrane Planning Commission (CPC), the Subdivision Development Appeal Board (SDAB), the Cochrane Environmental Committee and the Area A and Area B task forces depending on the location of a proposed development. Other committees may be asked for input if the development affects their area of responsibility.
The make up of a committee is determined by the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and/or councillors as stated in their Procedural Bylaw. Vacancies on committees are advertised by the town. Once applications are received and the posting is closed, potential members have an interview with the mayor and one member of the committee, an informal chance for the applicant to ask questions about the committee as well as for the mayor and committee member to question the applicant. I was not told the purpose of the interview when I applied for a committee and can only assume that the mayor would give feedback to council, on each candidate, prior to council voting in members of committees. Review of applications takes place at an “in camera” session of council to protect the privacy of applicants and the vote takes place in public at a council meeting.
With regards to the development process, the MGA states that a council must, by bylaw, establish a sub-division authority and a development authority. This authority can be a designated officer (development officer/staff), a municipal planning commission (CPC), or any other person or organization. Council must also establish an appeal board (SDAB) which the majority cannot be made up of council, cannot include an employee of the municipality or a member of the planning commission. These three bodies make up Cochrane’s development authorities.
I will next review the responsibility of the development officer and the committees that make up the balance of the development authority. To understand why these committees play a part in this process you need to know who the committee is made up of, what power it has and by what authority they are governed. In the following weeks I will explain what is required of the applicant and opportunities for the general public to participate. I will then map out a mock residential development and the appeal process that follows when someone does not agree with a decision.
Mary Lou Davis, a former Cochrane town councillor, offers insight into how the town works.

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By Brad Herron
The Eagle
Cochrane council awarded its 2008 street and utility improvements contract to AIC Construction for $1.49 million.
The tendered amount was just over $1.38 million but town staff recommended an increase to cover engineering fees and contingencies.
AIC Construction will work on improving Cascade Place and Castle Place by working on the water mains, streets and replacing sidewalks.

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By Brad Herron
The Eagle
With only a few years left in its life, the Cochrane RancheHouse roof will need to be replaced.
Exploring different options, Gary Wagner, Cochrane’s environmental co-ordinator, told council Jan. 29 he is looking at using specially-designed solar panel as roofing.
Wagner said Jan. 30 that solar panels can now be “integrated in roofing materials.” He is at the beginning of the research, but believes solar panel roofing may be the way of the future.
Wagner is currently working on numerous initiatives, which include retrofitting town buildings to be environmentally friendly and he is conducting an energy audit.

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By Brad Herron
The Eagle
After previously delaying the decision, Cochrane council appointed two community members to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) on Jan. 28.
Former councillor Mary Lou Davis and Pat Furnival were chosen out of seven applicants.
The SDAB now consists of David Stables, Brent Schmidt, Christopher Ebbinghoff, Doug Wine, Davis, Furnival and Marty Lee, the chairperson.

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By Brad Herron
The Eagle
The Cochrane Environmen-tal Action Committee (CEAC) plans to talk sustainability in 2009.
Tim Giese, the group’s chairperson, said the committee has scheduled a conference for March 2009, with about 10 municipalities and other organizations scheduled to attend.
As well, CEAC is holding its annual general meeting Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the HomeStead building, with forms and fees due that night.

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By Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
As temperatures plummeted this week, several Rocky View schools closed their doors Jan. 28.
By Jan. 29, classes at all Cochrane and area schools were cancelled although Cochrane High remained open for students who were writing diploma exams.
The decision to close a school is the result of a consultation between the principal and the trustee, according to Sally Powis, a communications officer for the school division.
“Individual bus drivers also have the authority to decide whether it’s safe for them to drive because we believe they are the ones best able to make that decision,” she said. “But each school is decided on an individual basis.”
Though Bow Valley High School students had already finished writing diploma exams by the time their building was closed, Springbank High was closed Jan. 28, the day some students were scheduled to write a social studies test.
Bruce Pettigrew, trustee for Cochrane and a former principal, explained that though an examination cannot be rescheduled, the students will be presented with options.
“Students or the school can apply to Alberta Education for a special exemption,” he explained. “Or they will have the choice of writing the exam at the next sitting, which will be in April. But every student will have a choice.”
For obvious reasons students will not have the option of simply postponing the test until the next day the school is open.
“We apply the same circumstance as though a student was ill on a diploma exam day,” Pettigrew said. “We can’t just have them take the test the next day, but we will always present them with some options.”

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By Ian Tennant
The Eagle
An election is “imminent,” said Banff-Cochrane MLA Janis Tarchuk.
Premier Ed Stelmach is widely expected to call a provincial election after the Progressive Conservatives’ open the legislature with a throne speech Feb. 4.
When pressed to cough up an election date, Tarchuk referred to the throne speech and her party’s commitments, announcements and initiatives.
“We’ll know lots more next Monday,” she said, adding the speech will outline a budget and the party’s platform.
“I think it is a plan (budget) that will be very well received.”
In the interview Jan. 28, the MLA sounded very much like the campaign had already begun.
Tarchuk emphasized the Stelmach government will focus on three priorities: “building communities, greening our growth and creating opportunities.”
She said the Tories have an “aggressive” infrastructure plan and recently announced plans to beef up policing and reduce crime, all part of building communities.
As for “greening our growth”, Tarchuk said that priority resonates with local voters concerned about the balance of growth and the environment. She also pointed to an update of the land use policy, a climate change plan and policies related to water management.
Tarchuk cited the pending deal between Alberta teachers and the province that should create an opportunity for five years of labour peace.
Continuing to trumpet the government’s projects, the MLA cited $20 million spent on the Canmore Nordic Centre and $50 million on the Banff Centre as local accomplishments.
When asked about Cochrane, Tarchuk pointed to the health centre planned for the town.
“We want to get that underway.”
Tarchuk also said “we’ve got significant dollars in the budget” for affordable housing, and there is an effort to see if grants can be used to expand the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
As the children services minister, Tarchuk said she has tried to alleviate day care shortages by offering $1,500 for every new space created in a community, and by topping up salaries $1 to $4 per hour, depending on accreditation.
The veteran politician sees this election focusing “on quality of life issues.”
Albertans “want healthy communities, they want a good education system, they want health care,” she said.
The Liberals picked Cochrane-area resident Patricia Robertson to run locally while Canmore lawyer Anne Wilson will represent the New Democrats.

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By Brad Herron and Sarah Junkin
The Eagle
Only days before the deadline, Rocky View school trustees unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement with its teachers at a special meeting Jan. 30.
A collective bargaining agreement had to be approved by each teachers’ association and every school board in Alberta before Jan. 31 to ensure the province’s $2.2-billion unfunded pension liability proposal is accepted.
Representatives from local teachers’ association and the school division used a mediator to reach the agreement.
The new deal runs until 2012, while the past deal was due to expire in 2009.
Trustees also unanimously approved the province’s funding of pension liability.
Cochrane trustee Bruce Pettigrew credited diligent work by his colleagues for the agreement.
“As a member of the labour relations committee, I would like to commend trustee (Colleen) Munro and (secretary-treasurer) Darrell Couture for all their hard work,” Pettigrew said.

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By Ian Tennant and Brad Herron
The Eagle
The site for some old-time barn dances has been lost — at least for a while.
A barn at LJ Ranch southwest of Cochrane burned to the ground in less than an hour on Jan. 24.
Lindsay Eklund put his horse in the barn and started a fire “like I’d done a hundred times” and then started into some more chores around the ranch on Towers Trail.
At around 6 p.m. he noticed smoke billowing out of the barn and raced to save his horse while the roof was ablaze. He also called a neighbour to alert firefighters. Eklund grabbed a fire extinguisher but that wasn’t enough. He grabbed a hose but it was too short and another hose was frozen.
By this time his son, Travis, had arrived and promptly doused a cabin about 12 feet from the burning barn by turning the short hose on the structure.
“He actually saved that,” said the proud dad.
Eklund said the blaze was raging when fire crews arrived and it was fully engulfed within about 40 minutes.
“It was unbelievably quick.”
Eklund lost tack in the fire which will set his horse training and riding instruction business back a bit.
But the barn was also well known in the area for the traditional dances Lindsay and his wife Joy West Eklund held on the top floor at least once a year since it was built six years ago.
In August 2005, the Eklunds hosted Matt Masters, a country troubadour based in Calgary, who had embarked on a tour of 100 shows to mark Alberta’s centennial. The stop at LJ Ranch on Towers Trail was Master’s 92nd event.
The Eklunds have already been impressed with their friends and neighbours who joined forces Jan. 26 to haul away around 90 per cent of the charred remains, something Lindsay did not want to look at as the cold snap descended on Alberta.
“It had to go . . . we were in shock for a couple days,” he said.
Nevertheless, the sweet sounds of country music and dancers’ boots shuffling across a dusty floor will be heard again.
“We do intend to rebuild it,” Eklund vowed.
Cochrane fire station officer Huw Jeffries said it took five hours to completely extinguish the blaze.
Cochrane firefighters also responded to a vehicle fire at the Pointe of View complex on Railway Avenue at about 6:45 a.m. Jan. 26.

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