Cochrane, Alberta

7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 that likes to get outdoors and use things and it’s such a synergistic relationship between us, the town, and the people of the town,” Rooney says. Garmin also sponsors the track at the Spray Lakes Sawmills Family Sports Centre and uses the pool and other facilities for product testing. This cohesive relationship between business and community fits in well with Cochrane Council’s most recent strategic plan, which highlights the idea of building a complete community. “Part of that takes what we describe as intentional partnerships of a variety of natures. There are intergovernmental partnerships with us and entities like the province or our neighboring rural jurisdiction Rocky View County. There are social partnerships with groups like Bike Cochran and other non-profit entities that ensure that we have a community that is cared for and full of activities and has the services that we want to see,” Derricott elaborates. “We also have really important relationships on the business side of things.” He notes that the town is working with the Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce, and Innovate Cochrane, to ensure a vibrant local economy, adding, “As a local government entity, we feel most successful when we’re making connections between people and groups that are really making it happen. We see ourselves as facilitators in that space, helping to create and maintain an environment where people can come in and do the kind of work that we’re seeing out of Garmin and some of the other private entities in our community.” Cochrane has also introduced a new land use bylaw, with the intention of making Cochrane, even more, business-friendly. Maintaining the unique heritage of the town is another area of focus, one that is extended to both business and residential development. “We really believe that we have an obligation to establish, support, and maintain our unique heritage and identity in our community,” says Derricott. Through what the town has coined “Western Heritage Guidelines,” developers are encouraged to incorporate some of Cochrane’s distinctive character in their plans.