Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
Friendship Centre, the Polar Bear Habitat, Town Council Chambers, and Cochrane Telecom
Services. The goals of the focus groups were to:
• Increase awareness and understanding of the strategic planning process as it relates to each
focus group sector.
• Identify barriers to operation, potential opportunities and other data relative to each focus
group sector.
• Contribute to the SWOT analysis.
• Leverage sector networks to encourage ongoing participation and engagement in the
strategic plan.
• Assess potential partnerships and level of commitment for implementation.
Table 3.1: Focus Group and Public Participation
Sector
Forestry/Mining/Transportation
Aboriginal
Youth
Small Business/Retail
Seniors
Health/Social Services/Recreation
Tourism
Agriculture
Tim Horton’s coffee club
Technology
Town Management
General Public
Participants
8
9
5
2
30
5
2
6
5
2
12
30
Commitment to Helping Implement Plan
Moderate commitment
Highly committed to helping
High-moderate commitment
Not engaged
Highly committed to helping
Highly committed to helping
Not engaged
Highly committed to helping
N/A
Unable to determine commitment level
Highly committed to helping
Too early to tell
3.3 Interviews
The consulting team conducted in-depth interviews with five key stakeholders identified by the
Steering Committee. Interview findings are incorporated into the SWOT analysis and discussion
sections of this report. Interviewees included:
• 2 management-level employees of Detour Gold.
• 2 owners of retail establishments.
• 1 manager of a financial services institution.
The objectives were to:
• Increase awareness and understanding of the strategic planning process relative to the
interviewee.
• Develop a better understanding of barriers to operation, perceptions of the community,
and other data relative to each interviewee.
• Contribute to the SWOT analysis.
• Assess potential partnerships and level of commitment for implementation.
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