Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
Figure 6.1: Proposed Strategic Directions for Cochrane
Together,
Cochrane residents are
building a sustainable economy that
supports a culturally diverse and vibrant northern way of life.
VISION
Our mission is to provide residents with exemplary municipal services
through positive leadership, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit.
MISSION
1
2
3
4
5
Strengthen
Business
Community
Grow
Agricultural
Sector
Leverage
Transportation
Assets
Promote a
“Great
Place to Live”
Maintain
Tourism
Infrastructure
The community will
pursue projects that
build local business
capacity, and
support an
environment that
encourages new
investment.
Cochrane will invest
in projects that
facilitate the growth
of its agricultural
sector, including
secondary product
creation and
marketing.
The Town will invest
in projects that build
competitive
advantage by
enhancing existing
assets, including the
highway, rail and
airport.
The Town will
develop projects,
partnerships, and
marketing materials
to facilitate and
support population
stability and a better
quality of life.
Cochrane will
maintain and
incrementally
enhance its existing
tourism assets with
the goal of enticing
tourists to “stay
another day.”
KEY
STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS
6.1 Opportunity Alignment
There are nineteen projects in this Strategic Plan. Table 6.1 demonstrates how each project
addresses the issues identified in the SWOT analysis (Appendix C). Note that the SWOT has been
slightly revised from the Phase 1 Report (December 2013). It contains additional information to
accommodate issues identified through research and consultation.
This project alignment exercise is important because it acts as a checklist. It demonstrates that the
recommended projects in the Strategic Plan address major issues raised during the planning
process. It also points out the community strengths that project leaders can leverage to execute
various projects more effectively.
This approach to strategic planning –structuring projects under major themes– helps to keep the
plan flexible. As government policies, the economy and other external forces change, the plan
may have to evolve if it is to remain relevant. By establishing five key themes, or directions, the
community can ensure that it is still addressing major weaknesses and threats in a strategic
fashion, even if the individual projects within those themes need to change.
37