Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
4. Downtown core needs improvement: The main business street in Cochrane has
deteriorated over the past two decades. Some shops are boarded up, while others have
invested nothing to upgrade or even properly maintain their storefronts. The Municipality
has been trying to get funding to improve the downtown core. In 2009, it submitted an
application under the Ontario Rural Economic Development (ORED) Program’s Main
Street Ontario fund. ORED denied the application.
5. Lack of municipal transparency and dialogue: Participants at all sessions appreciated the
opportunity to have a say in the plan’s development. Many were very pleased that the
town is investing in planning for its future. However, Cochrane’s residents would like more
information from the municipality on an ongoing basis. There is a perception that the
Council is engaged in ‘closed door deal making” and that an “Old Boy’s Club” makes
decisions for its own benefit at the expense of the community at large. While the
community has a modern website with much of the municipal information available, it has
no interactive capacity. The town’s Facebook page seems oriented towards 1-way
communication (announcements instead of dialogue and conversation) and thus has a very
low engagement rate.
6. Lack of community-wide communication: Many participants commented on the lack of
awareness among community organizations about what others are doing. They believe
there are missed opportunities for partnerships, synergies, and money-saving efforts, but
there is currently no inter-organizational or community-wide communications framework.
7. Not enough trades people to meet needs: As is common in many towns undergoing
industrial boom cycles, Cochrane residents are experiencing difficulties in hiring trades
people. Furthermore, they are so busy with mine-related activities that their rates have
increased well past the rate of inflation.
8. Alcohol and drugs too accessible: The youth group in particular has concerns about drug
and alcohol availability. We were unable to locate any Cochrane-specific statistics that
confirm this perception.
9. Volunteers are getting tired: Those at the Senior’s session were especially concerned
about the dwindling supply of volunteers as people scale back on community work as they
age. Moreover, there is an active youth group that maintains ties with Mayor and Council,
but many of these young people will be leaving the community for post-secondary
education. The community sees a need to develop a volunteer pipeline.
10. Businesses falling behind re: technology use: Businesses have not adopted technologies
that would help them maintain and grow a customer base. While many are using e-mail,
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