Local Issues:
The Action Plan section on this website which can be found here is a deep dive on how I hope to deliver results on what I see as the most important areas of focus for the next four years.
However, I also want to provide the community with my quick thoughts on Local Issues facing our community, so that you can better understand how I view the role of our municipal government.
Larger Lots &
Yard Sizes
One of my core policy beliefs is that Cochrane, as a suburban community, should demand larger lots and bigger yards. People move here to escape the city and have room to breathe. Lower-density neighborhoods not only improve quality of life but also slow growth and protect property values. Yet Cochrane currently has a density target, treating higher density as a policy goal. During my years on Council, I have consistently pushed for lower-density planning, but those efforts have fallen short. This doesn’t mean eliminating affordable options like townhouses or duplexes, but families who want bigger yards should have that choice in Cochrane. Critics argue larger lots cost more and generate less tax revenue per acre. Even so, I believe shifting back toward more space would benefit residents. If elected Mayor, I will ask Council to prioritize larger lots in future developments. I am certain this approach will receive pushback from the development industry, but I believe that Cochrane's residents want our municipal government to stand up for our community on this issue.
Pathways & Connectivity
Cochrane needs an official policy goal to ensure that every community has bicycle and pedestrian access into town. The new bike lanes and pathways required to achieve this won’t be built overnight, but I intend to ask Council to endorse a long-term strategy to get there.
Outdoor Sports Fields
Cochrane needs more sports fields. Important work has already begun on the Horse Creek Sports Park, a large outdoor complex with a variety of fields that will be phased in over several years. This project must be included in our 10-Year Capital Plan, along with a realistic timeline for when we can afford to build it.
Environmental Conservation
It's time for Cochrane's municipal government to take a more active role in protecting the natural beauty in our community. We need a wildlife corridor policy to protect our local wildlife, better wetland conservation policies, and a more active approach ensuring that our beautiful green spaces stop getting bulldozed for new apartments. This project must be included in our 10-Year Capital Plan, along with a realistic timeline for when we can afford to build it.
Cochrane's Library
One of the often overlooked topics in Cochrane's political discourse is our library. Throughout the entire 20+ years I have lived in Cochrane, our town's population has more than tripled but the Library has barely received any major capacity upgrades. Through a love of literacy and stories, libraries can and should serve as a foundational component to childhood development and learning. When our kids learn to enjoy books, the learn to enjoy education. We need to ensure that Cochrane's future generations have an attractive space to dive into books, creative arts and other introverted activities. Unfortunately, we don't have any tangible plans for when an expansion will happen. We need to set a realistic timeline for when our community can make this investment in the minds of our youth.
Fixing
Traffic
The development that's already been approved in Cochrane will take our community to an estimated 60,000 residents. That’s a 50% increase compared to our current population, which means we can expect 50% more vehicles on our roads. Our town’s current traffic strategy is relying too heavily on the provincial government to expand the provincial Highways 1A and 22. After the current provincial 1A/22 intersection upgrade is done, we need the Alberta government to keep going and twin or widen the Highway 22 Bow River bridge to really unlock traffic flow through town — but that next leg of the highway is currently unfunded and has no formal start date. We can’t count on that huge provincial project as our only solution moving forward. It took well over 10 years for the current Highway 1A/22 intersection upgrade to move from a political concept to a construction reality. It might very well take another 10 years before the province cuts the ribbon on their next major highway project in Cochrane. But even if that proposal moves forward quickly, it's still not enough. There are going to be several thousand more vehicles on Cochrane’s roads in future years, and regardless of the provincial highways, those vehicles are going to be funneling into our existing downtown core. Right now, we have very little planned to deal with that internal congestion. Municipal roads like Glenbow Drive near the Alliance Church and our railroad crossings are going to become extremely bottlenecked. With our population projected to grow by 50%, we need a better plan than waiting for the provincial government to take action on our highways. We need a plan to expand our municipal roads downtown. The sooner we get them planned, the easier it will be to collect funds from new development to pay for them. Every year we wait to plan these projects, the more development dollars we are leaving on the table and the further Cochrane is falling behind on our traffic problems. We need to slow down growth, and get caught up on our infrastructure planning.
Retirement-Style Housing
Despite all the talk we hear about a "diversity of housing options," very few bungalow-style houses are being built, even though they are popular among recent retirees entering their golden years. I believe Cochrane should implement a policy requiring new developments to include a minimum number of bungalow-style single-detached and/or multi-unit homes. Let’s make sure our older generations have housing that fits their lifestyles!
Western Heritage
It’s important for Cochrane to protect its unique historical and cultural identity. I will always support living up to our town’s motto, “How the West is Now”. I think it's important for the Town to continue supporting our Western Heritage architectural guidelines, and even further enhancing them in strategy areas such as the downtown core. Furthermore, I am a proud supporter of the Cochrane Lions Rodeo, and I believe it needs to remain downtown in the heart of our community indefinitely. Last but not least, I intend to lead by example—personally wearing western wear at community events whenever it’s appropriate. It’s a small but meaningful way to celebrate the spirit that makes Cochrane special.
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Efficient Public Consultation
It’s essential that our municipal government’s actions reflect the desires of the community. At the same time, I believe governments across Canada have developed an over-consultation problem. As a matter of fact, getting key infrastructure projects approved and built in Canada is slower than in almost every other developed nation. Here in Cochrane, our own processes have often been delayed by excessive consultation. If elected Mayor, I will ask Council to adjust our policies to make public consultation more efficient. Consultation should absolutely happen—but it needs to be measured in weeks, not dragged out over months or even years.
Policing &
Public Safety
Like the political philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, I believe the government’s most important responsibility is keeping people safe and enforcing the law. Fortunately, this isn't an issue we need to think about very often in Cochrane. Let's keep it that way. Across Canada, many cities have seen a troubling rise in crime and public abuse of dangerous hard narcotics. I am determined to ensure Cochrane's streets do not face the same degradation. As Mayor, I will take the necessary steps to support our law enforcement officers and stand firmly against social policies that enable or support drug abuse, should they ever be proposed in our community.
Parks &
Open Spaces
When asked what they love about Cochrane, residents often point to our parks, pathways, and open spaces. Our municipal government must continue investing in the amenities that define our community. A major opportunity lies in the recently acquired riverfront lands near the Jim Uffleman Dog Park. While there will be pressure to develop housing on this site, if elected Mayor I will ask Council to strike a Task Force to engage with the community and design a multi-use park and greenspace instead. One vision I strongly support is creating a permanent home for the Cochrane Farmers Market. With plenty of room available, the site could also accommodate other ideas brought forward by residents and the Task Force.
Supporting Spray Lakes Rec Centre
I do not support giving away the operations of our Rec Centre without a clear plan and commitment to how it will benefit Cochrane residents. We nearly lost control of the Spray Lakes Rec Centre to a careless agreement with the YMCA. Our community’s recreation can and should be improved, and I am confident I can work with the existing Rec Centre leadership to address our community’s needs.
Dog Parks
Cochrane needs more dog parks. One of the best opportunities to meet this demand is by expanding and improving the underutilized off-leash area in Riverfront Park, just down the hill from the Zero Gravity Skatepark. This would create a more welcoming and functional space for the many dog owners in our community. It’s also important to recognize that new dog parks should not be placed in small green spaces within existing neighborhoods. The heavy increase in pedestrian traffic and park use can place an unfair burden on the homeowners living directly behind them. Dog parks need to be thoughtfully planned and placed in strategic areas that benefit the entire community.
Public
Transit
The future of Cochrane's transit should be a fully capable fixed-route system. I was never a supporter of Cochrane’s on-demand transit pilot project. It was costly, inefficient, and often unreliable—essentially an overpriced attempt to replicate Uber. The real cost per ride of our service, including the capital costs, were never proven to be more cost effective than just paying for taxis for everyone, and the app was often times too slow and unreliable. Furthermore, the ride-share component rarely worked as intended and data showed that people were very often on the bus alone or with only 1 or 2 other riders. That’s why I’m glad we are now transitioning to a fixed-route system. I believe the future of Cochrane’s transit should be built entirely around fixed routes. Getting fixed-route service to the point of full community coverage will require significant investment and carry substantial ongoing operating costs. I want to see us get there, but it will need to happen incrementally, balanced against our other budgetary demands.
24-Hour
Urgent Care
I agree with Cochrane's residents that getting 24-hour urgent care a priority. I would really like the province to increase our health care access in Cochrane, as it's a provincial matter. Unfortunately, the province has already made their position clear and they do not think it’s the right priority for the health care budget. We need to keep bringing it up though. Every time I get to interact with the provincial government, there will be 3 major things on my agenda to mention: highway 22 south, school funding, and health care access.
Density in Vibrant Commercial Zones
Even though I regularly advocate for lower-density housing with larger yards, that doesn't mean I don't support high-density housing where it makes sense. I recognize the important role that apartments and starter homes play in our economy, especially in a world where young people face significant challenges in securing their first homes. Currently, Cochrane's approach seems to be trending towards increasing density everywhere. This is not the right approach, and I don't believe it's supported by the current residents of the community. Rather than pursuing a universal push for higher density, I want to focus our high-density developments on the downtown core. Additionally, I want to pair as much residential density as possible with commercial shopping and business spaces on the ground floor. Ideally, all of our high-density housing and apartments should be built downtown, with a requirement for commercial space on the lower floor. This way, our density can be used as a tool to create a vibrant and thriving downtown core, similar to Calgary's University District or Inglewood, rather than simply serving as a means to maximize profits for developers. Creating a new type zoning tool to make this a reality in Cochrane was one of many lost ideas over the last term in government. Our council actually went on a hands on educational tour with the lead planner of Calgary's University District, and then unanimously agreed we wanted to find a way to encourage this type of commercial hub in Cochrane. Unfortunately, during our four year term nothing manifested from that goal. I plan to bring this discussion back to Council with a proposal to make it a reality.
This section of the website will be updated throughout the campaign as Morgan continues to listen, learn, and engage with residents about the local issues that matter most to our community.