Reed introduced a motion at Monday’s regular council meeting aimed at codifying how they might be guided in future decisions through a greener lens.
Recognizing Cochrane’s natural beauty and heritage, Coun. Alex Reed thinks the environment deserves to be more formally recognized by elected officials and planners as they go about their work of deciding on how land around town is – or isn’t – protected from the developers’ bulldozers.
Reed introduced a motion at Monday’s regular council meeting aimed at codifying how they might be guided in future decisions through a greener lens.
One of the reasons Reed sees this as a useful exercise is that council’s recent thrust to garner public engagement resulted in a certain public opinion he saw repeated a few times – nature matters.
Reed pointed to Cochrane’s Sustainability Plan, which acknowledged: “We are responsible citizens of the planet.”
And the Cochrane Strategic Plan which included the aspirations of “committing to preserving our unique identity and to protecting, nurturing and enjoying our natural landscape.”
So the time was ripe for bringing forward a Notice of Motion to establish a Natural Environment Protection Task Force.
“To be clear, its not to deal with the current park structure, but rather the other amenities we have in our community,” Reed said, in explaining his motion.
In his presentation to council Monday, Reed’s report said, “wetlands, green spaces, forests, creeks, and other natural areas are assets in our community that provide many benefits, including habitat for birds, insects, plants, and animals, while also contributing to the sustainability of a healthy, livable community.
“Conserving these resources is important to the environmental health and well-being of Cochrane as we continue to grow and develop.”
It went on to say that: “Through intentional planning and actions, Cochrane can identify and prioritize natural areas that should be preserved or restored to protect long-term ecological health, build community resilience, and protect the visual beauty of our community.”
In public opinion surveys, residents indicated a strong desire to keep Cochrane’s natural resources for all of these reasons, as well as preservation of our traditional history and passive recreational opportunities.
In Reed’s view, the Task Force should: provide advice and recommendations to council on environmental sustainability issues and trends as they relate to Cochrane’s natural heritage; provide support, advice and recommendations on municipal practices and programs as they relate or may impact natural resource conservation; provide long term planning for the stewardship and preservation of natural resources and assets; focus on enhancing the protection and growth of urban forested areas, creeks, and streams within the community; identify ecological issues that impact Cochrane’s natural environment; work to create opportunities for all residents and visitors to learn about and enjoy our natural resources; recommend programs and policies that work to protect the visual and scenic natural areas and corridors; increase public awareness, appreciation and stewardship of natural habitats and resources available in Cochrane, and, research funding opportunities to protect and conserve important ecosystems.
Another goal would be to positively contribute to Canada’s 30×30 target to protect 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030.
The proposed task force would be comprised of two Members of Council, three public at large, two members of Administration (non-voting – representing Planning and Community Services) and one administrative support.
Council asked Adminstration to look into what such a task force would entail, and bring back a potential Terms of Reference document in October to guide the setup of the Task Force. Council would still have to approve those Terms of Reference at a future vote.