It turns out Cochrane and Airdrie may have more in common than their trash talking rivalry in the outhouse races.
In the wake of news of the potential end of the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB), two of the members – Cochrane and Airdrie – are teaming up in support of each other in applying for a collaboration grant to fund a feasibility study.
Airdrie city council showed its support on Dec. 3 for the Town of Cochrane’s exploration of the idea of a Waste to Energy Facility development, in the form of an application to the Alberta Community Partnership-Intermunicipal Collaboration grant.
Cochrane mayor Jeff Genung said he was encouraged to garner the support of the neighbouring town, coming as it does from his counterpart Peter Brown, who has been a challenger in Cochrane’s annual Outhouse Races.
He’s also been a staunch supporter of Genung’s since the Cochrane mayor was elected.
“I've always had a great relationship with Mayor Brown," Genung said. "If he wasn't the first official to reach out to me after I was elected, he was close to the front of the pack; so Peter has always been a supporter."
Genung said Brown has gone through the growing pains in Airdrie that Cochrane's going through now, so he has always utilized him as a bit of a sounding board and kind of a confidant.
“He's managed to go through the growth in Airdrie that you know that we're facing here in Cochrane; so I've appreciated his guidance on that ... We've always had a good relationship.”
The Province announced recently that they would not be funding the CMRB going forward. Genung said whatever the ultimate fate of the Board, opportunities for cooperation still exist.
“We still need to find ways to work together regionally, and this is a good example,” he said.
Genung said this particular grant application fits the bill for both communities.
“You have to work with a neighbouring community to achieve something that you couldn't do alone, that you're going to save taxpayers or communities money in the future. So this kind of idea fit in there,” he said.
Airdrie and Cochrane both haul their garbage to Calgary landfill sites.
“Airdrie and Cochrane are in the same boat," Genung confirmed. "We don't have landfills, so we are basically at the beck end call of the City of Calgary and their tipping fees at the landfill. On top of that, we're burying our garbage. So is there a different way that we could kind of face that."
The Town of Cochrane has been exploring waste-to-energy (WtE) solutions over the past 18 months and is now prepared to conduct a feasibility study. This WtE project aims to evaluate the potential for a regional approach to sustainable waste management and energy generation.
This grant application endorsement allows Airdrie the opportunity to collaborate with Cochrane on this study and learn how it could benefit the City of Airdrie in the regional context.
“It is understood by Cochrane that Airdrie is not committing exclusively to any WtE project,” said Mike Korman, Airdrie’s manager of advocacy and investment.
The initiative will assess the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of converting waste materials into energy, thereby reducing landfill usage, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and creating a renewable energy source.
The project seeks to potentially promote inter-municipal collaboration by sharing resources, infrastructure and services; thereby enhancing regional cooperation and delivering long-term environmental and economic benefits to the involved communities.
The Town of Cochrane will apply for a $200,000 grant from the Alberta Communities Partnership-Intermunicipal Collaboration (ACP-IC) program to fund the feasibility study for the development of a Waste-to-Energy Facility. Cochrane will serve as the managing partner with the City of Airdrie as the proposed grant partner, Korman said.
Airdrie will have no other obligations except help get the grant funding for Cochrane.
