In his preamble of the Hwy. 1A/Hwy. 22 interchange announcement, Transportation minister Brian Mason made light of Banff-Cochrane MLA Cam Westhead's persistence on the issue and jokingly called him a "thorn in his side."

That determination to get his number one Cochrane priority approved has earned Westhead the praise of Mayor Ivan Brooker.

"You have to have the support of the MLA to constantly keep the bug in the ear of the minister," says Brooker. "From conversations I've had in the past with Minister Mason and some of Cam's colleagues I know he's been doing a really good job of that for us."

Westhead knew from the time he was elected this interchange was the top priority for Cochrane.

"Right after the election and as soon as Minister Mason was sworn in later that month I started talking to him and letting him know how important this intersection was, not only for Cochrane but for the region as well," says Westhead. "A lot of people use this transportation hub to get to the mountains and also for industry. Knowing how important this is was something that I stayed on top of and tried to advocate at any given opportunity and I'm really happy to see it come to light."

While Westhead appreciates the praise, he says it was really a collective effort that made the announcement possible.

"I'm really proud. I think this victory really belongs to all the people of Cochrane because it was something that they helped make happen as well. There were a lot of people who wrote letters to myself and Minister Mason and it was something that we accomplished together. I'd also like to really thank Mayor Brooker for his advocacy. When you work like this for a common cause and put the interest of our constituents first it just shows you what can be accomplished and when it happens and we can achieve great things."

With his top priority for Cochrane achieved, Westhead wants to now start focusing on the issue of seniors housing and the development of more schools to keep pace with the town's rapid growth.

"The issues of schools and seniors housing are certainly the next two highest priorities here."