Federal government road infrastructure funding was at the forefront of informal discussions between local MP Blake Richards and town council,  Mar. 12,  but unfortunately there are no quick answers coming.

Richards says it wasn't surprising to hear road infrastructure funding weighs heavily upon the minds of councillors.

"It's a growing community and definitely there's no question the number one issue facing the community is traffic so the infrastructure around that, in particular, is really important and obviously it dominated the discussions," says Richards.

The local MP didn't have any hard or fast answers for the council but he did express concern over lengthy delays in the release of infrastructure funding promised by the Liberal federal government.

"It seems like a lot of the money, a significant amount, promised by the government seems to have been deferred and we're not getting a lot of details or news on when we're going to see some of the money promised to Alberta."

"I wish I had better news."

It was Richards first chance to meet with council as a group since the October election.

Town Councillor Alex Reed says funding for the grade-separated railway crossing on Centre Ave. as well as Cochrane's Smart Cities Challenge bid were among the topics discussed and the half-hour session was largely an opportunity to become familiar with each other's priorities. 

Both Richards and Reed echoed the need for different levels of government to work together for the benefit of the region.

"It's something we've made a habit of doing," says Richards. "I think it's important to stay in touch with both the municipal councils and our provincial MLAs because we all work for the same people; we work for the constituents. We're all trying to accomplish good things and a lot of time there is overlap in areas and we have to make sure that we coordinate the best way that we can to best serve the people."

Reed says it's a philosophy he has long embraced and he's hopeful council will continue to reach out to establish stronger relationships.

"In many ways, we won't be successful on town council unless we have the help of others and part of getting help from others is reaching out to other organizations, other people. So reaching out to our MP in Ottawa is just another one of those opportunities."

Along those same lines, Reed said he was quick to touch base Rocky View County Division 9 councillor Crystal Kissel after the fall election because he believes there is a need for stronger town-RVC relationships.

He isn't alone. Mayor Jeff Genung has embraced the same approach and there have already been several meetings between county and town elected officials to improve a relationship that has been fragile for some years.

"We've certainly gone a long way in terms of trying to reach out to the county council in a number of ways," says Reed.

Reed is also keenly supportive of Mayor Genung's interest in also improving the dialogue between the town and the Stoney-Nakoda Nation.