Keep Cochrane Public!

The Town of Cochrane is threatening to privatize municipally delivered child care and water services. We can’t let them!

In October, Cochrane began exploring cutting public services that would have immediate negative impacts on residents. Families rely on these high quality, publicly funded and publicly delivered child care centres. All residents depend on the skilled workers who keep their drinking water safe.

Does the mayor want to punish unionized workers? Are  they willing to harm their own communities to do it?

Cochrane’s town council will be voting on whether to move ahead with stripping public services early in 2025. We have to act now.

While other municipalities are investing in public services, Mayor Peter Politics is playing politics, taking out his frustration on from a 2023 strike on Cochrane residents. The result is going to be disastrous – maybe even dangerous.

Water services are delivered by a private firm in Black River Matheson and they’ve been dealing with boil water advisories on-and-off for months.

Meanwhile Rainy River district recently took over privately operated child care centres because they realized that only municipalities can provide high quality services with a well-supported workforce.

Cochrane residents deserve better. Don’t let the mayor strip public services so corporations make a buck off the backs of children, workers, and families.

Subject: Keep Cochrane Public!

Email:

Dear

I am deeply concerned about the direction that Cochrane’s Town Council is taking, exploring privatizing municipal child care and water services.

I understand that these are just requests for proposals at this time. But that does not ease my fears that our town, alone, is heading in the wrong direction by possibly stripping incredibly important public services.

Cochrane does not have a wealth of child care operators willing to provide the high quality care that parents deserve and able to provide the good working conditions that child care workers need. That’s why the municipality does it. Child care services are in crisis across the province and now is the time to expand services, to make sure more families have access to care, and to shore up this critical workforce. Other municipalities, like Rainy River, are stepping in where private operators have failed and this is the right direction for Cochrane as well.

And then there’s water. These services have been municipally provided safely for years. While residents in Black River Matheson, where they have a private firm operating their water services, deal with boil water advisories, we can turn on the tap confident that clean water is coming out of pipes serviced by well paid city workers.

That’s the Cochrane I want to live in. But that’s not the Cochrane I see my council fighting for.

I do not support the privatization of these services. This is an election issue for me. But even more than that, it’s a community issue that affects every resident of Cochrane. Please confirm your receipt of this and your intention to do everything in your power to prevent the dismantling of critical public services.

Sincerely,

[Name]