A lifelong Okotoks resident wants to serve his community on council in the next term.
Brent Robinson decided to put his name forward when he realized how many current council members would not be seeking re-election this fall.
“I thought it would be a good time to jump in and provide my experience and expertise, and my background, to try and help the town and to accommodate future growth and work toward planning a better community,” said Robinson.
He grew up in Okotoks until the late 1990s, when he went away to pursue secondary education and earn a law degree. Robinson moved back to town in 2011, and he and his wife have extended family in Okotoks and Foothills County.
Spending four decades in town has allowed him to see its growth and recall its heritage, which has given Robinson a vision for the future of Okotoks.
“What I think we should be accomplishing is accommodating growth and experience while maintaining the feel and character,” he said. “I have a bit of a history and memory of what those things are like and trying to maintain that type of community structure as we continue growing in the future.”
Besides his history as an Okotokian, Robinson said practising law has granted him some valuable skills and experience for being on council.
“As a lawyer I have attention to detail and diligence, and sort of being good at that boring stuff,” he said. “That leads to being a councillor and being accountable and diligent.”
Robinson is a volunteer with the Raiders Lacrosse Association, currently serving as president of the organization.
Being involved with lacrosse and recreational activities has allowed him to tap into a large portion of the Okotoks population, as he has met many families and adults between age 35 to 50.
“I have a good finger on the pulse of what those people are looking for in the community,” said Robinson.
To get a better grasp of issues the Town is facing, Robinson attended the council Community Connector event in the spring, and said he came away with a better understanding of the water pipeline project.
It was important to learn where that initiative stands, because it is front-of-mind of Okotoks residents, he said.
“Essentially all that’s left for that is seeing it through to completion,” said Robinson. “That’s kind of our biggest infrastructure project, our biggest project we have to keep an eye on and work toward.”
Once the new water source is solidified, he said community planning will be the most important objective for council.
With the intent of planning for 50 years and potentially adding 50,000 people to town in that time, he said there will be a lot of area structure plans, and development and subdivision approvals, to come in the next few terms.
“It’s going to take a lot of diligence by council to make sure those new communities are still given that Okotoks community flavour, are still affordable, accessible, and contain the stuff we need for people of all ages and backgrounds and walks of life to live in Okotoks and become part of the Okotoks community,” said Robinson.
He is eager to help see the affordable housing strategy through, which was approved earlier in 2021 and includes many recommendations for providing more affordable housing units, purpose-built rentals and subsidized housing offerings in Okotoks.
“A lot of that comes from the community planning perspective, and getting those things built and on the table, not getting sidetracked,” said Robinson.
Outdoor recreation is also important to the council hopeful, who said the town is well on its way to improve its slate of opportunities with the pathway system and additions like the bike trails and disc golf course in the river valley.
An outdoor arena would be valuable in town, for recreational use and community events, he said.
“I think that’s area Okotoks residents really value and really feel that’s a part of the character of our community,” said Robinson.
