Claims & Insurance | Town of Cochrane

If you feel that you have suffered an injury or damage as a result of the actions of the Town or its employees, you may pursue a claim. While anyone can pursue a claim, it does not guarantee that you will be paid for damages stated in the claim.

We recommend you contact your insurance company first. They can advise you on how to deal with injury or damage. Your insurance coverage may be more extensive than what you can receive from the Town. Additionally, if your insurer believes Cochrane is responsible for your damage, they may seek compensation on your behalf.

The Town will only provide compensation when found legally liable for the damage sustained. This approach helps to reduce costs for the tax-paying public, who ultimately bear the cost of these claims.

How to submit a claim

Online Claim/Incident Report Form

By providing you with this form, the Town of Cochrane does not admit any liability for the damages. The form is solely used for investigation purposes of the incident described.

Claim/Incident Report Form

Alternatively, you can download and complete a Claim/Incident Report Form. Attach all relevant information, estimates and photos. You can submit the claim package by email, to legislative@cochrane.ca or you can mail or hand-deliver it to:

Town of Cochrane – Legislative Services:
Attn: Risk Management Advisor
101 Ranchehouse Road, Cochrane, AB T4C 2K8

Download the Claim/Incident Report Form

Once the Risk Management Advisor receives your claims package, you will receive acknowledgement within two business days. The Town will investigate the claim to determine whether the municipality was negligent and liable for the damage.

You will receive a written response advising of the decision within 30 days of receipt of a completed claims package. This decision may include information on next steps. Depending on the nature of your claim, an adjuster appointed by Cochrane’s insurer may also contact you.

Denied claims

If records show that service levels and a reasonable standard of care were met, your claim may be denied. The results of the investigation along with supporting evidence justifying the denial will be provided to you.

Limitation periods

The following limitation periods apply for claims against the Town. These outline how long you have to submit a claim, and are governed by the Municipal Government Act:

21 days for snow, slush and ice
30 days for road repairs or non-repairs
two years for all other actions

Incident information

Motor vehicle collisions

If you are involved in a motor vehicle collision, report the claim to your insurance company, regardless of who was at fault. Liability is determined in part by insurance companies.

In 2022, Alberta implemented Direct Compensation for Property Damage (DCPD). This means that drivers claim from their own insurance, not from the at-fault driver’s insurance. You can find more information from the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

If the total damage to all vehicles and property is more than $5,000, a Collision Report Form must be filed with the RCMP.

Municipal employees are not permitted to discuss the circumstances of accidents or liability with outside parties.

Bodily injury

The Town of Cochrane takes the care and condition of its sidewalks and roadways seriously. Though we make all reasonable attempts to inspect and maintain municipal property to alleviate tripping hazards, we cannot guarantee that no hazards exist.

Section 532 of the Municipal Government Act (MGA) states that:

A municipality may only be held liable in the case of a trip and fall if they knew or should have known of the state of repair and did not take reasonable steps to prevent it.
Incidents must be reported to the municipality within 30 days.

Alberta experiences a wide variety of weather conditions, often all in the same day. The Town simply does not have the resources to remove all ice and snow from sidewalks and roadways. Section 531 of the MGA states that:

In order for a municipality to be held liable in the case of a slip and fall, they must be found to be grossly negligent.
Incidents must be reported to the municipality within 21 days.

Property damage

If you have reason to believe your personal property has been damaged by a Cochrane vehicle, equipment or employee, please follow the steps for submitting a claim. You will be required to provide evidence and information to support your claim.

If you have home insurance, report the damage to your insurer. Your own policy may cover the costs of the damage.

If you witness any damage to municipal property, or have caused damage, please complete an incident report by following the claim submission process and a town advisor will be in contact with you.

Water, sewer and floods

Municipal trees

If a fallen tree or branch from a municipal tree causes damage to your property and the incident was not foreseeable, it is considered an ‘act of God.’ In these cases, Town of Cochrane Parks crews will remove municipal trees or branches and clean up any tree debris.

Owners of damaged property are responsible for the cost of repairs to their property. If you have home insurance, report the damage to your insurer as soon as possible.

If you see a tree down or any other dangerous situation involving municipal trees, contact our Operations department at 403-851-2590 or submit an incident report.