Printed from the Review
WILL HE WALK?
RAY SPITERI
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 – 07:00
Local News – Daredevil or stuntman – he says he’s neither.
But nobody can say Jay Cochrane isn’t persistent.
Armed with an endorsement from city council, the 63-year-old wirewalker is once again knocking on the door of the Niagara Parks Commission.
The North Bay native has sent a letter to the agency requesting permission to walk on a wire over the Niagara River at the falls from the United States to Canada in 2008, according to parks commission general manager John Kernahan.
A previous request from Cochrane – who is putting on two shows a day near the Skylon Tower this summer – to walk a tightrope from Goat Island on the American side of the Niagara to the top of the Skylon Tower on the Canadian side, was denied in 1997.
The commission, which controls public lands around the Horseshoe Falls, has a longstanding policy prohibiting stunting at the falls or in the river.
“This issue will be discussed during our marketing and events meeting Thursday and likely further at our regular meeting Friday,” parks commission chairman Jim Williams said Tuesday.
“From there, depending on the response at those meetings we will either evaluate the matter further for potential approval, or dismiss it as something the parks commission is not willing to consider at this time.”
Niagara Falls council recently voted to send a letter to the parks commission requesting it give Cochrane permission to attempt the feat.
Two years ago, Cochrane walked a wire between the Niagara Fallsview Casino and the Skylon Tower. He does similar performances around the world to raise money for children’s charities.
It has been his dream to become the first person in 110 years to walk a tightrope over the Niagara River.
“I am not a daredevil, or a stuntman,” said Cochrane. “I am a professional entertainer – a lot like an artist, but instead of playing a guitar string I walk on one.”
Kernahan has told The Review in the past that if the parks commission allowed Cochrane’s walk and an accident happened, there could be a public relations “nightmare” and potential lawsuits.
But Cochrane, who has entertained the masses for decades, said he would never put himself or the public at risk if he didn’t feel comfortable.
“I have walked at Epcot Center at Disney for two years, every day in 1989 and ‘90,” he said. “And believe me, Disney have very stringent policies.”
In the past year or so, the provincial government has named new members to the commission, meaning the current commission roster hasn’t had to deal with this issue yet.
Coun. Vince Kerrio is the city’s representative on the commission and one of its newer members.
“First and foremost, Mr. Cochrane is not a stuntman. And the parks’ policy deals with stunting at the falls and in the river,” he said.
“This is a professional showman we’re talking about. He is very calculated and precise. This is not some person climbing into a barrel and going over the falls for the heck of it. This is an expert at his craft.”
Kerrio, a hotel owner, said tourism is “all about marketing – and what better way to market tourism in this city than to have a world-class wirewalker walk the brink of the falls.
“The only thing that can be better than Cochrane doing that walk, is to have him carry the (Niagara Falls) mayor (Ted Salci) on his back while accomplishing the feat,” he said, laughing.
Fort Erie mayor and commission member Doug Martin said he hasn’t had the opportunity to study the parks’ existing policy, but is “intrigued” by Cochrane’s request.
“In terms of finding ways to attract more tourists to Niagara Falls and the region in general, what better way than this?” said Martin. “I am open to considering anything that may benefit the region, as long as it has been properly studied and reviewed.”
St. Catharines businessman Archie Katzman is vice-chairman of the parks commission. He said approving Cochrane’s request goes “beyond our own opinions.
“I consider myself to have an open mind – I am someone who considers all the options available to us,” he said.
“But at the same time, there are a set of rules and regulations we have to weigh before making a decision. Like, for example, if we alter our policy for Mr. Cochrane, how do we know, restrict or differentiate between those who may be less qualified to do these performances and those who claim to be qualified professionals?”
Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs, who currently sits as a commissioner and was the parks commission chairman in 1997 when Cochrane’s request to wirewalk over the Niagara River was denied, said his opinion hasn’t changed in the past 10 years.
“I have such a love for the parks and the more we commercialize it, the less I like it,” he said. “But I am only one vote and I am not exactly sure if I am right. But at the same time, I am old fashioned and I will stick by my beliefs.”
Cochrane notes that from the mid-to-late 1800s, 11 wirewalkers crossed over Niagara Falls and none fell.
“That’s because they were all professional athletes, not stuntmen.
“These are people walking on an apparatus they feel completely comfortable on and in a climate they feel relaxed in,” he said.
Cochrane said he understands the agency’s concerns and wants “everyone to be comfortable with their decisions.
“I anticipate (the parks commission) will look into this issue closely and make what they feel to be the appropriate decision. And that’s fine. I don’t want anyone to be pressured into a decision.
“But tell me one person – one entertainer, outside of myself – that has come to Niagara Falls and has left $114,000 behind for children? Who has left more behind than they have taken back?
“This is all about the children. Children may only be 30 per cent of our current population, but they are 100 per cent of our future and that is what my walks are all about – helping children now and into the future.”
Cochrane said he has been fortunate to have travelled around the world and estimates he has raised $43 million for children’s charities. Along with walking across Niagara Falls, his personal ambition is to eventually raise $500 million for children.
rspiteri@nfreview.com
ID- 615918
© 2007 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
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