More Catch-up Please

OK...here are a few more thoughts for the day.

Legal fees

There are a lot of reasons why a legal fee is high. A major matter could require a team of lawyers and experts to be involved. A crisis situation has happened. A major hearing is to take place. All kinds of things.

John Fairley did it again in his Alan Halberstadt interview the other day. Joe McParland and John get more scoops than anyone in town it seems and on CABLE! The shame of it all for the traditional media.

Alan admitted that the City's legal bill for David Estrin is about $2 million. In the Mayor's year-end interview with John Eddie said the bill was $1.750M. I'd be curious to know what the extra quarter of a million was spent on. I am sure you would too but according to Alan, it is all covered by solicitor-client privilege and might help out our competition if it came out.

Sigh, I guess we will never know.

New ARENA math

When does 1 + 1 = 3

When is 50,000,000 less than 11,000,0000 + 10,000,000

Alan Halberstadt is going to be pushing for a different concept of ice arenas for Windsor that makes a lot of sense to me. Without trying to steal his thunder for the Council strategy session tomorrow, Alan has come up with a different approach that gives us more ice for a lot less money.

I will make the bold statement that if Councillors do not go along with Alan's idea, someone needs to ask them why at a PUBLIC Council meeting. The new $30 million Tunnel Plaza plans work absolutely in favour of what Alan wants to do.

Again as Alan mentioned on Fairley's show, the cost to refurbish the Barn is about $11 million. The fellow who designed the concept is a former City Planner so he has terrific credibility. He has had the refurbishing priced by a very well-respected local firm. Its location is superb, especially for Americans when we get our new AHL "Spitfires" franchise (Oh you did not know about that yet? It's just pure speculation on my part.)

We get a virtually new arena at a fraction of the cost.

As for Riverside, Alan's concept is brilliant there too. A totally new twin ice pad arena for a fraction of the cost, around $10 million. I am not sure but perhaps we can save the building facade which might have some historical value. After all, Eddie launched his mayoral career there didn't he?

So the new math:
1) The Barn plus the new twin pad arena gives us three ice surfaces not two.
2) Refurbishing the Barn and constructing the new twin pad arena costs much less than building the $50 million palace that some want for reasons so far unknown to me.

And just so that everyone knows, I did NOT get this information from a Councillor! So no need for another witch-hunt on Friday about who my sources of information are!

Senior Level Questioning

Are they ready to "drop Windsor?"

A number of people have been asked recently what Eddie wants on the border since no one can figure it out. Thirty million dollars for a tunnel plaza that does not get a car or truck through the Tunnel to the US side a minute faster. (The plans work like the Disneyworld line-ups at busy times. You do not get on the ride faster but you keep moving so you think something good is happening). Tunnelling now when it was not pressed significantly when Schwartz's report first came out. A level of hostilty with all of this money supposedly available for Windsor.

The question I have is when do the Senior Levels drop everything and take their $300 BIF money and their new bridge money and run ! If the Feds do not fear "cancelling the five-year [child-care] agreements that the federal government had signed with the provinces," then why shouldn't the Conservatives drop the Liberal mess in Windsor.

If that happens, will the Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Windsor still be able to say that noooooooooobody was offended?

Ambassador Bridge

Again Alan revealed that he is unaware that there have be any significant discussions by the City with the biggest player on the border, a company that is a taxpayer of the City. Do you find that as strange as I do? Maybe Alan should meet with them with any Councillors who would dare face the wrath of the Mayor.

Who are the Councillor stars these days

Remember how I told you that Councillors Postma and Jones were dumped on by their colleagues about their role in the border issue and the meetings they had set up.

Interesting how they were heroes after the Tuesday Councils meeting. Why you might almost think that Eddie had actually done something but he hadn't!

Tunnels again

Does Al Teshuba really think that a defeated federal Conservative candidate can be a Ward 2 Councillor by riding the "tunnel" coattail of the Mayor and Council, especially when he does not live in Ward 2? He should go back in history and see what happened to a candidate last time around who did not live there