St. Clair College--Marriage On The Rebound

Was Eddie ever lucky that the St. Clair College strike intervened or else the presentation about St. Clair coming into the Cleary would have taken place several weeks before the April 26 date, a few days before his State of the City speech. What a remarkable co-incidence on timing eh!

Gord Henderson's column sounded like the speech only a "best man" would make at the wedding dinner when a toast is made to the Bride and Groom. Only the good is mentioned, not the bad.

From reading the column, one would never have guessed that this was not a marriage made in heaven or the Lobsterfest but rather a marriage on the rebound, born of necessity. St. Clair was not the first choice. You know what often happens with these kind of marriages when the parties wake up in the morning!

In case you do not recall, Eddie's first fiancee was the University of Windsor. Everyone thought they would be the perfect couple. He wanted her it seemed but something happened! Oh I heard the story about the nasty fight and how mad the University person was after meeting with the Mayor but in public, it was the usual break-up talk.

• "Eighteen months after University of Windsor president Ross Paul proposed moving parts of the campus downtown, the idea appears dead.
  
  "Mr. Paul has a board to answer to and it's my understanding the suggestion to moving a campus downtown got a chilly reception with the board of governors out there," said Coun. Alan Halberstadt...
  
  "The economics didn't work out," Harbottle said. "We continue to review those options as opportunities come along."
  
  While the Cleary International Centre appears to be an ideal location because it will soon be vacant when the Casino Windsor expansion is complete, it would have to be renovated, which makes the site unaffordable right now, Harbottle said"
  
  

But then there was the "other girl" in the wings. Perhaps not as pretty and not as wealthy or as prestigious but at least available. When you need a wife, it's a marriage of convenience, not necessarily love.

"St. Clair College is interested in space downtown, but negotiations have not moved forward since interest was expressed, said Ann Hetherington, spokeswoman for St. Clair College" in September 2005. Now it looks like a deal will be consummated. [Strange though, the column said "both Francis and Strasser confirmed Wednesday that Night of the Lobsters was where this deal went on the front burner and got cooking" in May, 2005. Everyone wants to forget about that first girl!]

Obviously until there is a signed contract, one needs to be suspicious of a College that said it wanted to deal with the City. It pulled out once before in a deal over the Income and Security Building at the last minute and left the City at the altar but if they save our Mayor's Bacon, then all can be forgiven!

There are a few strange items in the column though that bother me.

First, isn't Eddie the Mayor of Windsor and isn't it his job to protect the assets of the taxpayers? If so, who gave him the right to do what Henderson suggested:

• "I'm told Windsor persuaded the province to build a larger convention centre than it originally planned, on the condition that the city get out of the convention business."

Oh I see, help out a "private" business at taxpayer expense and turn the Cleary into a "white elephant" that we have to give away because of losses. Not only give away, but PAY to have someone take it off our hands. Oh yes, I know, I know, so many more jobs with the Casino , revitalize the downtown, it's only taxpayer money etc. etc. Perhaps if the Casino wanted no competition, then they could have helped out too. That's worth a buck or two I would have thought to their bottom-line so they could have thrown the City a few crumbs.

So now that we killed the Cleary, we know the real reason a deal has to be done regardless of what more it will cost:

"It's almost inconceivable, especially in an election year, that our elected representatives could turn thumbs down on downtown's main hope."

What a position to bargain from. Our "main hope!" No wonder St. Clair President Strasser "oozes confidence." He knows he can get "transitional aid and help with parking," since the City is losing $2,000 a day. Fortunately for us he wants "interim assistance from the city but nothing like the tens of millions of dollars other southern Ontario communities have doled out to attract post-secondary campuses. Kitchener, for instance, gave the University of Waterloo $30 million to locate its new school of pharmacy downtown." My goodness if we only give him a few million we are getting a special deal!

Strasser thinks he can turn it around by September 2007 but if he can't....

Who will dare vote against whatever it is that President Strasser demands and on which Eddie caved? It is the foundation of a "successful request for proposals for an urban village!"

Finally, the bus terminal deal wasn't really a dumb and a poor deal with Greyhound (and Councillor Budget better stop bellyaching about it already even though it makes little financial or business sense especially now that it is half the size it was before) because the "location was chosen with students in mind." No bus terminal, No students, No students, no Eddie re-election. No Eddie re-election....perish the thought!