Mayor's WHTI Summit Preview

You would think that the Windsor Star would have had a reporter and photographer at the bus at the Cleary last night to find out who went to the ball game. If they did, the story did not make the paper today!

Oh don't be so silly. I am just having a bit of fun.

This is not a photo of a couple of the attendees of the U.S. – Canada Mayors’ Summit on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative not wanting to be recognized by their local electorate as they travelled in their luxury limo to Comerica Park! I know that it was probably pretty heady stuff for the ones who went to be entertained by the Consulate General of Canada in Detroit and to eat "Baseball style cuisine" at the expense of the taxpayers of Canada. But did you really think I was going to go to the Cleary and take photographs!

I wonder if a short, informative history of the Tunnel was given as the group passed through the City-owned Tunnel. I can hear the tourguide saying:

• "The tunnel has become a unique security risk, which makes Customs and Border Protection officials nervous" or
• "There’s this inherent security concern with the proximity of that tunnel to the downtowns of both Detroit and Windsor" or
• US "Customs said that the tunnel doesn’t meet their requirements" or
• If anything happened to the Ambassador Bridge, the industry is smart enough to figure out how to put their goods on smaller trucks to get it across...Right now [the Tunnel] serves as the redundancy

We should be grateful for these sports extravaganzas because we learn all kinds of things about the border that we never knew before that can save taxpayers a ton of money at the same time.

As an example, when Eddie talked about the 25,000 seat CFL stadium for Windsor at Super Bowl time, he said the border is not a problem for us. Whew, up until then it was, so we do not have to spend money to build a new crossing right away since the Bridge Co. fixed the short-term backups at their own expense by putting up a few new Customs booths.

Yesterday, I heard him say on A-channel news at 6 PM that it only takes 5 minutes to get through the Tunnel using the Tunnel bus. Whew, I guess we do not need to spend $30 million to build a Tunnel Plaza that is no longer needed (Wow did so much Tunnel traffic go that quickly to the Bridge after Eddie raised the toll rates!)

I would also have thought that the purpose of this meeting is to get as much publicity as possible. That means using the media and letting them hear what is being said to spread the news to the masses. No such luck. Those pesky media types could only hear the Opening Remarks (but with no questions permitted) and then are cleared out, never to return until after the conference was over to speak with whomever was left around.

I thought I would post what I am told is Eddie's "Welcome" with some comments of mine thrown in so that you will get a feel for the day:

WELCOME FROM THE MAYOR OF WINDSOR
July 20, 2006
Dear Summit Participants,

Thank you participating in the U.S. – Canada Mayors’ Summit on the Western
Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

On behalf of my co-hosts, Kwame Kilpatrick, the Mayor of Detroit, and David Miller, the Mayor of Toronto, I welcome you to Windsor for this important event. Over 50 Mayors and representatives from both sides of our border as well as a federal, state and provincial officials and business leaders are in attendance. [Out of how many hundreds of invitations sent? I must admit, I would have thought it to be good manners at least to have Welcoming remarks from the co-hosts as well as part of the Attendee package and not just that of Eddie alone!]

As you know, a recent U.S. government proposal, known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), to require all Canadian and U.S. citizens to show a passport or other secure document to enter the United States by January 1, 2008, will have major economic and social impacts on countless US and Canadian communities. [How provincial we must be in Windsor. Are the Mayors only concerned about land borders only? On December 31, 2006 the Requirement will apply to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.]

Resolutions on WHTI were adopted at the recent annual meetings of both the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the US Conference of Mayors. [Then why is it necessary at this time to duplicate what was already done "recently" by the much larger and more prestigious organizations? Obviously, Eddie messed up on the first meeting that he had to postpone and had to have another one or look foolish]

This Summit will give municipal leaders from both sides of the border a chance to raise further awareness of WHTI, propose solutions that will enhance security and facilitate travel and trade between our nations, and speak directly to federal government officials. Together, we can add our collective municipal voice to this important debate. [It has already been raised at the PM and President Levels. Is there anywhere higher? The municipal voice has already been heard]

Changes are needed along the Canada-United States border to improve security and increase efficiency. This is not in question. The issue is how to do this. The post 9/11 security environment provides the catalyst for real change. We need to take the time to get it right. [Post 9/11 as a "catalyst." How patronizing! This is typical Eddie....more "time" is needed, not action. Should we wait too until 2011 to get it right at the Tunnel that the Mayors travelled through and not fix its "unique" security problem immediately!]

I look forward to our discussions. [Another checkmark on the Report Card for "discussions"]