Jumping Off The Good Ship Francis

It's been a strange few days with border stories. There were three very peculiar ones at the end of last week.

First the huge victory for the Customs Union in having guards armed at the border. I guess that means at least no more walk-outs over issues that seem remote but result in slow-downs at the border.

It was announced that:

"It is expected that fully trained and armed officers will begin to be deployed as early as September 2007. By March 31, 2008, roughly 150 armed officers will have been deployed. Full implementation is expected to take place over a period of 10 years."

Ten years!!!! As a friend of mine wrote, "If you need arms, then do it. If you don't, then don't. Do you send fireman to a fire just a few at a time?"

Then a garbage story. U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin negotiated a deal with the Ontario Minister of the Environment, Laurel Broten to reduce Canadian trash dumped in Michigan. What was hailed as a massive victory may not be one.

It was reported in the Macomb Daily that

• "the deal would only block residential waste generated by municipalities who ship here. That represents about 40 percent of the 4.4 million tons that cross the border each year in hundreds of trucks per day.
  
  Numerous private agreements to haul solid waste from industrial and commercial companies, construction sites and demolition projects in Ontario would continue."

But the strangest story of all may be the almost non-story since it was not reported in the Star until days after it took place. The two Windsor MPs held a press conference. I was told a Star reporter was present but the Star did not report it at the time. What gives?

I heard a snippet of a news report on CKLW that NDP MPs Masse and Comartin held a press conference re properties being expropriated by DRIC for the border crossing. They wanted to ensure that the property owners, especially small businesses, were properly compensated and that the burden of some of the compensation payments did not fall on Windsor taxpayers. They were supposed to have sent out some kind of document but I have not seen it yet.

I also heard through the grapevine that His Worship was very angry about the story since he had only been made aware of what the MPs were going to do about an hour before their announcement.

I phoned around and no one had any idea why the press conference was being held and what the purpose of it was. The Senior Levels are nowhere near expropriation yet so why the need for Masse and Comartin to say anything and why would Eddie get so furious.

The answer is very obvious. The two MPs have shown little leadership in the border file, especially when the NDP held the balance of power in the last Government. They and their Party achieved nothing for Windsor. But what they are good at is identifying what is about to happen before most people do, taking the obvious steps and then taking the political capital out of it for their re-election advantage.

What do I mean by this.

It is clear that we will have another Federal election within a year or so. The two MPs are staking out their position on the border as being pro-Windsor citizens who are having their property taken and trying to ensure that expropriated citizens get all the money they can. They want to take the political credit. Smart poltics for them on that.

But the deeper meaning is that the two MPs have figured out that Eddie has no border position. I wonder if my recent EA story and Schwartz story helped convince them finally that the road to the Ambassador Bridge's new enhancement project will be the DRIC road.

Yes, you read correctly. The Ambassador Bridge will get their enhancement since a public bridge will not happen (but there will be Bill C-3 oversight) and the road to get there will be the one that DRIC suggested although we do not yet know the full details of how it will be built. It will NOT be completely underground.

After all, the story stated:

• The binational Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) study has already determined the Talbot Road-Huron Church Road corridor will be widened and remain the main feeder route to a new crossing located somewhere in Sandwich."
  
  Since there will not be a bypass built for border traffic around the city, the area under review for the new route stands to have "a tremendous impact on different neighbourhoods," Masse said last week."

If Eddie had a border position other than scare-mongering, Brian for sure would know what it was. The Schwartz Report is dead and there is nothing that the City has to replace it. Eddie and the Council were caught by their secret endorsement of Schwartz which included the DRIC road as an alternative. They are stuck with the WALTS/DRIC road as their official position. Tunnels and quality of life might get Eddie and the incumbents re-elected but it would not help the MPs a year from now.

More importantly, the two MPs are obviously hearing what some Conservative MPs and Ministers in Ottawa are saying after the Bill C-3 border hearings and are reasonably sure now what Tranport Canada will have to do to make the border work after the Michigan budget legislation. Michigan signalled as strongly as possible that only a private bridge is acceptable for the new crossing and only at the Ambassador Gateway. The Governor's failure to veto the legislation means she is onside and we know what Kwame wants.

Brian and Joe know that this is right as well because even DRTP are now acknowledging that the only way they will ever get their money out of the corridor is for the Feds to force a solution to have their corridor used to link to the Ambassador Bridge!

Eddie was so mad because, by Brian and Joe announcing what they did, you found out what is going to happen on the border. By jumping off the ship HMS Francis, Brian and Joe revealed all.

Eddie knows we are getting the DRIC road to the Ambassador Bridge. Brian and Joe know we are getting the DRIC road to the Ambassador Bridge. The Star knows we are getting the DRIC road to the Ambassador Bridge. Now you do too.

No wonder the Mayor was furious.