The Parks Champion

Did you see Ward One Councillor Dave Brister portraying himself as the Champion of Superior Park. I did not see the show but I was told that he was interviewed about it by Joe McParland after the Council Meeting recently.

Unfortunately for Councillor Brister, a "pesky environmentalist" saw the show too and decided to write to the Councillor "congratulating" him. He wrote to the Councillor on September 13. I wonder if that is an omen for November 13 too:

• From: Alan McKinnon
  Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 4:04 PM
  To: 'dbrister@city.windsor.on.ca'
  Subject: SuperiorPark
  
  09 13 2006
  
  Dear Councillor Brister,
  
  I want to applaud your position taken in respect to the possible sale of Superior Park, as revealed by your comments on "Council Wrap" with Joe McPartland on September 11, 2006.
  
  Your statement that people who buy or build homes near a park have a right to expect that the park will not be sold or re-zoned for other purposes is a position I believe has broad support not just in Windsor, but across our entire region and country.
  
  As an elected representative, your commitment to informing and receiving input from all affected residents near Superior Park reflects the very best of municipal representation.
  
  I wish you every success in your efforts to preserve Superior Park. As a pesky environmentalist, I hope you will consider applying the same principles that inform your position on Superior Park to any consideration of re-zoning within the park lands of the Ojibway Complex.
  
  Specifically, the Spring Garden natural area is identified in the city's Official Plan as a "community park, prairie and woodland".
  
  A close reading of Sam Schwartz's report on possible routes to a new border crossing reveals that a route through Spring Garden and Ojibway Provincial Reserve would have the greatest number of residential impacts of any of his four final route options.
  
  Since tunnelling has never been suggested for the portion of the route that goes through Spring Garden, the impact on area residents would be particularly severe.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Alan McKinnon
  Citizens Protecting Ojibway Wilderness
  saveojibway@cogeco.ca

Will the Councillor reply? And if so, what can he possibly say? How does he reconcile preserving Superior Park with possibly damaging Ojibway?

After that interview, it is no wonder that Councillor Brister chose not to be interviewed by John Fairley on Face-to-Face. Wasn't he the only Councillor who did not appear?

I wonder what shoe leather tastes like.