A Tale Of Four Headlines

Try and reconcile these four stories.

Do you think that there is any hope in sight even after the Municipal elections? A lawsuit against the Feds over the DRIC road that will tie up the border for years will accomplish wonders for us won't it?

After listening to some of the Councillors speaking at the Labour Council meeting, I don't think they get it yet! They refuse to acknowledge what the border reality is as they keep on spouting their re-election border slogans.

You can be sure that after the municipal election is over, the Feds will finally step in. Right now, they do not want to be an election issue to allow Eddie to rant and rave against them. They will allow him to play the martyr role afterwards.

The Feds will be forced to do so. Detroit and Michigan will demand it. Eddie has been identified as the border block at the Joint Councils meeting and in Lansing. Ironically, he did it to himself. They cannot afford to have Windsor destroy their economies!

City growth improves modestly

Border difficulties dragging down Windsor's main economic engines
Friday, September 15, 2006

A strong Canadian dollar and lingering border difficulties affecting the manufacturing and tourism sectors have limited Windsor's economic growth forecast to 2.1 per cent, according to a report released by the Conference Board of Canada.

It's an improvement over one year ago when the growth forecast was only 1.1 per cent but a decrease from six months ago when the board pegged Windsor's growth at 2.7 per cent.

Ford cuts 10,000 more salaried jobs

Two plants closed; one in Canada
Friday, September 15, 2006

DETROIT - Accelerating its restructuring, Ford Motor Co. is closing two more plants - one of them in Canada - cutting 10,000 more salaried jobs and expanding its buyout offer to all U.S. employees.

Nine factories will be idled and cease production through 2008 - including seven already announced. The two additional plants are the Essex, Ont., engine plant and the Maumee, Ohio, stamping plant.

Honda Canada to invest $154 million to build new engine plant in Ontario
May 16, 2006

TORONTO (CP) - Honda Canada Inc. plans to invest $154 million to build a new engine plant near its complex in Alliston, Ont., the company announced late Tuesday.

The announcement comes as its parent firm, Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC), announced further expansion plans, saying it would build a new plant in Japan and another in the United States.

Border woes, not dollar, a concern, Honda says
Windsor crossing needs improvement company says at unveiling of new assembly plant
Chris Vander Doelen, The Windsor Star Thursday, May 18, 2006

WINDSOR, Ont. - The high-flying Canadian dollar wasn't a factor in Honda deciding to build a $140-million assembly plant in Ontario, its third there, but the border situation in Windsor was a worry, the company said yesterday.

Honda ended months of speculation yesterday by announcing a $1.5-billion worldwide push: It will build its first engine plant in Canada, spend $400 million U.S. to add a new vehicle assembly plant somewhere in the U.S., and expand production in Japan...

The Canadian dollar has been cited by the Canadian Auto Workers Union, some manufacturers and many auto parts producers as a hindrance to competitiveness, now that it hovers around 90 cents U.S. But it was not much of a factor in Honda's decision to invest further in Canada, the company said in a conference call.

"The dollar is not that large of a decision, bearing on a company of our magnitude," said Jim Miller, vice-president of corporate communications for Honda Canada Inc. By swapping huge numbers of vehicles and engines "back and forth" across the Canada and U.S. border, currency swings are mostly neutralized, he said.

However, the problems at Canada's border crossings were a factor when Honda sat down to choose sites for its new plants, Mr. Miller said.

"There needs to be some work done in Windsor," Mr. Miller said from Toronto."