Let's Play Post Office

Remember playing Post Office when you were younger. Well these readers are NOT playing games with their notes to me:

• 1) I read with some interest your blog (March 7) and felt compelled to write and say that I (and several others whom I have spoken to) share your suspicion as to the real reason the Diane Francis "Looking Forward" event was cancelled.
  
  What was billed as an opportunity for Windsor to learn how to "secure a stronger presence in the national and global economies" has turned out to be nothing short of shameless contempt for Windsorites by the Mayor himself.
  
  Let's be clear - if the event was cancelled it had little to do with low ticket sales "Due to uncertainties surrounding the operation of the Capitol Theatre". If the sales were low - I suggest that it was due to the fact that Windsorites did not want to shell out $10 to hear more prattle from a Mayor who has done little, if anything, to secure Windsor's presence in the national or global econony. Perhaps the real reason is that one of the scheduled speakers was to talk on "how strengthening the links between the arts, culture and the economy enhances our creativity and quality of life, creating a more attractive city and urban wealth." (and we all know now how this city encourages the arts). More realistically I think, the cancellation was most likely due to the fact that our Mayor was concerned about facing a picket outside the venue. Some may claim that to being politically astute - I call it cowardly.
  
  In fact, this Mayor appears to harbour some significant fear of confrontation and has developed a record of hiding out when the going gets tough. He declined to participate in a mayoral debate, refuses to deal with sensitive issues in a public forum, and now cancels a much-touted talk under the guise that ticket sales were affected by "uncertainties" that he and his council perpetuated.
  
  What is perhaps more galling is that this Mayor and council seem to have such unmitigated contempt for Windsor taxpayers and really must think us to be a bunch of nitwits. Not so many weeks ago, an information session on the redevelopment of the tunnel plaza was cancelled at the last minute. As a downtown resident and one interested in the rehabilitation of the core, I planned to attend. The reason for cancellation - a new tunnel commission member had to be briefed before the public could be. At least that was the official reason. It is now several weeks later and the session has yet to be rescheduled. Perhaps the new tunnel member and the mayor's office had some difficulties setting an appointment for the briefing between city paid lunches. I can only assume that once again this mayor and council are hiding themselves and information from those who elected them.
  
  It may not be politically correct anymore as it is perhaps somewhat sexist, but my father would most likely encourage our mayor to "be a man".
  


• 2) Hey Ed,
  
  You are really on to something with the public truck subway.
  
  Maybe you could map out a strategy of how Eddie missed the boat on getting the tunnels to the border funded (and thus, relegated to trying to keep the exorbitantly expensive idea alive…when it is all the while doomed). Yeah, if Sam Schwartz had used his “gridlock creativity” and coined the phrase “public truck subway” instead of tunnels, it would have been sexy to Ottawa… because, subway is the only way you can get the bureaucrats to throw money at a hole in the ground.
  
  If Eddie had talked about the great service provided by these underground monstrosities and Gord Henderson had extolled the virtues of transit mentality, in this case applied to trucks, it would have reframed the debate. Instead, Windsor citizens “DESERVED” a … steaming hole in the ground???
  
  The aesthetic vision of a truck free horizon was always utopia (fully 1/3 of border trucks are local origin/destination per the DRIC study) and the environmental consequences were never thought out before the big PR push began to call for tunneling. Ventilation shafts, however unsightly and gargantuan, are more pleasing if they are for a subway as opposed to for a truck tunnel. Perhaps Windsor’s leadership just suffers from Tunnel vision – because when all you have is a stinking, money-losing, ownership changing, parking lot creating Detroit-WindsorTunnel under your control, well now that is the solution to everything.

3) Here is a note from a contractor who tells me that he and others remain solvent only because they find business outside of Windsor since there is not much going on here. He is totally frustrated with $300M BIF money sitting in the bank doing nothing for the region.

If he and his contractor colleagues had any sense, they would realize that they are about the most powerful group in the area and, in this election environment, should take on the politicians. They would fold like accordions.

Hmmmm perhaps I should offer my services. Been There, Done That with STOPDRTP! With powerful contractors that actually create thousands of well-paying jobs rallying behind me , it would be a piece of cake.

• Hi Ed,
  
  I've been reading your blog now for about 4 months and I think your doing a great service for the whole community.
  
  As a contractor in this area it has become painful to sit and watch our local politicians play politics with our livelihoods. Eddie sits back in all his arrogance and claims to be doing his best for us , all the while we are losing thousands of jobs. He'll make large announcements about a few hundred call center jobs, cry about a few hundred CAW jobs being lost, but nothing about the thousands of high paying construction jobs that he is holding up.
  
  I have not done all the math on the amount of jobs, but if you did, it would amount to ten thousand minimum. Instead of being highest in unemployment in the country we would surely lead the country.
  
  The provincial and federal government are almost begging us to take the money, but he sits on his hands. The plans for the upgraded EC Row expressway sit gathering dust(they have been done for ten years) 120 million project while Eddie plays politics for his own self interests.
  
  I think if the pressure is applied to Eddie on the jobs front, he'll have no choice, but to move on these projects. Heavy Civil construction workers earn about the same as CAW workers, but with less overhead.
  
  Why has the Windsor Star not even mentioned the jobs issue? The capital budgets for infrastructure in all of Essex County including the city amounts to less than 70 million a year. He is holding up an additional 100 million a year for the next 20 years minimum.
  
  Thanks for letting me vent, good luck with your new newspaper let me know if I can help, Lord knows we need it.

4) I thought you might be interested in reading a note sent from a local MPP to a reader of this BLOG in the area who is deciding whether to keep his operation in Canada or move to Michigan. Since this is NOT a Golden Triangle problem you can see how uninterested the MPP, or rather the Government, really is. Too bad as well that he is merely a small business. I guess the MPP knows little about gazelles and how they are to help us prosper.

• "Thank you for your e-mail regarding industries re-locating to Michigan.
  
  I certainly share your concerns about this matter. Ever since Ontario overtook Michigan as a #1 auto producer, the state has been revamping their subsidy programs, some of which include free hydro, property tax freezes, etc. which are illegal in Ontario. There are new programs available for large firms, but nothing specifically for small business. While we examine our options on how to compete with Michigan subsidies, I would urge you to contact the local Small Business Advisory office in Windsor 519-252-3475. They are best placed to assist with financing sources, etc. in the short term.
  
  I appreciate you taking the time to write."


• 5) amazing, isn't it?
  
  that it took them until you pointed it out in your blog to realize how inappropriate that [Looking Forward] seminar would be, how ill-scheduled, and how nothing-but-hot-air it would be, in light of the current circumstances
  
  thanks for blogging on this yesterday


• 6) Ed at this rate the most successful business in Windsor will be U-Haul


• 7) I may be lonely.
  don't be we need you
  keep up the good work