Ending DRIC

It's very remarkable what happened.

The only Legislators who are doing what decision-makers are supposed to be doing are the members of the Michigan House and Senate. They don't "respect" the process the way our politicians do. When the process is out of control, they know enough when to pull the plug on it.

Contrast this with the powerful and recently re-elected Ontario Minister of Finance, our own Dwight Duncan.

• "Duncan declined to speak specifically about the border.
  
  "We all want to get it fixed and we will," he stated."

Good old Dwight must have known that he was going to be promoted. He has been virtually invisible on Greenlink. He knows that only the Feds have put up money with respect to the road to the border and not the Province. The last significant thing that his office said with respect to Dwight and Greenlink was on October 20

• "MPP Dwight Duncan (L--Windsor-Tecumseh) has not yet been fully briefed spokesman Steve Erwin said Wednesday."

If he had said anything, then as Minister of Finance, he would have had to put his money where his mouth was. Now we know why only Sandra did the talking. It does not matter what she says.

Back to Michigan. I have a copy of the Senate Journal which I believe has the provisions that were approved by both the Michigan House and Senate. Here are the relevant provisions:

• MDOT is allowed to finish the DRIC study provided that finishing the study shall not bind Michigan in any way to construction or further action on any DRIC project recommendation


• MDOT is prohibited from using funds beyond the normal completion of the study phase including not using monies for design engineering work, right-of-way acquisition, construction or expropriation activity


• any additional spending to implement any recommendation of DRIC will require prior approval of the full Legislature

While that is pretty damaging itself, there is much more fun coming up that may require that I spend some time in Lansing to be able to provide commentary to you, dear reader. The Legislature shall hold hearings on the involvement of MDOT in DRIC in which MDOT shall present accounting of any DRIC project costs. I am sure that there will be some fascinating materials in the bills and accounts and some big surprises too.

Finally within 30 days of the date of the Act MDOT shall submit a report to the Legislature that identifies the source and use of all funds attributed to or expended in furtherance of the DRIC study or the border transportation partnership. It will include copies of all contracts and agreements and expenses from October 1, 2003 to June 30, 2007.

Do you think that someone is angry? Do you think that someone believes that taxpayers have paid through the nose and wants to know where the money went? Do you think that someone wants to understand why a Government Department would want to spend billions of dollars to build a new bridge when the existing operator is prepared to build a bridge at its own expense?

Can you imagine what will happen when the Legislators also start asking questions about the $430 million that MDOT wants to spend in Port Huron to fix up the Plaza there as well. I would not want to be the MDOT Director these days!

The significance from our perspective in Windsor and in Canada is what happens now? If one ties in this language along with the Senate Resolution and if the House passes a similar one and if the Governor prepares and delivers a letter saying that she supports the Enhancement Project, then isn't this over? I don't think it makes sense to build half a bridge does it.

We can only hope that our politicians would get some nerve and look after taxpayer interests too!