Taxpayers' Corner: Guaranteeing London's Success

Go, Jamaica, Go!

But take pity on Windsor's new Mayor. First Eddie tries to stick him/her with paying $30-40M on the University Engineering Complex, starting in 2010 and now this!

It's an event in 2012, after Eddie is no longer Mayor and doesn't care what his Plans today may cost us tomorrow. Glory to himself above all! Yes 2012, that is the year of the World Junior Hockey Championships that the Mayor would like Windsor to co-host with London.

Sure it may not be that popular an event but it might sell a few seats in the East End arena on one of the non-Spits' nights:

• "Canada usually holds the tournament every third year, but lack of interest from other countries moved the International Ice Hockey Federation to award Canada the right to host the 2010 tournament in May."

That Councillor Valentinis is such a stick in the mud [in my best Don Cherry imitation]. He better get on the sports bandwagon if he knows what's good for him with all of the players here. What's he interested in talking about: a Symphony in the Armouries for heaven sakes, more books, computers and software for local librairies, plays at the Capitol, a downtown educational campus. All that artsy stuff.

We sports jocks in Windsor don't give a damn about money... look at the $65 million and counting premier facility we are building in the East End. The Councillor is concerned about a few million dollars for renovations to the Adstoll Arena to turn it into a basketball facility. Who cares it was supposed to have been sold so that we can pay for the new Home for the Spitfires.

Stop your posturing for the cameras Councillor:

• "It all comes down to what's driving this process. It's not the need, it's the finances. We're under critical pressure financially in terms of making sure we don't incur additional debt."

Get with the program, Councillor. Money, Schwoney. We can find millions to pay Estrin and Schwartz to achieve little so you can take a few more dollars from the taxpayers' pockets. I'm sure that Councillor Lewenza can tell us that it all works out to a few pennies per day.

Get on board the think positive Windsor Express train and stop this negativity about money. What's a few bucks for a renovation of an arena when one would have to guarantee Hockey Canada millions of dollars. It's a good thing that someone in London was smart enough to recognize that they could pass off some of the guarantee costs to Windsor to play on our collective inferiority complex and Eddie's ego to succeed at something.

• "Ottawa, which will host the event in 2009, guaranteed Hockey Canada a profit of $12.5 million. Vancouver, which staged the event in 2006, guaranteed $5.2 million and made almost $9 million.
  
  'SIGNIFICANT GUARANTEE'
  
  "It's a significant guarantee," Francis said. "The challenge will be ticket sales. That will drive a successful bid process. If (interest) is not there, it poses a challenge."

Now there is one small little thing that the Mayor forgot to tell us. It might have an impact on ticket sales and if there is any interest in Windsor in the tournament. What games will be played here? Here's what the London Free Press said about the joint bid and something that the Mayor neglected to tell us or the Star missed and so could not report.

• City chasing juniors again
  Sat, February 2, 2008
  
  London joins forces with Windsor this time to try to win the 2012 world junior tournament...
  
  In the London-Windsor bid, the 9,000-seat John Labatt Centre would house all of the Canadian team's games and the medal round. That doesn't bother Windsor mayor Eddie Francis, whose city will unveil the new $65-million, 6,500-seat WFCU Centre in December."

Here is what the Windsor Star wrote:

• City joins London in World Jr. proposal
  
  Bid for 2012 tournament
  Jim Parker, Windsor Star, February 02, 2008
  
  Windsor was a late arrival to the bid, with London approaching the city. The 9,090-seat John Labatt Centre will be the focal point of 20 of the tournament's 31 games in the package, including the gold-medal game. Windsor will get 11 games at the 6,500-seat Windsor Family Credit Union Centre, which is to open this fall. The new facility can be expanded to 8,000 seats, but Francis indicated that wasn't being considered at this time."

Oooooops. Of course it does not bother Eddie. He won't be around to take the blame if there are empty seats! None of the important games I see are to be played here at all. Heck, I'm sure that we will enjoy the games involving Slovakia, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, and Denmark.

I can see clearly now too, this is all part of an overall Plan... if Jamaica can have a bobsled team in the movies for the Winter Olympics, perhaps someone from the Windsor International Film Festival can arrange for a film to be produced with them starting a hockey team too for the Jr. Championships in Windsor to premiere here when the games open.

I wonder if Pamela Anderson will come at Mayor Horwitz's urging to drop the first puck?