More Thoughts

Lots and lots of think about in this City. Here are some more thoughts from me for your consideration.

WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO TO LONDON OR TORONTO

I must admit I do not understand it. Minutes away from us we have world class hospitals with experts in their specialties. We have facilities such as MRI units that would ensure that residents with problems could be seen quickly without a long wait as happens in this City.

I do not understand why OHIP cannot make arrangements with medical providers in Detroit to deal with Windsorite medical problems that our system cannot deal with locally. I cannot believe that American providers would not be prepared to accept Canadians even at OHIP rates.

Instead, Windsorites are forced to travel to London or perhaps even Toronto to have their needs met. Think about it. Sure, the medical costs are covered but what about the out-of-pocket costs. For a day surgery in London, it requires at least two days. On the first day, the blood work must be done. On the second day the surgery takes place. Depending on the nature of the day surgery, it is probably a six hour extravaganza. Arrival is required about three hours before the surgery while the surgery and recovery takes about three hours. Then there is a trip back home.

What it means is an excessive amount of travelling back and forth or probably a two or three day stay in a hotel in London with meals at a cost of several hundred dollars.

If it is more serious than day surgery, then obviously the costs increase dramatically.

Compare that with the cost of going back and forth to Detroit and with the time saved.

As I said, I don't understand it. Why can't we take advantage of what our American neighbours have so close to us.

WHAT'S WITH THE DOWNTOWN

Wait a minute here. I don't get this headline in the Star:

• "Council mulls cures for the core
  Downtown revitalization front and centre - again"

I must admit when I was at the Strategic Planning Session I was shocked to hear that there were still problems with the downtown.

Don't they know that Eddie's plans have worked out perfectly. We have the funky bus terminal, the Keg restaurant with a five cent parking and all of those St. Clair students downtown.

Can't you feel the excitement as you go downtown to work, play and shop. And just wait until the Casino addition opens and the throngs of visitors to the Convention Centre flood our restaurants and shops and fill hotel rooms. After all, look at how well the Casino did for our downtown until now.

Surely, the Councillors could put a big checkmark beside downtown revitalization with all of these terrific achievements and get on with other things like fixing the border.

Can you imagine Mr. Bellmio, criticizing Council for their

• "recent decision to halt funding for the city streetscaping project -- after just three blocks were completed down Ouellette Avenue -- is a bad move because it "looks like a bridge to nowhere."

Doesn't he understand that, since our Downtown is now such a huge success, there is no need to complete the job! Heck instead, we can spend $80,000 to put in a sidewalk to please theWard 5 Councillors:

• "Riverside councillors Jo-Anne Gignac and Percy Hatfield wrangled $80,000 to build sidewalks in subdivisions near the new $65-million east-end arena currently under construction."

A STREETCAR NAMED...DESPERATION

When you see a photograph in that Star of Eddie Francis and a white board or an easel and felt pens, then you know there are problems.

I wish that City Council would stick to City matters rather than trying to be entrepreneurs. It's bad enough that we are in the arena and Tunnel businesses and now we are back to talking about having an aquarium in the downtown.

Why doesn't Council understand that its job is to create an environment for private enterprise to come in and take business risks rather than undertaking the risks at taxpayer expense.

It was humourous to see that Council is now considering "closing off streets to traffic" after the fiasco with the Ambassador Bridge Company who needed to close a street temporarily for maintenance on the bridge. Aren't they afraid that Americans might get lost trying to find their way to a downtown hotel?

However the biggest laugh that I had was the idea of "operating riverfront trolley car to take people from Olde Sandwich Towne to Hiram Walker." Do you know why this funny... guess which building in town used to be a trolley barn that presumably could be used today as a historical site for a museum: The Junction.

That's right, the building owned by George Sofos.

If you want to read a history about streetcars in Windsor, then go to http://www.walkervilletimes.com/junction.htm to see what this building could have become but for our Council and Administration.

Still as I wrote before, if someone has any sense... it could be a perfect place for a City Museum. [BLOG July 25, 2007 "Windsor's Major New Museum Destination"]. Do not hold your breath.

IN NO HURRY TO FIND JOBS

I wonder who is quicker, a turtle or the Mayor finding jobs for Windsorites.

Considering that the Jobs Today Fund was announced on March 17 at the Mayor's State of the City Speech, let us see what its progress is.

In the newspaper last week, the Mayor made a big deal that he was going to "be lobbying city councillors to endorse his plan to direct $30 million into an economic investment fund."

It looks like that did not happen. Thank goodness for small miracles. Instead, the unemployed and those at risk to become unemployed would have read this in the Star:

• "Francis informed council he is still in the midst of preparing a report on his proposal - first mentioned last month in his state of the city address. He would not provide any timelines on when he will bring it forward.
  
  "I'm still working on it, as soon as I have it ready I will bring it council," he said after the meeting."

Heck, it's more fun talking about streetcars and aquariums and having more strategic planning sessions than actually producing results.

THE REAL REASON FOR WRITING A BLOG

Come on, you know that the reason why BLOGs are created in this City. It's so that people can get advance publicity before they run for elected office.

I have had that accusation made at me more times than once. In fact, after a very disagreeable argument with a local politician, the Councillor accused me of writing this BLOG so that I could run for mayor in the last election.

How many times have you seen that attack made on Chris Schnurr and there is no doubt that his Councillor colleagues are concerned about the purpose of Councillor Halberstadt's BLOG.

Well if that is what this kind of writing means then clearly Mark Boscariol and Chris Holt are running for office. Those who know him know that Mark is deeply interested in politics while Chris has run for the Green Party. AND they have a BLOGsite.

Their BLOGsite has recently been revamped for which they held a well-publicized launch party, they have run a conference ("About two dozen small business people and professors listened to presentations") and now they are doing a weekly radio show.

Quite impressive don't you think. I am very envious. Especially when they have an ad agency to help them out

• "Our organization would not be achieving the amazing success and influence it is today if it wasn't for Debi Croucher's involvement. From our redesigned website, coordinating our amazing launch party, and filling our ongoing public relations needs, Debi's fingerprints have been on everything, and have, undoubtedly, led to our continued development in an untapped field in Windsor and Essex County."

Boscariol for Mayor. Holt for MP! You read it here first!