WEDC Demands Hwy 401 Be Renamed

The Windsor Essex Development Commission as part of their new CANW.E. campaign to boost the image of the W.E. region, Windsor-Essex, has demanded that the Ministry of Transportation for Ontario rename that part of Highway 401 westbound only from London to Windsor.

In a strongly worded letter to MTO, the WEDC pointed out that, while the official name of the Highway is the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway, many people, especially out of country tourists, have no idea what that means or who those names are.

They point out as well that a precedent was set when a part of the Highway was dedicated as the Highway of Heroes.

The WEDC noted that Windsor's Mayor is striving to achieve a unique identity for the City and to build our tourist industry. Accordingly, it stated that Highway 401 westbound to Windsor needs to be rebranded not only to create a new and easily remembered introduction to the area but also to re-inforce the feeling of comfort for returning local residents who may be working out of town these days because of the poor local economy.

After what can only be described as a massive brainstorming and strategic planning effort, the WEDC's outside consultants came up with the ideal name:

• THIS LITTLE PIGGY HIGHWAY

There is no doubt that tourists, especially those with children, will immediately identify with and remember the name because of the nursery rhyme. That should be a huge boost to our tourist industry with all of the family attractions to be built in the region if the Mayor gets his way.

How easy it will be to give directions from the highway to the attractions eg. take This Little Piggy Highway to Exit 14, turn right and then go "X" KMs to [Name of Family Attraction]

More importantly, for residents coming back to the area, they can cry out as they return to spend time with their families for the weekend:

• "W.E.! W.E.! W.E.! W.E.!" all the way home.