Refinements Only Allowed

One has to be grateful for small miracles. Saturday’s Star Editorial was one of them. “Public debate---The value of opinions.”

It appears that naysaying is permitted in Windsor provided that one merely improves what our Mayor has deemed necessary because he knows what is needed here! We will all be the stronger for it. As a corollary, our Mayor will also remain unscathed because then no one can blame him for a failure if we are all onside.

I’m not sure that I understand why the Editorial was written in the first place.

Was it because the Star thought that they had gone perhaps too far in their Naysayers story? Was it because speakers at the Canal meeting attacked Naysayers unfairly? Was it because the Star appreciated the attendance by several members of WeACT at the Audit Committee meeting where they objected strongly because the 400 Building audit was not released? Was it to co-opt naysayers to "change the conversation?"

Or, was it because I wrote a Guest Column to the Star about Naysaying and sent it to them for publication? I'll let you know if they are going to publish it.

Who knows and frankly who cares.

I believe that most people will read the Editorial on a holiday weekend very quickly and will think that the Star has now become supportive of people who take different positions on civic matters. At the least, I know that gives me as a Blogger more credibility since my hits have increased since the Naysaying story was published.

But the Star giveth and the Star taketh away as well. After all if you scratch a Star Editorial Board writer, you will still find a big “W” on the cheerleader’s chest, strapped on tightly.

• It isn't often the Cassandras and the conspiracy theorists are right, of course, but even broken clocks are correct two times every day.


• we can never know for certain whether the words and warnings of these critics are prescient or paranoid, fact or fiction


• Their postings are often thoughtful but sometimes vicious and ill-informed. Some commentary seems reflexively negative. Ideas are opposed merely because they are favoured by Francis.


• Even outlandish critiques, paid commentary and biased opinions have value in that they offer alternate perspectives.

Do you see what I mean? We are being tolerated. Mind you… I think they did attack their own columnist rather nastily too so I should not get too upset.

• “…the Pollyannas who support every city initiative without question or qualification. Their opinions -- the views of anyone with a pattern of bias -- should be taken with a grain of salt the size of a golf ball.”

However, the Star’s biggest failing in this Editorial is that the writer actually understood that he/she was putting citizens in the exact same position that Mayor Francis and Council were put in by DRIC. If they could object to that position then obviously Naysayers can as well.

What do I mean by that? I’m sure that you remember the theatrical performance put on when DRIC last came to town and appeared in front of Council. Remember the big brouhaha when supposedly DRIC admitted that they did not review Greenlink in detail. Moreover all that they were interested in hearing from people in Windsor were “refinements” to their Windsor Essex Expressway Parkway. (WEEP for short).

DRIC came into town with their minds made up about WEEP. Oh sure, they had to endure a couple of hours in front of Council being harassed and biting their tongues as they were instructed to do by their political masters. They were certainly much more open in front of the County Council subsequently. But in the end, nothing was going to change except for a few tweaks. They were the experts. They had studied the problem. Their solution was it. No small-town Mayor and Council were going to change their minds.

And what did the Star Editorial say:

• “Rather than denouncing anyone opposed to the plan as a "naysayer," though, Francis should have invited his critics to find fault with it or, better yet, suggest improvements. This intriguing proposal should be able to withstand scrutiny and criticism and, in fact, will emerge the stronger for it. If critics find false fault to serve particular ends, their bias will betray them. It always does.”

Do you see what I mean? The underlying premise is accept what the Mayor says because his plan is NOT going to change. Refinements only please.

Francis learned from the DRIC people. We are only allowed to discuss “this intriguing solution” and to find flaws in “it” or, better yet, to improve “it.” We can tweak "it." It seems we are not able to say it makes no sense at all and toss "it" out. So why are we spending any time whatsoever doing a feasibility study on it, even if paid for by the private sector. No small-town naysayers are going to change his mind.

I don’t remember anyone asking the Mayor to go out and retain someone to do this work. It certainly seems that most of the Councillors had no idea that it was being done. The Mayor did not ask Council to give him permission to spend $10,000 on artists rendition, and how much more on other work who knows. He merely asked his subordinate, the CAO, to use the CAO approval system. We only find out about it after that Approval list is published.

As an aside, here is a naysaying…

• “City Council, under By-law 389-2004, authorized the City’s Chief Administrative Officer to make decisions on their behalf with regards to various administrative matters”

That system must change immediately because it will be very rare for a subordinate to dare say NO to his boss.

It appears that the Mayor has been thinking about this for quite some time, for months actually, since that is what Sandra Pupatello told us. Gord told us that

• “I tend to assume he has his ducks already lined up.”

And that is precisely what is wrong with Eddie Francis as Mayor of Windsor! He thinks he knows everything and that he can do everything except those matters for which he was elected. He has little interest in doing that.

Now he’s playing land developer after playing at border operator, road and tunnel builder, financier, entertainment impresario and onion marketer. We have to take what he says as given; we have no choice. We have to do a feasibility study on it. We have no other alternative it seems.

In the back of my mind I thought there was supposed to be a Request For Proposal that was supposed to be sent out eons ago for ideas to develop this part of the City. Whatever happened to that? I remember it was put on hold around the time that talk of the University Engineering Complex coming downtown all of a sudden appeared in another Francis grand vision. However, I don’t remember anyone saying that we were never not going the RFP route so that the Mayor might be able to single source it.

However, that is what he has done. He has scooped the process. Only his idea is being considered.

Why is the Mayor more brilliant than the people at Beztak whom he ran out of town? They had a wonderful idea about how to develop the downtown including paying for the Arena. I am sure that there are a number of local developers who also would have brilliant ideas abuot what could be achieved since they understand the local market so well.

If one wants to talk “world-class” and one wants to make this City stand out in the architectural and urban planning worlds, why aren’t we setting up an international competition inviting the best architects and planners to come up with ideas for this area? Toronto did that with their City Hall and look at what happened. It became the symbol of a progressive city around the world. When you look at that building, you know it means: Toronto.

Who said that anyone wants a canal in the downtown? We cannot sell condos on the river today given the horrible real estate market in this city. Even Mr. Farhi of London who was so enthusiastic when he took over the property beside the Art Gallery chose not to buy it for up to three years. That has to tell you something in the strongest possible terms about the market for luxury homes, even on the river, in Windsor.

What makes anyone think that there are people around who will spend a half a million dollars or more to buy a complex on a river canal? There are very few homes in the City that are priced in that range so that I believe it’s highly unlikely that people in the ‘burbs are going to be coming rushing back to the downtown especially when so many people are leaving Windsor for jobs elsewhere. As for empty-nesters, they generally trade down not trade up into something much more expensive. Just ask renovator, Gord.

Why, even new immigrants to Canada are not coming here in the numbers that they did before because of the poor job situation. And for rich Torontonians… Florida and Arizona seem a lot more appealing.

Nothing has really changed all that much at the Star. If it comes from the Mayor, then it is an “intriguing proposal” for which we can waste another few months just as we wasted years and millions of taxpayer dollars with other intriguing proposals like the Schwartz Report, full tunneling and Greenlink. What has it been, four or five months now, with respect to the jobs commuting program and all that the Mayor has been able to do is come up with a few questions for a survey.

If the Star wants me to debate with the Mayor, I don’t mind doing it on the Tunnel deal. However, the Star owes it to me, and to Councillor Marra, to demand of the Mayor to have the questions answered that have been outstanding now for about nine months. It doesn’t seem fair to have a one-sided debate with all of the facts in the Mayor’s pocketbook that he can pull out anytime he wants, unless his idea has no merit whatsoever in the first place.

Why the Star is so humourous. They know, as well and as we do, dear reader, that the Mayor is not able to “withstand scrutiny and criticism.” What they’re suggesting will never happen.

So it’s all good fun. I get a few more hits every day on my BLOG since the Star has again given me respectability. The Star pretends that it is the voice of reason in a one newspaper City protecting the right to dissent provided that it is carried out in an acceptable manner. The cheerleaders keep on cheering. The Mayor goes on as if nothing has happened. Only his ideas are considered as he stalls again for whatever purpose he has in mind. And as for the Councillors…well, they are left in the dark again.