Who Is Ontario’s Only Border Friend Now
Unlike our Mayor who was
- “OK with cabinet shuffle
Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis is cautiously optimistic the Ontario roots of Canada's new transportation minister will bode well for the city on the border file”
I would bet that the Province is extremely pessimistic about its future, especially given the fact that our manufacturing industries are in a tailspin and the domestic automobile industry may completely collapse taking down with them a considerable number of parts suppliers.
Again, this demonstrates to me the Mayor’s failure to see the big picture to this City’s detriment.
Let me give you three good reasons why this City and this Province are in trouble, big trouble. Consider these three new Cabinet appointments by the Prime Minister:
- Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway: Stockwell Day.
- Minister of Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway: Peter MacKay
- Minister of Nothing and Minister for the Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor: NOBODY.
Two strong senior Ministers for the coastal gateways and NOBODY to help Ontario.
Oh, you have never heard of the Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor before. I must admit that I knew about it but not very much. I read about the term recently in an Ontario Government publication that said that:
- “The Continental Gateway is the multi-modal transportation system in Ontario and Quebec whose roads, rail lines, ports, and airports support Canada's two largest economies that conduct over 71% of Canada-U.S. trade. The Continental Gateway is critical to Canada’s economic competitiveness.”
Frankly, it seems very much like the Windsor Crossing when I saw that this Memorandum of Agreement had been signed about a year ago:
- “The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Honourable Donna Cansfield, Ontario Minister of Transportation, and Ms. Julie Boulet, Quebec Minister of Transportation, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the development of the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.”
Everybody talks a good game don’t they. We have been hearing for eons down here how important our border crossing is to be economies of the United States and Canada but look at how little has been done by our Governments.
Did you really expect anything any different for the Central Canada crossings after the federal election? Quebec disappointed the Conservatives given their high expectations of so many seats there, especially respecting Michael Fortier who gave up his Senate seat but was not elected. Fortier had become the key border operative for PM Harper and he met with many of the big players on both sides of the river. No one has replaced him so far.
In addition, the Liberal Ontario government was a thorn in the side of the Conservatives as well for seats in Ontario and since they will be in power for another couple of years will continue to be a problem. Who knows, Premier McGuinty and/or Finance Minister Duncan might want to take a shot at the Federal Liberal leadership too. Rumours suggest that Finance Minister Flaherty might want to return to his Ontario roots politically given his strong attacks as Finance Minister against Ontario taxing policy.
To put it into a stark perspective, take a look at this about the Atlantic Gateway and weep:
- “It's hardly a top-of-mind topic, except in MacKay's native province of Nova Scotia, where Conservative Premier Rodney MacDonald has been doggedly pushing Ottawa to support the multimillion-dollar trade initiative for more than two years.
In essence, the four Atlantic provinces are keen to boost trade with Europe and Asia by improving the region's ports, railways and roads.
Last October, Ottawa released a study that said the concept could create 60,000 jobs.
MacDonald has a $300-million wish list that includes plans for new roads, a refrigerated terminal, a twinned highway, a rail line through Halifax, a new industrial park and even the dredging of Sydney harbour in Cape Breton.
MacKay signed a tentative agreement with the provinces a year ago, but the money from a $2.1-billion fund in the federal budget has yet to start flowing. MacDonald is keen to see that happen before his minority government faces a general election - probably in the spring.
On Thursday, MacDonald said he had specifically asked the prime minister to create the quasi cabinet portfolio earlier this month, and he was thrilled MacKay got the job.
"Peter MacKay has been a champion for us in that regard, and I have no doubt that this is going to move the gateway more quickly," said the premier, who supported Harper in his successful 2004 bid to become federal Conservative leader.
"This is one of those opportunities where the federal government has money booked, that they can start spending it in Nova Scotia and start partnering with us to do so."
Two years ago, the federal government committed $591 million over eight years on the so-called Pacific Gateway, but the Atlantic region has had to wait.”
They may not have to wait if the Feds pull out of Windsor and take their money with them.
All that Ontario can see with its gateways into the United States is misery. I won’t talk about Windsor because you ought to know all about that by now. In the Sarnia/Port Huron area, over$400M is required for a new Plaza in the United States that is facing all kinds of difficulties. In Buffalo/Fort Erie, the proposed new bridge there had problems because of bird migration while
- “The Federal Highway Administration, New York State Department of Transportation, the federal Advisory Council on Historic Peservation and the New York State Historic Preservation Office have all declared the [Peace Bridge Plaza expansion] project would have a negative effect on the surrounding area if the it goes through as currently proposed.”
I should remind you as well, dear reader, that the Province completely understands that the Federal Government position is paramount with respect to international border crossings. The Province at one time thought that it might have an interest in the new crossing in Windsor or at least have some kind of a say but they know that it is the Feds who will make all of the decisions.
That is the problem. What incentive is there for the Federal Conservatives to do anything to help out this Province? If Minister Flaherty wants to be the PC’s leader in Ontario, you would not expect him to be too helpful to the Provincial Liberals.
Accordingly, if you are the Premier there really is only one person who can help you: Matty Moroun, the Owner of the Ambassador Bridge and the proponent as well for the Ambassador Niagara Signature Bridge Group in Fort Erie/Buffalo.
Both the Premier and the Owner have the same interest: to continue to allow border traffic to flow efficiently and smoothly in the Windsor/Detroit area and in Fort Erie/Buffalo to benefit the economy of Ontario. The Premier should probably understand now that the Prime Minister is not going to be of any what assistance whatsoever. His focus is clearly on the coastal Gateways and not on the Central Canada gateways that ought to interest Ontario and Québec.
With Mr. Fortier not in the Government, it may well be that the focus on a P3 bridge in Windsor may not be important anymore. Given the election of the Democratic candidate for President, a fight over the Ambassador Bridge is not one which Canada would want to have with the new US Administration. I would expect that Ambassador Wilson will be resigning shortly because I would assume that he is persona non grata because of NAFTA-gate.
As I have stated before, and as the Province would know, with the Bridge Company being a competitor to any new crossing, with traffic volumes decreasing and with the weakness in the banking system, the amount of money available for a P3 bridge may be shrinking if anyone even has an interest. There are other infrastructure projects where money can be put without having a fierce competitor.
The Bridge Company Owner has the advantage that he would be able to raise money for his project here and also in Fort Erie/Buffalo and could not care less about infrastructure in other parts of Canada. Just in passing, the Peace Bridge has already asked for substantial sums of money from Governments on both sides of the river for their project.
His business interests and that of the Premier are identical.
As far as money goes, the Premier should know, since he has been trying to get more money out of Ottawa for infrastructure, that it is a hopeless cause as well. The Province will not be allowed to have any involvement whatsoever in the building of a new bridge nor to have a say in it. He is going to have enough problems trying to find the money for the DRIC road.
I expect that the Province had hoped that they would have an indirect influence on the border crossing if OMERS was involved given the relationship between the Pension Fund and the Province. That was important for Ontario’s position for its economy in the future. However, the Province should know now that some Australians are involved with MDOT, probably Macquarie Bank. That could mean that Borealis may be cut out entirely. Moreover, the opening by Mr. Nobrega of an office in London signals that his interest is investing outside of Ontario and of Canada and not here.
What does this all mean? Unfortunately, some of the economic nationalists are going to be disappointed but they had their chance years ago and did not act. The Province in my opinion has no choice but to start talking with the Bridge Company to protect the economy of this Province.
The easy solution is for Ontario to demand that the DRIC study be tabled because their traffic projections are meaningless and the study itself is flawed. They ought not to have too much trouble with MDOT going along with them after Senator Cropsey got through with them. The Province can however take some comfort from some of the information that came out of DRIC with respect to the DRIC Road. That road is similar to what the City’s WALTS study recommended and which the Bridge Company proved could be engineered. Ontario should immediately build a much lower cost “interim” road to the “interim” Enhancement Project as was always contemplated under the Border Infrastructure Fund.
The two people that should have the lead on this assignment are Sandra and Dwight. They should be told to do the deal NOW. Once Ontario and the Bridge Company have made their deal, then the Federal Government would have no choice but to go along with it. In spite of everything, the Federal Government is smart enough to know when to retreat. Ontario and Michigan are obliged to work together to insist that the two Federal Governments go along with what they want.
The Feds understand better than anyone else that Dan Stamper was not joking around when he said that the Bridge Company had the legal right to build a bridge here and given what is going on at the other major border crossing, they are a formidable competitor there as well.
With Ontario and the Bridge Company working together, the Premier can get exactly what he wants. After all, that is what his new friend should be for.
posted by JoeBlog at 12:01 a.m.
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