Where's Dionne Warwick When You Really Need Her

I wish that one of the religious leaders who offers a prayer at the beginning of the Council meetings would also offer up a prayer for taxpayers rather than just for the Mayor and Council. We need help as well.

You see, taxpayers are going to have to open up their wallets again for the next anti-DRIC advertising bonanza and to be told that we have a significant risk of dying. So much for the big story on the Senior’s initiative in the Star today:

• “Council unanimously passed a series of motions that included launching a public information campaign regarding the DRIC health information, a demand for meetings with local MPPs Sandra Pupatello, Dwight Duncan and Premier Dalton McGuinty as well as an invitation to SENES -- the air quality consultant hired by DRIC -- to appear at council.”

Who the heck in the seniors community would want to move to this region after these scare stories? The better question to ask is who the heck wants to stay here!

What a bunch of petulant children. Making “demands” on the most senior politicians in the Province who control everything that this City does. How ridiculous. Compare that with the “invitation” offered to a DRIC consultant.

If you believe that the Province will knuckle under to this City, then you have a serious problem of being delusional. Before the Council meeting was started, DRIC sent out a Press Release that included the following:

• “DRIC WANTS YOU TO KNOW THE FACTS
  
  WINDSOR – The Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) study team wants the public in Windsor and Essex County to know the facts about the technical reports that were submitted as part of the Environmental Assessment to the Minister of the Environment on December 31, in particular the reports on air quality and human health, as many questions have recently arisen on these topics…
  
  The air quality assessment completed for the DRIC study found that all options for the access road would have a similar impact on air quality and that, “the existing air quality is greatly influenced by local, regional, and long range (cross border) contaminants generated in upwind urban and industrial areas.” (DRIC Environmental Assessment Report, page 10-2) .In fact, a transboundary pollution study by the MOE indicates air quality episodes in Windsor are driven by transboundary pollution rather than by local sources. Moreover, predicted PM2.5 levels associated with The Windsor-Essex Parkway are not expected to
  exceed criteria levels in residential areas. Other sources of particulate include industry, agriculture, and construction sites. The air quality assessment also found that building The Windsor-Essex Parkway will improve overall air quality in comparison to building nothing at all. The greatest air quality benefit of The Windsor-Essex Parkway will be from the reduction in truck idling along the traffic corridor.
  
  A Human Health Risk Assessment was also undertaken using results from the air quality studies to determine the potential health effects for people living in the immediate area of the Recommended Plan, including The Windsor-Essex Parkway. The results of this analysis concluded:
  • The Recommended Plan does not increase the risk of cancer for local residents exposed to vehicular emissions.
  • The Recommended Plan does not result in an increased health risk in comparison to either the existing conditions or the future conditions that could be expected if the access road is not built. In fact the reduction of truck idling along the traffic corridor results in health benefits.”

That shows to me that DRIC does not intend to sit idly by but it also says to me that they intend to ignore City Council. Why not, they are irrelevant. Except to viewers of Cogeco and readers of the Star, the rest of the Province does not have a clue what is going on here nor do they care.

Just in case, dear reader, you do not trust what was said by DRIC, in 2004 that man of integrity, Gord and Eddie's bestest new buddy, Dr. Diamond of the MoE, said in relation to the Windsor crossing, which seems to me to support DRIC:

• “During normal traffic movement (no delays), the average increase in particulate matter adjacent to the road was minimal.”

I have to admit that I don’t understand all the numbers going around but I also have to admit that I don’t understand how pollution will increase so dramatically when traffic numbers will obviously be significantly less than what DRIC projected for 2035. Moreover, with the changes in diesel fuel and on diesel engines, the amount of the pollutants should shrink dramatically. Why no one is talking about this, I just do not understand.

Tell me the truth. You did not watch the Estrin presentation at Council several weeks ago and you did not sit through about three hours of the presentation last night did you, dear reader. I will admit that I did not either. We both know that this is nothing more than a game. We are not expected to have listened to all of that but rather just to read the summary prepared by the Star.

Today, we are supposed to be very worried and so supportive of the Mayor because:

• “Particulate pollution will nearly triple by 2035, causing a 2.5 per cent increase in the death rate in some areas close to a new border highway proposed by the provincial government, the city's environment consultants told council Monday.”

Quite a paragraph to start off your day and that of rich Seniors in Toronto.

Let us assume however that the Mayor may be correct in what he is saying. Where does that get us?

Obviously, the campaign is directed primarily at the Premier politically and at Dwight and Sandra secondarily.

Do you honestly believe that the Premier will back off based on what he said several weeks ago in Windsor that we need to move forward? Do you really think that he is going to be made the fool by the Mayor of a small town? Do you really believe that in a time of economic distress with every area of the Province demanding money that the City of Windsor will be given Greenlink?

The attack on the Federal Government has not come yet and Eddie is being so nice to the Prime Minister. The reason for that is that the Feds are the ones who going to put up at least half of the money and perhaps even more for the road to the border if the Province can convince them to do so. No point in attacking the people with the real money. At least not so far.

I hardly believe that the Conservatives are ever going to put in the kind of money required for Greenlink in an NDP area.

Everyone knows that Eddie will not do anything. He will not sue. He does not have the nerve. If he does sue, it is "Wink wink, I do not mean it." He is a WEAKLING after all. All talk, no action as was seen again last night.

He knows what would happen to him politically if the Senior Levels pull out and take the 20,000 jobs with them. His threats are nothing more than threats. He is bluffing. Did you see anything in the Resolution reported in the Star that talked about a lawsuit? In fact, didn’t the City’s lawyer say last night that judicial review was not the only alternative but that representations could be made to the Minister of the Environment.

Councillor Marra was correct again. Sorry Gord.

No, dear reader, the real risk to the Senior Levels is the Bridge Company and Eddie knows it. What they have to be concerned about is NOT Eddie but that Eddie and Estrin are giving them so much material to attack their Environmental Assessment that the Bridge Company actually will start a lawsuit over it. That is what Eddie is counting on. He expects the Bridge Company to save his bacon.

What I find very interesting however is that Eddie is locking himself into position where he must sue. He has no choice. The Bridge Company will play to their agenda not to his. With all of these attacks on DRIC and the pleas to save our children and to prevent people from dying what alternative does our Mayor have if no one listens to him? He must sue. Poor Eddie.

If Eddie sues, then the lawsuit and appeals will take years since this is such a complicated matter and so much technical evidence will have to be introduced. That does not help the region and create jobs.

Let’s assume however that the City wins. What is the result… the DRIC process must start all over again, or at the least, they must do an in depth analysis of Greenlink. How many years will that all take. That does not help the region and create jobs.

To be direct, with the fall in traffic, I could see the approach that a “do-nothing” solution might be satisfactory. It saves the Senior Levels billions. That hardly helps the region and creates jobs.

Alternatively, I could also see a situation take place here as took place in Sarnia where the Province refuses to do an environmental assessment on their new road to the border and we could get an at grade or perhaps a below grade non-Schwunnelled road to the border. We lose again.

In other words, by litigating, Eddie will give us the worst of all possible solutions. We are better off now even if there are some imperfections.

Never fear however, dear reader, there is a strategy behind all this. It is no coincidence that the DRIC matter and the Bridge Company matter were both heard at the same time by Council. You see they are both tied in together.

The strategy that is taking place is the Hamilton strategy against the Federal Government developed by Estrin except there is no lawsuit here as there is there that has been ongoing for years. The intention of the Mayor is to be an irritant and to annoy everyone. The game is to threaten the lawsuit not the lawsuit itself because that will cause a delay and that costs money.

How many years would it take the Bridge Company to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board or to the Divisional Court for judicial review? I already discussed this in relation to the DRIC road. Moreover, since the DRIC road and the new P3 bridge are part of the same EA, the new bridge is in jeopardy.

Both the Bridge Companay and the Senior Levels have cause for financial concern due tp Eddie even if he loses in the end. And he has little personal risk he thinks because it is taxpayer money that funds all of this, not his personal cash.

Some people are going to have to make some decisions pretty soon. Is it worthwhile giving in to the Mayor’s demands whatever they are, and we do not know because we have never been told by this secretive City? After all, what’s another few hundred million dollars in a $5 Billion plus DRIC project. How much will the Bridge Company be willing to suffer at the hands of the City even though the City does not have much of a legal position?

So relax. Your only concern now is to shovel the snow and to keep warm in the subzero temperatures over the next few days. All of this waste of taxpayer money is designed to pressure the Bridge Company and the Senior Levels. And do not worry too much, since the Detroit Grand Prix has been cancelled, we can use that money for all of this extravaganza.

This is a bunch of amateurs, the Mayor and Council, negotiating a big deal. You know how successful they have been in the past in hammering out major deals.

They are way out of their league. Trouble is, they are so arrogant, they have not yet understood that if they have guessed incorrectly, then Windsor is really doomed. What a legacy to leave.

Darn, I think I missed Dionne Warwick. Wasn't she supposed to be at the Casino entertaining. Had I met her, I would have asked her to

"say a little prayer for me."

And for you too, dear reader!