More Council Stories

Perhaps now, dear reader, you will understand after reading these stories why I focus on the Mayor so much. I have little time for dealing with this Council, just about the worst I have ever seen!

DISSING COUNCILLOR MOM

All of the Councillors are completely irrelevant in the scheme of things in Windsor politics!

Why am I saying this? Here is what the Councillor Postma wrote in her BLOG:

• “I was in Ottawa last week with CUTA (Canadian Urban Transit Association) for advocacy days on the Hill (I will blog about CUTA at a later date). When I returned I kept hearing buzz in the community regarding the Canal project proposed in the City Centre West area. I am confused. I have not received a report yet nor have I received any drawings or engineered specs. I understand The Star wrote an article about the project so I decided to ask the Mayor about it.
  
  Thursday at the Mayor’s regularly scheduled bull-pen sessions I learned a report will be coming forward not only outlining the business case and engineered study but also incorporate all of the studies that have been done in that area (CRIP Central Riverfront Implementation Plan, City Centre West Community Improvement Plan). I was also assured that the homes would not be negatively affected.
  
  I can’t wait to see it, learn more about it and include the residents that live in that area for feedback. Rest assured when I receive the report it will be shared with the residents well before council debates whether a Canal is worth while or not. I cannot commit either way yet – I have no information.”

However, Gord did have information that he revealed in his Saturday Star column:

• “The canal, modelled on successful waterway projects in San Antonio, Texas and, especially, the Bricktown Canal District of thriving Oklahoma City, could provide that reason.
  
  The marina proposal, by the way, has been radically altered. Initially slated for the Caron Avenue cut, that site has been ruled out, for technical reasons, as "prohibitively" expensive.
  
  Instead a transient marina with 35 to 40 berths would be built on the riverfront west of Dieppe Gardens for about $11 million, which includes significant work that must be done whether the marina proceeds or not.
  
  The 630-metre canal would carry an initial price tag of $37 million. Extending from the foot of the Caron cut to west of the art gallery at Riverside Drive, it would sit about five metres below ground level.
  
  A Riverside Drive underpass, "open, well-lit and pedestrian friendly," would connect the canal with the riverfront and could feature an elevated boardwalk or pier linking it to the marina.
  
  The shallow canal, boasting walkways, attractive bridges, extensive landscaping and water features like waterfalls and fountains, would act as the spine of an urban village anchored by attractions that could include a children's hidden garden or theme park.”

As far as I know, only 2 people knew all the details:

• “Cooke said Thursday he was not at liberty to talk about the findings, since the report belonged to the mayor.
  
  A business case, engineering conclusions and five-page letter of observations were turned over to the mayor, he said.
  
  "I can't talk about contents of the report," Cooke said.
  
  "My way of handling this is to turn it in and then it belongs to the person who commissions the report. If (Francis) wants us to make comments, we will at a later time.
  
  "The mandate we had was to take a narrow look at the whole thing and determine what's feasible to do. Anything is feasible -- if you can send people to the moon, obviously you can do this."
  
  But cost will be the determining factor, Cooke said. "That's something the mayor may want to talk about when he releases the report," he said.”

So if it was not Dave Cooke, then who released the information to Gord?

The point is that Councillors do not get the information. They have to read about it in the Star. Councillor Mom should demand an apology publicly for being treated so rudely!

WARD BOUNDARY REVIEW

In light of the above and while Eddie Francis is Mayor, another option should be added to the list of possible choices: no Wards at all.

Let Eddie do everything and save the Councillor salaries. They serve no purpose whatsoever.

COUNCILLOR LOOPY’S LOOPS

He has to be an aerial acrobat par excellence to get himself out of this one. Councillor Loopy said the following after seeing the WSO’s proposal for refitting the Armouries into a Concert Hall:

• “But one city councillor familiar with the report thinks the orchestra needs to get its head out of the clouds.
  
  "You're still talking quite a chunk of money," said Ward 5's Percy Hatfield, who chairs the city's armouries reuse committee.
  
  "I don't think there's an appetite for getting involved in such a project when there are so many other areas that demand attention."

I wonder what he will say in order to suck up to the Mayor’s cloud in the sky Canal vision. I wonder what weird distinction he can make in order not to get the Mayor riled at him. He does not want to be scolded after all like a naughty kindergarten child by the Principal.

Does he have the guts to make similar remarks publicly at Council in the Mayor’s face

What a silly question to ask! When he can vote both ways on tearing and not tearing down abandoned homes, this will be nothing for him!

ARE THERE MORE INCONSISTENT COUNCILLORS

Will these two Councillors be forced to rationalize flip-flops too. Speaking of loaning money to the Art Gallery which was prepared to put up collateral, they said:

• “We can't afford to throw money at this," said Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac. "Our industrial tax base is disappearing, our residential taxpayers are losing their jobs. At the same time, we have a stream of people saying help us. Where are we going to get the money?"

Coun. Drew Dilkens also voted against the loan request.

• "People are speaking loud and clear that times are tough and we need to be prudent with our resources," he said.”

Hey I have it… I know an attraction we can have at the canal theme park. Instead of a Dolphin show on the water, we can have Councillors flipflopping all over the place as the Mayor feeds them tidbits for their re-election campaigns. I know which one would jump the highest too!

WHAT IS THAT WEIRD SOUND

That is the East End Arena sucking up all of our City's cash in these troubled times so that we have to take out a bank loan:

Note that we used "debt reduction" fund money to pay for the arena.