More Short Stuff

Lots of items to make you think

IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

The battle to give money to the hospitals is lost. Everyone knows it because it is not political to be generous when you have to show you are tough to be re-elected. Heck, we cannot even give $3,817 for the Santa Claus parade! Give the money to the Toronto law firm of Miller Thomson instead because the Windsor Legal and Purchasing Departments are incapable of doing a tender properly it seems.

It seems to me though that Gord is scraping the bottom of the barrel to slam Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital

• "A case of hearts versus the coming election
  
  They were oh-so-close. Or so it appeared. And then, out of the blue, in a train wreck of unlucky timing, they were sideswiped by the tragic (but entirely unrelated) revelations that dragged the hospital out of the shadows and thrust it under a national microscope...
  
  Yes. It's unfair as hell. The lawsuits and multiple investigations have nothing to do with the hospital's fundraising efforts on behalf of a $78-million expansion that will include an angioplasty centre and work and living space for new medical school residents."

YUP, pretend it's unfair and then use the problems to cut them off from money.

• "But good luck persuading Windsorites that now is the right time to be writing cheques to an institution embroiled in crisis and facing big legal headaches...
  
  If it was a tough call before, it would be political poison now to force Windsor taxpayers to "donate" to a hospital with a cloud hanging over it."

Yes sir, if you are sick too, don't go to Hotel-Dieu Grace for help. You might have your head stuck in those clouds.

SENIORS WILL IGNORE WINDSOR

Well there goes the idea of attracting seniors to this area. Scrap that plan.

Our hospital will not be getting money and now we learn:

• "Funding cuts threaten physician recruitment in Windsor
  
  Windsor and Essex County could face further challenges to physician recruitment as the province pulls funding for incentive programs and the city considers withdrawing funding for local recruitment efforts...
  
  The region's physician recruitment officer, Joan Mavrinac, said the changes will be a "big blow" to recruitment."

Actually, the whole recruitment approach has been wrong from Day 1 in my opinion, but that's another story.

It looks like we are doomed to continue to be the most underserviced area in the Province.

But things are not all bad. With fewer doctors, then we won't need to provide money to the hospital so much because we can drive to London and points east to get medical care.

Think of the money we will save so that Councillor Brister can tell us:

• "We already have a standing levy. It's called the provincial tax return," said council's budget hawk...
  
  We want it. But we paid for it already. We should not be paying a second time for the same services."

Very Mayoral, Councillor, very. Too bad it achieves nothing.

ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH AND NOW HE NEEDS SANDRA AND DWIGHT

Don't criticize me for saying nasty things about Edgar (aka Eddie) when he does a better job of going after himself out of his own mouth than I ever could. From the National Post:

• "But the Mayor with the best odds in winning a plant is Eddie Francis of Windsor -- a city slow to diversify its manufacturing base. "We put all our eggs into the automotive basket," admits Mr. Francis.
  
  No one paid attention to the smoke signals that the big three automotive companies were sending out. "Back then, if you were to tell the shop owner he needed to diversify, that owner who was running three shifts a day, seven days a week on full payroll, would not have listened," says Mr. Francis.
  
  Now they are all ears. Plants such as Valiant Machine & Tool Inc. are retooling to service the aerospace and medical-device sectors. But with an unemployment rate still at 13%, the former car town is looking to green energy for economic salvation.
  
  "The Samsung announcement is critical to us," says Mr. Francis, who has met with company officials. His pitch is this: We have the most solar days in Ontario, a plan to invest $650-million in capital infrastructure projects and, most importantly, a skilled workforce.
  
  "I appreciate that other communities are trying to say they did this or that -- like creating a research park -- but we really build things here, that legacy is a skill set we have," he says."

However, Mayor Bradley of Sarnia told us what the reality is especially when there is a Provincial election next year and Dwight and Sandra like the jobs they are in:

• "But Ms. Pupatello is adamant that her government isn't picking municipal favourites. "Samsung will go where it will work for them," she says.
  
  Let the marketing wars begin.
  
  "If it was a business decision, we'd stand a chance. But if it's a political decision, they will be built elsewhere," says Mr. Bradley, who is concerned that two powerful MPPs in Cabinet-- Ms. Pupatello and Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance -- are both from the Windsor region, a city competing for the Samsung deal.
  
  So, Mr. Bradley is doing what he does best: Promoting his city to Samsung and the government as a good place to establish a plant"

INDIAN ROAD HOMES BECOME AN ELECTION ISSUE

• "The spread of boarded-up homes and urban blight across Windsor has helped spur at least two community activists to enter this year's municipal election race.
  
  The city's failure to combat the problem, including allowing the Ambassador Bridge company to buy up and then board up homes in Olde Sandwich Towne, "erodes people's confidence" in their city, said Ward 3 candidate Tristan Fehrenbach. Ignoring untended yards and old cars parked on lawns sends a message to visitors, investors and those the city is seeking to attract "that we do not care," he added...
  
  "We're starting to get that old reputation again, that the west-end is a place to be avoided," said Elliott, who, as executive director of the Sandwich Teen Action Group has for years been successfully steering local youths clear of trouble.
  
  After nearly four years of witnessing the proliferation of burnt-out and vacant homes in his neighbourhood and wondering why the city won't act, Elliott is disturbed by the trend and said it's time for fresh faces on council."