Pitying Spanky

The poor man. Another major hurdle to overcome on his long road to possible success.

He is being scooped big time. The tragedy for him is that he knows it and can do nothing about it. His Chamber speech will be nothing more than allowing him to make our Mayor to be seen as a hero at his expense. For such a supposedly smart politician, he is looking awfully silly.

No matter what you may think of him personally or as a politician, one has to feel sympathy, or perhaps pity is the better word, for the Minister of Finance, Dwight Duncan.

My suspicion is that the Premier will resign before the next provincial election and our Spanky would like nothing more than to take his job. I assume that he has a pretty good shot at it but one of the concerns he must have is what our Mayor might do to prejudice his run for the job.

How else to explain the sight of a 98 pound weakling, a small-town Mayor, kicking sand in the face of the second most powerful politician in Ontario, the Minister of Finance, and getting away with it.

How else to explain Dwight being forced to eat humble pie continuously, fearing an attack the way Sandra was dealt with, as our Messenger spreads the Edgar (aka Eddie) gospel.

To be direct, if I was going to be one of Dwight’s opponents at the Liberal leadership convention, I would point out how weak Dwight has been in how he has dealt with the Mayor of Windsor.

Now you can see why I have nothing but pity for Dwight. Damned if he fights with Edgar because the Star might crucify him and perhaps cost him his seat and damned if he does not because then his leadership opponents can do so.

Don’t forget also that he has to walk a tightrope because a good chunk of his riding is in Tecumseh and the last thing that he can appear to be is pro-Windsor. That gives the Tecumseh Mayor some leverage over the Minister as well to ask for some goodies soon.

There is no doubt that some kind of announcement is going to be made during Dwight’s speech to the Chamber of Commerce. What it will be exactly, who knows. In fact, we’ve been down this road before where we have expected to Dwight to say something significant but he has backed off because Edgar has pulled some kind of a dumb maneuver that has infuriated the Minister. Will it happen again on Friday if Dwight gets mad at the Edgar hijinks?

That something has been in the works for a very long time is obvious. Gord has told us:

• "As mayor of Canada's unemployment capital, Francis is itching to announce early in the new year success on three "files" the city has been pursuing, each involving non-government investments with the potential to inject large numbers of new jobs into Windsor."
  


• "There's one other bit of good news on the way.
  
  Stay tuned for an announcement by the end of this month on a "very significant" new office tenant for our vacancy-plagued downtown."
  
  
• "What's interesting is that the confirmation of his [Edgar's] intentions, originally slated for March, might now be pushed back to late April or early May, after a handful of key tasks, especially related to border infrastructure, might be wrapped up."

Leaks, what leaks?

Moreover, in the Star stories the emphasis has been on economic development, however, with just a hint about the border.

• "Economic opportunity eyed
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis has called a special meeting of city council for tonight to discuss an economic development opportunity so pressing it can't wait until council's next regular meeting April 12...
  
  The session starts at 5 p.m. behind closed doors and will include an update on the city's negotiations with the province over the new border route.
  
  The mayor has been holding discussions with Windsor's two cabinet ministers to try to get the province's Windsor-Essex Parkway to more closely resemble the city's Greenlink plan, which would see more of the new border expressway located underground.
  
  "Over the past several months ... we've been making very good, steady progress," Francis said of the talks.

But here’s the part that has to be so galling to Dwight. Nothing can be done in this City without Provincial money and assistance. Nevertheless, Edgar gets the glory.

We saw that play out with the Sutherland announcement where it was made to appear that Edgar was responsible for the jobs that came here in the call centre when the reality was without Sandra’s involvement there would have been no deal whatsoever.

Now it is Spanky’s turn to see the same tactic worked on him.

Look at the drama that we are seeing. We are going to see several days of Edgar’s face in the paper talking about this huge mysterious deal that he has been working on for so long.

• "Windsor council meeting on 'economic development' shrouded in mystery
  
  Mystery continues to surround a new “economic development potential” that necessitated a special meeting of Windsor city council behind closed doors on Tuesday."

Councillors have already been warned to keep their mouths shut or face the consequences. (That means only Edgar can have the glory or else). At the least, Edgar has learned to call in the Councillors in advance and in private, even though it is last-minute again, so that we cannot have another “your arrogance has no bounds” attack on him personally.

As for the border, it probably has to do with the DRIC Road and Greenlink. But it will not be the Province winning. It will be portrayed as the Premier, Dwight, and Sandra, if her name is mentioned at all, bowing down to Edgar and conceding everything to him:

• "Hatfield cites tax fight in bid for Ward 7 seat
  
  In the next session Hatfield said council should put the border file behind it, adding he is now optimistic the province will make enough concessions to "wrap it up."
  
  
• "The mayor has been holding discussions with Windsor's two cabinet ministers to try to get the province's Windsor-Essex Parkway to more closely resemble the city's Greenlink plan, which would see more of the new border expressway located underground."

How embarrassing for Senior politicians. Imagine being part of the mountain coming to Edgar. It is THEIR project being made to look like his, not the other way around. How pitiful.

What could the solution be? Various possibilities:

•  unlikely that there would be any significant changes to the Windsor Essex Parkway because that would require another Environmental Assessment process
  
•  perhaps some additional green space so that the Mayor can claim that it is now healthy for the community
  
•  an upgraded E C Row is a good possibility both as a detour when the DRIC Road is being built and as a connection to Edgar’s airport transportation hub mind’s vision (no wonder Sandra paid for the Lufthansa study). This is even more likely now since CBC told us that Edgar is going to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as part of a plan to " set up a cargo hub at Windsor International Airport."
  
•  as an inducement to the Mayor, expect the Province to pay for a good chunk of the seemingly dead Tunnel Plaza Improvement project since work is being started on the other side for some improvements there. (Oh expect the Feds to throw in some money too because there is the opportunity now to buy the rights to the US side of the Tunnel cheaply because Detroit is in such a financial mess. That would help the DRIC Bridge P3 operator).

In reality, an Edgar failure will be spun by the sycophants to make it appear that he won. And then the sell-out after the elections, both municipal and provincial later, for the cheap DRIC road. Who cares what happens then, IBG...YBG.

Let's see how it plays out. It is only a few more days.

And please, do not snicker when you see Dwight, even behind his back. He is a very proud man. I do not want to see his feelings hurt even more than they are now.

A Few More Border Stories

Here are some things you may not have known

THE BORDER DISTRACTIONS

Focus on a DRIC bridge not terrorizing the Ambassador Bridge Company; focus on full tunnelling, Greenlink and the Windsor-Essex Parkway not upgrading E C Row to be our border road and on a cheap road solution; focus on building a DRIC bridge not buying the Ambassador Bridge; focus on P3s taking over key border crossings so there is no Dubai Ports incident, not Canada.

All of these matters jumped into my head when I saw this quote from John D. Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

• “It was almost illusionist, drawing your attention to something that isn’t important, so that you’re not watching what’s happening, which really is important.”

CAN MATTY REALLY RUN A BORDER CROSSING

Take a look at how the Sarnia Mayor describes the Blue Water Bridge:

• "Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley has seen the same trend in his border city. He said traffic on the Bluewater Bridge has been down every year since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, even though the bridge has been twinned and substantially upgraded."

What is also true is that tolls at the BWB were kept artificially low for years to try to take away business from Moroun. They were finally almost doubled recently to the chagrin of OTA's David Bradley who likes taxpayers paying the costs not truckers who actually use the bridge.

Remember that the Ambassador Bridge with all of its supposed negatives already takes traffic from Sarnia.

No wonder no one wants Matty to build his second bridge in the same manner as in Sarnia. Truckers would go where the operator really knows how to run a border crossing!

MORE BAD NEWS FOR SEAN O'DELL

A glimmer of hope for the man and then this:

• "Region facing new reality
  
  LOONIE: Tourism, retail and manufacturing are being hit with a double whammy from the higher Canadian dollar and tighter border security
  
  Get used to it.
  
  With a tighter border and the loonie poised to eclipse the American dollar in value, Southwestern Ontario's tourism and manufacturing sectors are adjusting to a new economic reality.
  
  Both Americans and Canadians are more reluctant to make quick cross-border hops to hunt bargains or see a show.
  
  Cross-border traffic with the U.S. sank 9.2% last year and the number of Canadian visits to the U.S. was down by 10%.
  
  That trend was seen at the Stratford Festival, where ticket sales to Americans have fallen to about 30% of the market.
  
  "The days of Americans coming down to see one show and have dinner are almost over," said Anthony Cimolino, general director of the Stratford Festival.
  
  Cimolino said the explanation is more than the soaring loonie. New U.S. regulations requiring passports at the border and the depressed economy in Michigan, a key market for Stratford, are discouraging casual cross-border tourism...
  
  The higher loonie has also caused a major shakeup in the manufacturing sector.
  
  Paul Hogendoorn, head of the London Region Manufacturing Council, said many of the manufacturing plants in the region that were dependent on a low Canadian dollar to drive export sales have gone under.
  
  "If you're just reliant on coming in at the lowest price, there's always someone, somewhere, who is going to beat you," he said...
  
  Douglas Porter, an economist with BMO Capital Markets, said Southwestern Ontario manufacturers have had some time to adjust to a higher loonie, but "the jury is still out" on how well they can cope.
  
  "I think it's still going to be a real burden. It's one reason to believe Ontario will have a sub-par economic recovery in comparison to Western Canada, in particular."

CANADA HELPS OUT A PRIVATE WINDSOR BORDER CROSSING OPERATOR

Can you imagine, the Canadian Government spending taxpayer dollars to help out a private border operator even though his business would surely disappear if a DRIC Bridge was built

One day the Government of Canada will be called upon to explain this discrimination. Why it helped one private border operator in Windsor but not another:

• "Major revamp for Windsor-Detroit ‘hazmat’ ferry dock
  
  Despite its four-month construction time frame — and November start date — by late January more than half the work had been completed at the Detroit-Windsor truck ferry dock in Windsor’s Ojibway Industrial Park...
  
  The Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor Detroit Tunnel are the two major crossings between Windsor and Detroit. Lesser known is the hazardous goods ferry.
  
  Since Earth Day 1990 the ferry, a barge pushed by a tug, makes several trips a day and lately it’s been up to 14, carrying five tractor-trailers each time across the almost two-kilometre international river crossing.
  
  The privately-run ferry carries trucks with hazardous goods which are banned by the bridge and tunnel and oversized loads...
  
  The $8.8 million project is included in $300 million of special federal-provincial infrastructure money, announced in 2005, to alleviate some of existing traffic congestion leading to the border...
  
  After landscaping is completed in spring the Detroit-Windsor ferry will no longer look like the poor cousin to the area’s other crossings, finally getting the infrastructure respect it deserves."

WHY EDGAR HAS NOT ANNOUNCED

Remember that Edgar (aka Eddie) and Dwight were to have meetings on the border. Remember that Edgar was having conversations with people about whether he should run again.

That was months ago and nothing has happened since. No one got suckered in to announce that they were running as the E-Machine tried to accomplish.

Just in case you were wondering why nothing is going on, or rather nothing is being mentioned publicly, Gord told us back in mid-February.

• "What's interesting is that the confirmation of his [Edgar's] intentions, originally slated for March, might now be pushed back to late April or early May, after a handful of key tasks, especially related to border infrastructure, might be wrapped up."

Oh, I guess that announcement will be made right after long-delayed Fahri's February announcement. Here is what Farhi said on December 5:

• "Windsor's battered downtown is getting a much-needed vote of confidence from larger-than-life London developer Shmuel Farhi, who has been opening his wallet to scoop up properties here and hopes to make an announcement in February of his plans for the core area.
  
  "I don't want to say too much much right now. But it's going to be good news," said the former Israeli soldier whose Farhi Holdings Corp. owns and manages four million square feet of office, retail, industrial and residential space across Ontario, including a significant chunk of downtown London.
  
  "Over the next two months we'll be expanding our interest in Windsor and hopefully early in the new year we can come with an announcement in regard to my future business there," said Farhi."

If he can delay, then so can Edgar. Here is what Farhi said on February 23:

• "But Farhi promised "very, very exciting news" coming soon for downtown Windsor.
  
  The year after acquiring the 100-acre Lear property for $8 million.
  
  Farhi traded 40 acres of the land in 2006 to the city for its new arena, in exchange for a prime 1.1-acre site west of the Art Gallery of Windsor plus $1.5 million in cash.
  
  Farhi wouldn't say what those downtown plans are but promised an announcement "very, very shortly" involving "my plan for the downtown."
  
  There are rumours Farhi Holdings Corp. has been actively acquiring, or negotiating for, more downtown Windsor properties to add to its portfolio. Farhi won't divulge details, but said in December he was optimistic about the city's future and would be "expanding" in Windsor in the next few months to take advantage of "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunities."

Delays happen. Remember when Farhi said in August, 2008:

• "London-based developer Shmuel Farhi will demolish the former Lear Corporation plant on Lauzon Road this fall, clearing the way for a massive development that could top $100 million and include a hotel, restaurants, retail outlets, apartment towers and senior-citizen residences.
  
  Farhi, who owns much of downtown London through Farhi Holdings Corp., which has real estate assets of more than $500 million across Ontario, confirmed in a phone interview that he's finalizing plans to tear down the sprawling 43-year-old factory, with demolition beginning as early as October, and is working on long-term development plans for the 60-acre site that could, over the long haul, exceed 500,000 square feet and would benefit from close proximity to the city's WFCU Arena complex.
  
  "It would complement the great work the city has done."
  
  "I see mixed use. Commercial. Anything and everything we can build there. We can do whatever...
  
  He said he's been in discussions with hotel firms that could build and operate a hotel...
  
  "I can see eventually 60 acres being developed ... the equivalent of an entire downtown," said Farhi. Asked about the risks of investing in a city rocked by economic misery, including a disastrous real estate market, Farhi sounded unperturbed. He said Windsor has obvious advantages, including being located next to the U.S."

Gosh, do you think he listend to much to Sean's optimistic traffic projections?

Now he is saying:

• "While he has "great plans" for the [Lear] site, including mixed-use retail and residential, Farhi said they wouldn't be implemented in the immediate future.
  
  "In this economic climate, bankers are very conservative -- building on spec is not our forte," said Farhi, who owns a large chunk of downtown London as part of his company's extensive real estate holdings.

Where Oh Where Can He Be

The new Undevelopment Commission head. Wasn't he to have started by now?

Don't you wish you knew what he thought:

• "5.1 Board Chairperson’s Report
  
  The Chair Lindsay Boyd welcomed Ron Gaudet, and asked him to report on his perceptions/ thoughts after his initial 2 weeks in Windsor‐Essex...
  
  Moved by Joe Byrne to accept Chair’s Report, seconded by Dave Cooke."

I know he has been having "in camera" meetings:

• "It is a message Ron Gaudet repeated endlessly during his first two months on the job, as he met business and community leaders day after day. He delivered it again Wednesday and got an encouraging response during a six-hour, closed-door session with 165 of them at the Ciociaro Club."

And making speeches:

• "Windsor Essex County Engineering Week
  2010 "Engineering The Future"
  
  Guest Speaker: Ron Gaudet, Chief Executive Officer of the Windsor-Essex Economic Development Commission"

He will be speaking in Leamington too at the end of the month at the Leamington Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. The promo for the event shows that he has more prizes than even our Mayor for business:

• “Canadian Economic Developer of the Year”
• “Canada’s Top 40 under 40”
• “Top 50 Atlantic Canadian CEO’s”

To be fair, he had an interview on CKLW the day after his term started and then a seven minute CKLW interview in mid-March. [However, that was in this time-slot: "TUESDAY: 4:50pm -- Vice President Patrick Persichille from the Windsor Essex Development Commission." Why isn't Ron speaking instead?]

And truly remarkably, his colleague got a big contract here although Gaudet was not involved:

• "After hiring Gaudet, the WEEDC board's next priority was to revamp the region's roadmap for economic development, said chairman Lindsay Boyd. It used a $40,000 provincial grant to hire Moncton-based David Campbell, a former colleague of Gaudet, to do the research and complete a draft of the strategic plan by April, Boyd said.
  
  Gaudet was not involved in the decision to award the contract to Campbell's Jupia Consultants Inc., and the board considered several other proposals, he said. "By far, David's was the best."

But still, this is hardly a good sign:

Perhaps he has been in hiding, updating the Undevelopment Commission's Newsletter since the last one shown on its website is dated January/February, 2009.

My reasons for asking where he is:

• "Francis calls meeting that can't wait
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis has called a special meeting of city council for tonight to discuss an economic development opportunity so pressing it can’t wait until council’s next regular meeting April 12...
  
  While remaining tight-lipped, the mayor said the item is unrelated to the recent multibillion-dollar Samsung investment announcement for Ontario and that it is “something we’ve been actively pursuing.”

Wow, can't you feel the excitement. The City has been captivated by this hint from the Mayor!

That is the royal "we" in case you are interested. You know how much Edgar (aka Eddie) likes to share glory. Will the CEO be there to make the presentation? That should be fascinating to find out. Oh heck, maybe it is just related to a possible DRIC road settlement and the gazillions of jobs it will produce for us.

And this:

• "Plant signals solar future
  Up to 100 green jobs possible in city as German company eyes May startup
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis said he hoped Schletter's arrival in Windsor to set up shop was the first of many such green energy plant openings to come.
  
  "We've been working on a bunch of these for a while now, and it's good to finally see one come out of the hopper."
  
  Patrick Persichilli, vice-president of the development corporation, said Schletter's decision to choose Windsor for its latest plant is a harbinger of good things to come.
  
  "The significance of this investment for us is that it's among the first European companies on the component side (of solar energy) to set up shop in Ontario," Persichilli said.
  
  "And there is a reason they're here. They've got something in the pipeline, obviously. They've got a plan. And we have what they want: location and a highly skilled workforce."

Again, the royal "we" but more importantly, it is the VP speaking on behalf of the Development Commission not Mr. Gaudet.

Who knows, perhaps Ron will jump out of a cake with a big announcement for us tonight. After all, he is showing the Leamington people

• "how we can help achieve our mission to maximize economic diversity, growth and prosperity in the Windsor-Essex Region."

Windsor's Direction

Come out and attend the meeting

UPDATE

I am sure you saw this in the Star

• "Mayor Eddie Francis has called a special meeting of city council for tonight to discuss an economic development opportunity so pressing it can’t wait until council’s next regular meeting April 12."

Gee, how can municipal politicans be in two places at the same time! The perfect excuse for snubbing citizens concerned about our future!

UPDATE2

Apparently, the Clerk merely sent a note at 4 PM to Councillors with no details other than it is a meeting re: the border and economic development.

Hmmm, will attendance be taken and Councillors slammed if they could not make Edgar's surprise last minute meeting? Naturally, Edgar will be there so he cannot be criticized. The meeting was called by him to meet his convenience!

As a furious reader wrote to me:

• "I just can't believe he, Eddie aka Edgar would try this trick again!!! He certainly does not respect city council or the citizens of Windsor! Urgency and expediency are no excuses for decision making and consultation! The pomposity and arrogant nature of this man is unbelievable!!!!
  
  I don't care what it is, this is no way to conduct business in this city!!!
  

Windsor Star's Stories of Desperation

Who really is the most desperate one? Matty Moroun or the Windsor Star or rather the DRIC people?

I cannot believe it. Another Star story telling why the Bridge Company NAFTA claim will not succeed. Of course, there is no one telling us why the Bridge Company might win but what can one expect from the Star.

• "Moroun suit claims NAFTA breach
  Bridge owner unlikely to win $3.5B, experts say

Ok, I guess Matty better pack it in given what the Star says. He ought to throw in the towel. It's over for him.

Mind you, after American Secretary of State Clinton rocked Ottawa, I would think that the adjective "desperate" applies to the Prime Minister these days.

When Lawrence Cannon says this, then you know Canada is in trouble. He sounds like Minister Van Loan, living in a dream world:

• "Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says Hillary Clinton's criticisms of Canada's maternal health initiative were her own views and not the policy of the Obama administration.
  
  "Mrs. Clinton expressed not her government's position; she expressed her personal point of view ...," Cannon told CTV's Question Period on Sunday...
  
  Clinton also criticized Canada last week for not inviting three Arctic countries, as well as indigenous groups, to talks on the Arctic, and made a public appeal for Canada to keep its troops in Afghanistan beyond its 2011 withdrawal date.
  
  Cannon said the criticisms did not signal a cooling of relations between Ottawa and Washington.
  
  "This is a tempest in a teapot," Cannon told CTV.
  
  "This is not snubbing anybody; this is nothing that is detrimental to Canada-U.S. relations. Our relations are the best relations in the world."

As if the Secretary is so dumb as to make off-the-cuff comments. Give me a break.

A word to the wise to the PM. Keep Governor General Michaelle Jean. She is all you have to preserve your relationship with President Obama!

I will deal with the latest NAFTA story another time but let us look at what the Star has written before.

• "Bridge legal challenge called an act of desperation
  Claim to border tolls called shaky"

Mind you, it comes after their recent absurd story about the bridge value decreasing:

• "Windsor's Ambassador Bridge losing value, expert says"

Of course, the Star should be applauded for trying to educate their readers on important issues and setting out questions that are relevant. However, acting in a one-sided manner is hardly enlightening. Rather, it makes a mockery of the debate.

Even the Star cannot possibly believe what they are publishing so how can they expect their readers to do so.

Why would the Star quote Cliff Sutts for heaven's sake. Is he the only lawyer in town? Was he the stand-in for Edgar (aka Eddie) who is afraid to open his mouth now since he is scared that he would be sued? You had to read 8 paragraphs into the story before you saw:

• "Sutts, who represents the city's tunnel commision."

You remember, dear reader, Sutts acted on the failed Tunnel deal with Detroit. That file cost the City a bundle in legal and expert's fees.

In fact, in a previous Star story, he was described this way:

• "Lawyer Cliff Sutts has handled tunnel issues for the city for decades."

Of course, we know who the Tunnel's biggest competitor is don't we?

What do you expect him to say:

• "Yup, Moroun has got them by the short and curlies. He won"

Come on Mr. Beneteau, we remember how Cliff feels about the Bridge Company:

• "Sutts agreed the driving force behind the [City's Tunnel] deal has been "to keep this out of the hands of Matty Moroun and the Ambassador Bridge."
  
  The lawyer said a plan unveiled by the bridge last year to relocate the tunnel customs plaza to a new 200-lane superplaza in Detroit was "not in anybody's best interest."
  
  Sutts anticipates Moroun -- or potentially other private investment companies -- will attempt to derail the deal before it is completed."

And then to quote Brian Masse. Oh please. Mr. Bridge Public Authority.

I found this comment shocking for a Member of Parliament who makes laws that govern how parties are to act with each other:

• "If this is successful in any way, it shows business has more rights than citizens of this country. It would set quite the precedent."

No Brian, it says that the law has been applied.

I expect that many of the questions posed can be answered by reading sections of the International Bridges and Tunnels Act (Bill C-3). That is the Act that Brian took the credit for when it passed while his real contribution was setting the world's record for the number of times the word "inadmissible" was used in relation to his proposed amendments.

• "The Chair: We have an amendment introduced by the NDP. Again, I'm advised by counsel that it is inadmissible due to its being contrary to the principle of the bill.
  
  Mr. Brian Masse: I would like, at an appropriate time, at least written correspondence from the department on the inadmissibility of the amendments. They were originally submitted--those ones, in particular--from the City of Windsor and their legal experts."

Wouldn't it be a real hoot if, in the end, Brian is responsible for Matty being allowed to build his bridge because of Bill C-3!

Be Still My Beating Heart

Gord Henderson has no shame. He is desperate. He MUST convince Edgar to run again for Mayor. He will do anything to get what he wants or rather, so he will not lose because it will be costly for him.

Remember this bet that he discussed in his column in July, 2008:

• "Betting on a vision
  
  Arthur, a reader with a dry wit and a nice touch with words, contacted me Wednesday to express deep skepticism about the marina and canal being touted for the near west side, and to throw out a thirsty challenge.
  
  "Count me in with the skeptics about the proposed marina: such a dead-end pond, with no circulation of water, will become a weed- filled ditch," he predicted...
  
  "I am willing to put a bet on this marina -- say a bottle of whatever it is you drink. Let me know if you are interested," he concluded.
  
  Challenged in that manner, I had no choice but to respond. And given the nature of the debate -- moving water -- I chose to put on the line a bottle of Scapa, single malt whisky from Scapa Flow, the great natural anchorage (and final resting place of the battleship HMS Royal Oak) off the north coast of Scotland...
  
  After placing the bet I developed the inevitable cold feet. In a subsequent conversation with Mayor Eddie Francis I confessed to having rashly placed my wallet and a piece of my Scottish heritage at risk.
  
  His advice? "Double the odds. Double down. Raise it to a case. I'd take the bet because it will be done before I leave office," he insisted."

Could that mean that Edgar will run forever because that is the length of time it will take for the canal to be built!

Saturday's Henderson column has to be one that even Gord does not take seriously:

• "The heart of downtown Windsor is still beating."

Perhaps he knows something that the Star told us about last December:

• "As mayor of Canada's unemployment capital, Francis is itching to announce early in the new year success on three "files" the city has been pursuing, each involving non-government investments with the potential to inject large numbers of new jobs into Windsor."

Scratching, Gord did say this after all:

• "There's one other bit of good news on the way.
  
  Stay tuned for an announcement by the end of this month on a "very significant" new office tenant for our vacancy-plagued downtown."

Good thing that the Integrity Commissioner has been defanged or else he would have another leak to investigate.

Perhaps Dwight will help out his new buddy when he comes here to speak soon and will tell us that some Government Department might finally be going into a Joe Mikhail building.

Hmmm, let 's see, our downtown is on life support:

• Urban village, what urban village. The RFP for that one has never happened


• Downtown arena, what downtown area. It's somewhere in the boonies with a rate of return on our $70M invested of just over 1% last year. If the real amount invested is $100M as some have suggested , then the rate is less than 1%


• Chasing Summer Fest out to the arena to try to get its business up but forced to retreat because of citizen outrage.


• Continued "mulling" for a half a year of a "Pelissier mall plan."


• Various Star reports of fights and serious injuries almost every week downtown


• Eddie's famous comment: "In the wake of another murder on Pelissier Street, Mayor Eddie Francis warned residents Monday to steer clear of the area late at night if they value their safety.

Don't you find the downtown so exciting and vibrant now?

Why I remember what Edgar (aka Eddie) said in his 2006 State of the City speech:

• "The entire face of our downtown is transforming, and transforming for the better.
  
  Two and half years ago, we talked about building a balanced downtown where people could work, live and play.
  
  We believed in a friendlier, more vibrant downtown.
  
  Some said it couldn’t be done.
  
  Some said that we should live with a downtown that many people found intimidating, and just accept it for what it was.
  
  But our Council took action. Our Council believed in a better downtown for Windsor.
  
  Today, our downtown has what people did not think was possible."

Edgar is right for once. Who would ever think this as our downtown with high vacancy rates four years later:

• a chain restaurant located in our money drain Canderel building with 5 cent parking,


• a new reduced price bus terminal located right near a building that Mr. Farhi was going to build as high-priced condos and


• an influx of St. Clair students who were going to turn downtown into an area jsut as vibrant and alive like Wyandotte West near the University.

Here is the new Francis mind's eye vision as told to us by Gord. Rather, it is the Sheriff telling us about another Francis failure:

• "Meanwhile, there's new evidence that the controversial marina/canal plan for downtown is not dead and buried as its critics hoped, and that at least one segment, the transient marina, could see design work completed this year.
  
  The canal, dismissed by the unimaginative and pothole-obsessed as a useless "ditch," has drawn significant interest from out-of-town investors.
  
  There's a buzz around it. But with an election less than seven months away and with Francis still pondering whether to take on CUPE and its allies and seek a third term, it's too late to advance that "red flag" issue.
  
  Sadly, it's on hold. And for Lord knows how long."

Instead what do we get:

• "But the other piece, the 35-berth transient marina proposed for the riverfront between Caron and Church, with an estimated price of $11-million, which includes breakwall work that must be done regardless, is a different story.
  
  Francis plans to ask council during capital budget talks for approval to conduct, as early as June, a "design charrette," an intense workshop involving leading designers from far and wide who would produce a ready-to-roll marina blueprint for consideration by the next council."

Oh great, a public consultation on artists' renditions but no consultation on daycare. The Mayor truly has lost his perspective and has no sense of value!

I hope you noticed the part "it's too late to advance." No one is responsible for the delay other than Edgar. Here is what Gord wrote about a year ago so we can see the speed at which our our Mayor operates.

• "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."

Nothing like rehashing the past and making it seem new again.

Oh, the rest of the column was another pitch for the University to do something. It will be either in the Mady complex so one can pretend the Armouries are involved or the Capitol or perhaps Mr. Farhi will build it on his land so he can get out of the downtown.. Again, Edgar's blinding speed:

• "The current talks, which were triggered by discussions involving Wildeman, St. Clair College President John Strasser and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan during last year's Red Bull festivities, are aimed at developing a "creative cluster" downtown, building on St. Clair's trail-blazing downtown campus in the former Cleary and its spectacular $5-million plus mediaplex now nearing completion in the former Salvation Army building."

Unless Dwight is putting up all of the cash or the University President is not doing any trips any more to places like the Olympics, do not expect much. After all, Gord told us in 2007:

• "Nice plan, no cash
  
  A month has passed since the University of Windsor developed cold feet and retreated from a $58-million downtown campus proposal, but Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis still winces as he examines the glossy images of what might have been.
  
  And little wonder. The preliminary sketches from Calvin Brook, the consultant who prepared Windsor's Central Riverfront Implementation Plan in 2000, show the area from the new bus terminal west to Caron Avenue, and from University Avenue north to Riverside Drive, changed from asphalt wasteland into a dynamic urban space featuring attractive academic buildings, creative museum space, student residences and existing housing.
  
  A standout feature would have been the transformation of the Caron Avenue rail cut, currently a weed-strewn dumping ground, into a canal (shades of San Antonio's Riverwalk) leading to a riverfront waterfall. That waterway development has been on the city's planning books for several years but could have been accelerated with the university as a downtown campus partner.
  
  So close and yet so far. The drawings are just one indicator of how seriously Francis took the university's proposal -- a second proposal which followed the university's rejection of the downtown as a site for its $110-million Centre of Engineering Innovation -- to occupy as much as 100,000 square feet of space in the core area for programs that could have included a new law school, school of social work, business incubator and part of the nursing program...
  
  And then, splat, in an instant it was gone, snuffed out by number crunchers who concluded the university was in no position to make additional investments on top of its engineering school commitment.
  
  How did it happen like this? How could expectations be raised to such towering heights and then sawed off at the knees? According to Marty Komsa, outgoing board of governors chairman, board members were hugely excited about the proposal from university president Ross Paul, but it simply couldn't be justified financially...
  
  There was just one problem, according to Komsa. At $58 million, which included money to refurbish existing campus buildings, it was $35 million to $45 million more than the university could afford at this time, given the $135 million being invested in the engineering and medical schools.
  
  "Our business plan clearly indicates it's not feasible. At this point in time we just don't have the funds," said Komsa. "We're short. And where would we come up with the money? It just boils down to, our business plan doesn't support it."

So do not get too excited when we see more retreaded design charrettes....just think "municipal election."

Do Edgar/Dwight Have A DRIC Road Deal

There is no doubt that one is close to being signed or so it is being suggested to us.

The only question is when will it be announced. My guess: sooner rather than later to ensure that no one runs against Edgar. Or that is the hope.

How do I know this? Obviously, inside moles at various government levels have been suggesting to me that something is coming. But actually, there was a Big Leak.

Yes, dear reader, another one. I will not keep you in suspense. The Leakor this time was Councillor Hatfield and he leaked it in the Star obviously as the beginning of a set-up to show the genius that our Mayor is:

• "Hatfield cites tax fight in bid for Ward 7 seat
  
  In the next session Hatfield said council should put the border file behind it, adding he is now optimistic the province will make enough concessions to "wrap it up."

Except, here is what another Star story stated about Hatfield and the border file:

• "Hatfield 1st Windsor council incumbent to file papers for re-election
  
  >
  >
  >
  
  "

Yes that is right, Zippo, Nothing, Nada. Percy gave it away too soon. No more Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler, B.C. trips as the Mayor's stand-in for Percy! Or maybe the deal fell apart and the Councillor was not in the loop to know it.

What power someone has to take out this key part of the story though don't you think. Scary!

If there is an Edgar (aka Eddie) deal with Dwight, will that mean that Marra will be pressured not to run for Mayor against Edgar. Bill would win easily otherwise.

Oh, one last warning. We have heard of a deal between the Province and City so many times before when reading Gord's column but it has never come to fruition.

It may well be that this happened again if the Province got angry that they are being pressured to sign on the dotted line for something that cannot be achieved but which will help Edgar politically. After all, according to Percy, everone bows down to Edgar

• "the province will make enough concessions."

Yea, right! Dwight knuckling under to Edgar. That's good for Dwight's leadership ambitions.

Obliging Blogosphere 1, Edgar 0

Want proof of the power of the Blogosphere, look no further than what was posted on the Star online. Two conflicting stories with the major one being that Edgar (aka Eddie) was forced to back-off.

Chris Schnurr's BLOG "Downtown Festival: Possibilities?' with photos of the midway on Riverside was devastating and made a mockery of what was being claimed as to lack of location.

I hope that my BLOG contribution "Is A Boycott Summer Fest Facebook Page Next" which made it clear that Summer Fest was never going to come back to the Downtown if it moved eastward helped.

Both Chris and I and some other writers making comments on other BLOGs were suspicious of what was going on and speculated about what the real reason for the move was.

Clearly though, the clincher was the 2977 people who signed up to the Facebook group "Keep Windsor's Summerfest at the Riverfront!" within a few days who scared the hell out of Edgar!

And if you really believe that the Summer Fest move was a last minute thing, then explain this poster away on another Facebook page:

So we went from our Mayor saying this:

• "Mayor Eddie Francis said a number of options were explored: Dieppe Park, not enough space; the area around the Art Gallery of Windsor, no service; and Riverside Drive, too inconvenient.
  
  “You would have to close Riverside down for 18 days, which is problematic,” Francis said. “But the move is not permanent. It’s just a result of all the construction going on.”

To our Mayor saying this:

• "But Francis said he arranged a hasty meeting Tuesday night with the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association and the Windsor Parade Corporation, which runs Summer Fest, to see if the carnival could somehow stay downtown."

The funniest line was this:

• "It’s very disappointing,” Francis said about the largely anonymous and harsh criticism about what was a business decision by private companies."

Sure, no input by the City in this whatsoever.

• "The east-end centre has the necessary hydro , parking and space needed to host the festival, said Walt Metulynsky, Windsor's manager of leisure outreach services.
  
  "Thinking of other places we could put it downtown, that footprint just didn't match," he said."

And when does Edgar give in to criticism anonymous or not.

It is typical Edgar...It is more important to promote the Lauzon area for "shrewd investors" rather than continue a tradition for citizens downtown.

I found this quoote interesting:

• "The last two weeks have clearly demonstrated that people have come to value the midway and the entertainment it provides," Mayor Eddie Francis said Wednesday at a news conference.

What it also says is that our Mayor is completely out of touch with citizens.

Why did he back off? One simple reason---an election year. But just you watch, it will be pay-back time later for Edgar. It always is.

What Is It With DRIC Supporters

I just don't get it at all.

Don't they ever listen to what they say? Do they think that everyone accepts blindly the positions they put forward? Can they ever admit the fallacy in what they are stating?

I heard that a major Canadian transportation organization recently has hired a big lobbyist firm in Michigan to lobby FOR the DRIC bridge in Lansing. Wow, the DRIC people must be desperate to have to call on third party assistance. And a Canadian one too!

That seems strange to me. What does the group have to gain by doing so? I wonder how much that will cost their Canadian members in lobbyist fees.

A warning to the lobbyists---do your homework. You do NOT want to look like fools in front of Michigan Legislators whom you are also trying to influence for other clients if you try to feed them all of this nonsense that DRIC supporters would like you to promote.

It does bug me to be honest. I suspect that there may a reader or two of mine who might disagree a bit on what I have to say on the border file. No problem.

However, I try very hard to substantiate what I say and provide the proof of it in my BLOGs so that my readers can understand why I say what I do and then draw their own conclusion.

Let me give you the latest example of DRIC supporters saying things that drive me crazy. It is from a recent interview on the Business News Network. Naturally, I will fisk their comments to try and put their remarks in a perspective.

===================================

Andrea: $5 billion. that's the estimated price tag on the Detroit River International Crossing project, which is expected to help unclog the congested crossing between Detroit and Windsor. But what will it mean for businesses on either side of the border? For their perspective we're joined by Jay Switzer -- sorry, Doug Switzer, VP of Government Relations for the Canadian Trucking Alliance. Thank you very much for joining us today.

[Just watch how that $5B is ignored by the DRIC supporters, especially when that amount grows substantially higher. Too bad that the host did not mention whose side the guests are really on and not leave the impression that they are neutral.]

Doug: thanks for having me.

Andrea: Ok, so Dan Stamper, our previous guest, who operates the Ambassador Bridge, he made an interesting argument, which was essentially that, look, it's cheaper what we're doing. Why do businesses want to pay four times the amount of tolls than they would be paying if we go with our idea? Why do we want to promote a government-funded potential boondoggle here?

[I have never understood why the financing of the border crossing is such a mystery. Why hasn't MDOT released the Wilbur Smith Report on financing the DRIC bridge? Why is it such a secret? I would have thought that the math on financing the two bridges should be easy to compare and the cost of building a traditionally funded bridge compared with a P3 bridge ought also to be easy to calculate. Maybe that is the problem. Disclosing the numbers now would be fatal to DRIC!]

Doug: Right. I think really the issue is where they're paying the tolls to. I don’t think the tolls will be four times what they are on the Ambassador Bridge. I would expect the tolls would be commensurate with what they're already paying.

[Frankly this comment is absurd. How can the tolls be approximately the same when the cost of the DRIC Bridge is in the $2 billion range while that of the Ambassador Bridge is around $3-$400 million? What no one wants to recognize is that the Ambassador Bridge can seriously undercut the tolls of the other bridge, thereby attracting traffic away from the new Bridge. The end result could be the bankruptcy of the DRIC bridge.

Of course, the Bridge Company will be extremely competitive. That is why it is highly unlikely that any P3 organization will seriously put in a bid knowing that they have to compete with someone whose price will be a quarter of theirs. P3 companies like monopolies so that they can make their 13 to 20% rate of return.]

So for the trucking companies and the shippers who are using the border crossing there won't be any additional cost. It's just a question of whether they'll be paying it to the Ambassador Bridge or whether they'll be paying it to a new Bridge Authority.

[Again, a ridiculous comment and wishful thinking. But then again, he works for the Association whose head moaned and groaned about the increase in tolls at the Blue Water Bridge. Perhaps they feel that if they are nice to the Governments, the tolls will be kept low again for the benefit of their members and at the expense of taxpayers.]

Andrea: I want to bring in a second guest. We also have Sarah Hubbard. She is Senior Vice-president of government relations with the Detroit Regional Chamber. Sarah, I want to pose the same question that I just posed to Doug here, which is that the operators of the Ambassador Bridge are saying, look, why would you want to go with the government-backed Bridge? Because basically it costs $5 billion, and the tolls are going to be much higher than what we're charging.

Sarah: Well, we think options are important here.

[What is even more important to Sarah, is not answering the question because if she did, that would be the end of the DRIC Bridge.]

We need redundancy for national security issues.

[Can we bury this argument already!

To be blunt, the attack in Moscow on the subway system confirmed again that terrorists multi-target. If they are going to attack the Ambassador Bridge, they would attack the other new Bridge whether it was beside the old one or a mile down the road or even 60 miles away. More importantly, Sarah forgets to mention that the Tunnel is the main concern because it has been described as a "unique security risk." It should be obvious why that is so.]

We need to make sure that we have very strong, clear entry and exit areas for the Bridge.

[Poor Sarah, clearly she forgot about the Ambassador Gateway project in which the Governments and the Bridge Company have spent already about a quarter of $1 billion to do precisely what she described on the US side. On the Canadian side, although promises have been made, nothing has been done including spending $300 million on the building of a road to the Ambassador Bridge as was contemplated under the BIF program. If Highway 401 is to be extended, it will be extended in precisely the same route to either of the new bridges.]

And we think this is something that community on both sides can live with as well, we like the idea of having several options. In Buffalo they have four Bridges and that seems to work out pretty well there. We have lots of room for growth in the Detroit-Windsor area. We want to really grow the logistics industry and have more trucking and more transportation going on in the Detroit-Windsor area.

[Oh Sarah, she obviously does not know about the problems in Buffalo/Fort Erie where the project to build the new Peace Bridge is in a worse situation than ours, even with all of their bridges. If Sarah is trying to suggest that Buffalo is our competitor, MDOT have already destroyed that myth a long time ago]

Andrea: Ok, there was recently, though, an Editorial in the ""Detroit Free Press"" where basically they were making the argument that Michigan can't afford this bridge, that really any money that they're going to have for the transportation system, they should be using it to fix cracked roads and potholes versus putting money up for this expensive bridge. What are your thoughts, Sarah?

Sarah: Well, that's just not true.

[Really? I remember reading a story recently about many road and bridge projects that cannot be completed because the State does not have the money. I remember reading a story about the dispute between Moroun and MDOT over Bridge Company toll credits that could help pay for some of these projects. Why even the Governor in her SOS speech thought it was ludicrous not to take advantage of private toll credits.]

Either party who builds a new Bridge is going to use bonding, whether it's bonded through a private activity bond or bonded through a public/private partnership or through some kind of government situation. Bonding will carry the primary cost of the Bridge. After that, the federal government will be picking up significant costs of entry and exitways on both ends. You know, there are different kinds of bonds that are used for patching potholes in other areas of the state.

[Oh Sarah, you probably have not heard that alternative payment methods may have to be considered because of the lack of traffic. That means a taxpayer subsidy for the DRIC Bridge. She really has to keep up with the news.

There will only be bonding if the person doing the bonding knows that the bonds will be paid back. That is not a certainty with the DRIC bridge as outlined above.

Does it really make sense for the State of Michigan and its taxpayers to spend money that they could use for their many road projects it cannot complete now when the Bridge Company is prepared to spend their money to build their Enhancement Project?

After NAFTA-gate, Secretary of State Clinton's dismissive comments respecting the border with Canada the other day and the unpleasantness over Afghanistan and the Arctic, Sarah has to be dreaming in Technicolor if she believes that the US Government will contribute one cent to this project to help out Canada.

Note as well, that Sarah effectively answered the question buying never mentioning once how much Michigan would be able to pay.]

Andrea: Ok. Doug, to you. I want to ask you, I mean what's it like right now? Mr. Stamper said that the Ambassador Bridge is very efficient. What kind of -- are there wait times and how difficult is it to get across at the moment?

Doug: At the moment, there aren't extensive wait times particularly directly at the Bridge.

[Oh my goodness, someone finally acknowledging that the Bridge Company knows how to run a border crossing.]

But we still have the dysfunctional situation as you said in your lead-in to this, of having to travel down a city street, going through 16 stop lights to get to the busiest border crossing between Canada and the United States. At its peak, it was running 3.5 million trucks a year plus, essentially running through the Detroit Windsor community.

[Our traffic volume today is around the 1999 level, a far distance from the peak described. No one seems to want to acknowledge that the road to the Bridge has been there ever since the Bridge was first built almost 80 years ago. Even with the stop lights, the border operation at the Ambassador Bridge beats that of every other crossing between Canada and the United States according to FHWA.]

Our position on this has been that we had two public policy objectives. One was to get a freeway-to-freeway connection that would get us off the city streets and get us out of the Windsor community.

[This is a bogus issue. The Bridge Company years ago engineered a road to the Bridge following the route proposed by the City of Windsor WALTS study that was effectively copied by the DRIC engineers. Whether a truck goes to the new DRIC bridge or the Enhancement Project bridge, the route is identical except for the last mile where a truck would either go left or would go right depending on the final destination.]

And the second was to build in some redundancy.

[See above re the phony argument respecting redundancy and security. If the Governments were serious, then we would have had reverse customs at the border already as the Bridge Company has been advocating for years.]

The DRIC project is the result of the efforts of Governments on both sides of the border, Canada and the United States, to look at all the options including the option of twinning the Ambassador Bridge and they determined that, after spending several million dollars and a couple years studying this, that the most reasonable way was to build this new Bridge that DRIC is proposing.

[Another misstatement. The Governments have not looked at twinning the Ambassador Bridge but rather looked at what they proposed about building a Government bridge right beside the Ambassador Bridge. That is how they threw out the twinning concept by saying that it would destroy most of Sandwich. Of course that argument was a phony one as well.

As I have Blogged many times before, and which was confirmed by Prime Minister Harper's secret mandate letter to buy the Ambassador Bridge, the DRIC project was nothing more than the Governments' attempt to terrorize the Bridge Company into selling their Bridge to the Governments at a very low price. That strategy has failed miserably.

Why would the Government of Canada want to buy the Ambassador Bridge if it was in such a poor location and such a poor project and an old Bridge. The letter demonstrates that Canada was never interested in a DRIC bridge but always wanted to buy the Ambassador Bridge and to locate a new Bridge beside it.]

Andrea: Ok. Because one of the things that kind of jumped out at me is why isn't the Government -- or the two Governments working in coordination with the Ambassador to maybe twin together with Mr. Moroun that second span? Why isn't that happening, Doug?

Doug: It was one of the options that DRIC looked at.

[See above. They never looked at it. Moreover, the Governments started reading and believing their own demonization reports. They were terrified to negotiate with Moroun, especially because they have no negotiating position as the lawsuits started by him make absolutely clear.]

We have to remember what DRIC really is.

[See above what DRIC really is]

DRIC is a combined environmental assessment process really, in that essence, between the Federal Canadian, Provincial Ontario, State of Michigan and the Federal US. Though they've combined, all four levels of Government have various processes that need to be gone through. And DRIC was the process to meet all of those requirements. So they looked at all the options, and one of the options was twinning. But for a variety of reasons, they can't really build that road to the Ambassador Bridge. The environmental assessment impact showed that it was more of an environmental impact to try to build that freeway-to-freeway connection to the foot of the Ambassador Bridge. Part of the problem is the Bridge is in the middle of the Windsor Community and it's hard to get to it with a highway.

[Discussed above. I do believe that some people should visit Windsor to understand that the Bridge is not in the middle of the city. I've heard that now from several people over the years who really ought to know better. Perhaps they are confusing the Bridge with the Tunnel.]

Andrea: Ok, Sarah, how important would you say -- I mean this has been going on for quite some time now. How important is it that there is some resolution? I've spoken to some people who are watching this, and they're really fearful that if there isn't a resolution, you know we may not see a Bridge in our lifetime, a new one.

Sarah: Absolutely. You don't just decide to build a Bridge overnight. This is something that takes years of planning as Doug mentioned.

[Sarah forgot that the Ambassador Bridge program started long before DRIC and but for Government interference would have been completed by now]

It's a binational process. Both sides of the river have been working together and it's extremely important that we build a new Bridge. This is -- you can't just decide overnight, oh, we need a new Bridge between two large countries. We think it's important to keep moving forward. We want to find resolution to the DRIC process, and if the Ambassador Bridge is able to build their second span, by all means they can build a second span. In fact in the minds of the business community, we like the option of having additional crossings in several places. We want to have choices. We want to have competition and we want to make sure we have the best crossings possible between the US. and Canada so we can be an inland port.

[For a business group, it is fascinating for me to watch them seeing a company being destroyed by Government and yet they are silent about it. Perhaps that is because the Chamber is a DRIC supporter.

Moreover, as a business person, Sarah does not seem to understand basic economics. Who will pay for all of these bridges if traffic is not there to pay for the bonding, her members as taxpayers?]

Andrea: Sarah, what's your sense though -- I mean the Michigan Legislature has to make a decision about whether they're going to continue to fund the DRIC, the Detroit River Crossing. Do you get a sense of which way they're going on this?

[She should have asked Sarah specifically about Senator Cropsey]

Sarah: Oh, there are a few issues being worked out before the Michigan Legislature.

[Yes, like an MDOT traffic report that does not meet legislative requirements and the failure to release the financial picture until the last minute! And how to get P3 operators to come in without a Government guarantee or subsidy.]

In particular we need to find -- to pass a new law that would allow for a public/private partnership in Michigan. You already have that in Ontario and in Canada. and in the US. We need to do that. We strongly believe that it will pass in time for this project to be completed. There are a few vocal opponents of this project in the Michigan Legislature. There are many more silent supporters.

[Perhaps the silent majority understand that the P3 boondoggle is over, that P3s are too expensive. Perhaps they have read my BLOGs on the Port Mann Bridge P3 fiasco!]

Andrea: Ok. and Doug, the last to you. What would this DRIC Bridge mean in terms of the economy and jobs on both sides?

Doug: Obviously there's a direct impact in terms of the trucks trying to get across the border and the operational costs that they incur trying to move across the border.

[But Doug, you just said there are no border problems now and with the new technological advances, pre-clearance and moving Customs away from the border, the problems will be minimal in the future.]

But I think really the most profound impact on the economy is, you know we talk about the supply chain, and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. All too often, the border is that weakest link.

[Ooooooo, Doug did not say border "thickening." If he did , it means Customs and non-tariff barriers not the Bridge]

So to us the way to strengthen the supply chains between Canada and the United States, to insure that the two great trading partners that we are can continue to trade is to build the DRIC Bridge, provide that redundancy provide that highway-to-highway connection so that we can insure that when people are making business decisions about where to locate businesses, where to source supplies from, they don't have to factor in, well, i'm not sure if my goods will get across the border. We need to build in that kind of certainty, that kind of security that businesses need when they're making investment in sourcing decisions.

[Uh, Doug, capacity is not the issue, traffic flow is! Just ask the Peace Bridge people and they will confirm it. That is why the Ambassador Bridge project is designed for traffic flow improvements not for capacity reasons.

Your issues are NOT bridge related but part of the "Dirty little secret" the Canadian Senate talked about years ago]

Andrea: Ok. Well, thank you very much, both of you, for joining us today.

Bridge Company NAFTA Press Release

It is no April Fool's day joke. It is getting very serious now.

I wonder if this NAFTA case will finally get Ottawa's attention. Or does our Conservative Government expect to be re-elected on an anti-American platform?

After Secretary Clinton's visit, someone in Ottawa or our DC Embassy ought to wake up!

Please note the sentence I emphasized which will give Edgar (aka Eddie) nightmares.

Bridge company claims Canada violated NAFTA, files arbitration claim

WARREN, Mich. – A new highway planned by Canadian authorities to service a proposed border crossing between Ontario and Michigan violates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it discriminates against American investors in the nearby Ambassador Bridge, the bridge owners said.

The Detroit International Bridge Co. (DIBC), which owns and operates the Ambassador Bridge, filed a Claim of Arbitration under Chapter 11 of NAFTA on March 23.

DIBC seeks a determination that Canada has breached its obligations under NAFTA, an award of damages of at least $3.5 billion and other appropriate relief.

The arbitration arises from the decisions by Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Windsor to locate the parkway serving the proposed Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) so it steers traffic away from the Ambassador Bridge, DIBC said.

In May 2003, Transport Canada, the Canadian government transportation agency, committed to extend Highway 401 to facilitate access to the Ambassador Bridge. Relying on Canada’s promises, DIBC invested hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements in connection with the Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project – the $230 million program to provide direct access to the bridge from the U.S. interstate highway system.

Canada cancelled the improvements to Huron Church Road and instead approved a new freeway linking Highway 401 with the proposed DRIC bridge. The road, commonly referred to as the Windsor-Essex Parkway, is proposed to be 11 kilometers long. The first 9 kilometers would run from Highway 401 directly toward the Ambassador Bridge, but 3 kilometers short, before turning south toward the proposed DRIC bridge.

The new DRIC bridge would be jointly owned by Canada and the U.S. DIBC alleges that Canada’s actions violate NAFTA by favoring Canadian investors in DRIC over the U.S. investors in the Ambassador Bridge, and by denying fair and equitable treatment to the U.S. investors in the Ambassador Bridge. The Ambassador Bridge is wholly owned by DIBC, a privately held U.S. company.

NAFTA prohibits actions of discrimination by the United States, Canada or Mexico against citizens or companies of one another and requires them to treat one another’s investors fairly and equitably. Discriminatory activities of government subdivisions of those nations such as states, provinces or municipalities make the nations themselves liable in damages under NAFTA.

NAFTA provides for arbitration by a three-person tribunal to resolve disputes under Chapter 11. The Secretary-General of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes will constitute the tribunal if the parties do not reach agreement on the panel within 90 days. NAFTA also includes a 90-day period for the parties to attempt to agree on a resolution of the dispute.