Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Deep Throat's Masse Conquest


I finally got a copy of Brian Masse's Press Release and Letter to the PM and Premier.

To be blunt.....I was shocked and surprised. Had Deep Throat been speaking with him right after we had had our Erie Street "public" dinner? Was there any other reasonable explanation for what he wrote?

The purpose of the press conference was to publicize his letter to the Senior Level politicians in which he "requested [what a weak verb that is] the federal and provincial governments do all in their power to stop the Sandwich/Prince" crossing option." That was it!

I then read the letter which discussed this and suggested going to Ojibway without actually naming the corridor. Then the key sentence in the whole letter
  • "In addition, it [the Ojibway corridor] has also been presented by the Committee in a way that recognizes the important environmental concerns for the Ojibway nature preserves." FULL STOP!
Not a word about the road to getting to that crossing. No direct support of it but no attack on it. Fascinating, the chosen road must now be acceptable to the MP for Windsor West. How different when the Bridge Co. was putting forward almost the exact route.

Here is another point that was brought to my attention that Brian might already know. The big sinkhole at Prospect!
  • "A huge sinkhole on Feb. 19, 1954, ended brine mining operations by the Canadian Salt Company below riverfront land near Sandwich Street and Prospect Avenue, just off Ojibway Parkway.

    In a few hours, a hole more than 60 metres across and nearly eight metres deep formed.

    It swallowed parts of four buildings at the former Canadian Industries Ltd. (CIL) plant on the west end.

    The $6-million plant, which employed 300, shut down permanently two months later."

    [Read Marty Gervais'column in the Star about what happened on February 19, 1954]

So Brian gets it, finally.
  1. NO to Brock for the votes for the upcoming election,
  2. Support of the other crossing but not too strongly because of the sinkhole issue,
  3. NO for a road going through Ojibway nature reserves
  4. NO mention of the "diagonal" bridge or Ambassador Gateway project which the Americans want
  5. NO mention of the WALTS Road that can and probably will be built for the 200 booths and the Twinned Bridge years from now.
  6. After the election, that's when he gets tough on the Bridge Co. and and demands the "enhanced" WALTS Road.

That Deep Throat deserves a toast!

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