The Questions Detroit Council Should Ask

I like American Big City politicians. They know how to play

"I am a Mayor of a small town...I have no authority, I have no clout." You'll never hear a Detroit Mayor say what ex-mayor Mike Hurst said. Nor will you ever hear a Detroit Councillor say what Councillor Valentinis said to the DRIC people, "Why won't anyone listen to Windsor?" Nope they tell the DRIC people, and the Governor, that if they do not listen to Detroit, they do so at their peril.

I am sure that the Detroit politicos will be polite with their small town neighbours. After all, we were willing to help them clear the snow during Super Bowl. That should count for something. I understand that there will be a brief reception before the main meeting so everyone can get to know each other. I assume that Mayor Kilpatrick will not be there because of the American separation between different branches of Government, a concept unknown here.

What they discuss will determine how friendly the meeting will be. If some of these questions are asked, then Windsor Council better make a hasty exit to their bus to return home:

1. We thought the #1 reason for the meeting was to deal with the border, especially the truck issue, while it appears that all Windsor wants to do is discuss a commercial deal about the Tunnel.
2. It appeared that Windsor wanted to take advantage of Detroit's financial position but only "sweetened" its offer after a bid from the Ambassador Bridge Co. was presented. Why should Detroit now consider accepting a bid from the City of Windsor when what was presented before was inferior to that of the Ambassador Bridge Co.
3. Why should Detroit receive about $600,000 in Tunnel revenues while Windsor receives $6 million
4. In August 2004, it was written that "the Windsor Tunnel Commission may have to increase tolls or suspend a multimillion-dollar dividend to the city to stave off a looming $15- million deficit. According to a budget report released Thursday, the tunnel faces a $2.72 million deficit this year after its $7.66 million operating profit is gobbled up by debt repayments and the city's dividend. That deficit is expected to grow to $15 million by 2006 as the commission wrestles with debt payments and improvements to the tunnel plaza and ventilation system." If that is the case, is Windsor in a financial position to do a deal with us
5. We note that in early 2005 "Toll revenues at the Windsor-Detroit tunnel have fallen more than $370,000 behind the same three-month period last year because of continuing reductions in passenger vehicle traffic. Passenger vehicle traffic is down almost nine per cent over the same period a year ago. This represents 63,813 fewer vehicles than in the same three months a year ago and 25,319 vehicles short of 2005 projections. At this rate, toll revenues will not meet 2005 budget expectationsfor the year. " If that is the case, is Windsor in a financial position to do a deal with us
6. Do you intend to enter into a financing deal with a third party? If so , who is the financing source and what is the anticpated amount that Windsor expects to receive
7. Do you consider it neighbourly for your Mayor to retain a lawyer to look into "the legality of any proposed lease buyout" or for your Federal Government officials to threaten us with a legal proceding from the law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, the Canadian government's legal counsel in the United States..
8. Has the Windsor Council ever told its citizens that it wants to own/operate/lease the Tunnel
9. Why did Councillors Gignac and Brister oppose the Ambassador Bridge plaza expansion plan which would have helped prevent tie-ups of trucks on the American side
10. We on our side have spent about $200 million to improve the roadway around thge border with the Ambassador Gateway project. How much has Canada spent on your side on the road network
11. Coun. David Brister said the city could be forced to sue to tie up the border plan in the courts if route concerns are not addressed. How long will this litigation be in the courts before there is a final resolution and how does this lawsuit improve the border situation
12. If the City of Windsor favours a bridge at Prospect, then do you understand the negative impact that bridge would have in South West Detroit and in particular, our Delray West community
13. How can you justify protecting Sandwich and yet you want us to destroy Delray
14. Please explain to us how your poor road system will result in improved economic development of the region
15. Do you intend to build a toll road to the border and if so, do you understand that this would result in a reduction of volumes
16. We have lost about 25% of our traffic already. Do you appreciate that your inaction on the border is driving increased traffic to Port Huron/Sarnia to our region's detriment
17. Why does Windsor keep saying there is a border crisis when there is not one, thereby jeopardizing our region's economic viability
18. Do you agree that traffic volumes are down such that the DRIC traffic projections are probably inaccurate now. If so, will you support a "No-Build" solution but also agree to commit to improve the connecting road systems on both sides of the border.

Now I had a thought about how to get the Detroit Council working with us and the fact that our Council is dysfunctional will help. What has been the big issue at Council in Detroit for the past few days: the fight to save the Detroit Zoo. All we have to tell them that it is a zoo over here and then they will fix everything up!

Is A War Brewing Between Sandwich and Delray

Quite a story in the Detroit News today "New bridge divides neighbors." The timing of it was very interesting as well, just before the Windsor/Detroit Council meeting.

The issues it raises cannot be resolved in one meeting. It demonstrates again how this DRIC process has totally collapsed.

The NEWS story talked about:
"Michigan is forming plans to use eminent domain to seize as many as 300 houses to build a bridge to Canada through one of Detroit's poorest, most polluted and forgotten corners.

Even though a controversial $25 million study of a bridge is nearly two years from completion, state transportation officials for weeks have discussed buying or condemning houses with residents of Delray, a onetime Eastern European enclave."

Since I want to Blog this article before I head over to Detroit to watch the Councils in action, let me raise a few interesting thoughts:

1. When did the State say that it prefers the new bridge to be public? Has this been agreed to buy our side's Governance group? Is this why the strange items were placed on the public's Vision Statement re public ownership of a new bridge and expropriation of the existing bridge?
2. I hope no one asks Windsor Council about what I am told is another in camera secret resolution. Does Council's resolution mean that the new bridge goes in West Delray, especially if MDOT is talking about 300 homes being exproporiated
3. Why is it ok to save Sandwich but not Delray
4. I thought Detroit Council's resolution said no bridge in Delray?
5. Is it time for MDOT's new Director to do some damage control since his people were given a copy of the Resolutiion by Councillors Cockrel and Watson at a Delray meeting I attended.

It could get ugly at the joint Councils meeting tonight if the right questions are asked and Detroit Council decides not to be polite after reading what MDOT wants to do. It will be interesting to see!

Border Tunnels And Arenas

Here is a question based on pure speculation on my part: Have Eddie Francis and Mike Hurst buried the hatchet in their past relationship and are they now working together on the "Mother of All Deals" in the City of Windsor?

I am sure that many of you are mystified by the subject matter of this BLOG. What has an arena for sports and entertainment got to do with tunnels for a border? And what does that have to do with Eddie and Mike?

Of course I will explain now to show you how nice packages can be put together with a bit of creativity, well-placed press releases, rallying calls, joint meetings and a lot of OMERS cash.

Have any of my BLOG readers ever been recently to the old Coliseum at the CNE in Toronto now renamed the Ricoh Coliseum? The Toronto Maple Leafs AHL farm team, (the Toronto Marlies) play their home games at there.

It is described this way when its renovation was announced:

• "November 2003 will mark the opening of Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto's newest sports and entertainment complex. Situated within the award-winning National Trade Centre, this $38 million dollar arena renovation project broke ground on January 15th, 2003 and will open November 1, 2003 with the inaugural home game of the Toronto Roadrunners, Toronto's new American Hockey League (AHL) hockey club.
  
  Ricoh Coliseum's 10,000-seat capacity will fulfill event planners, show organizers and promoters' needs for a midsize event venue. Ricoh Coliseum will have multiple seating configurations, which range from approximately 3,500 to 10,000+ seats."

Just an interesting aside about the world of sports "I think a lot of people feel betrayed because the city (St. John's, Newfoundland) went into the hole (spending $40 million) to build that stadium a few years ago and now the team is leaving anyway." It went to Toronto.

What interested me is that one of the companies involved in the Ricoh redevelopment was BPC Coliseum Inc. (BPC), which has a 49-year lease on Ricoh. "BPC is owned by Borealis, a unit of the pension fund for Ontario's municipal employees called OMERS. When the Roadrunners were looking to refurbish the Coliseum building at Exhibition Place to the tune of $38 million two years ago, Borealis put up $9 million, which matched the city of Toronto's $9 million."

As you know, Mike Hurst is CEO of DRTP one of whose owners is OMERS/Borealis

Here is what was said when the Leafs' team moved there: "We're excited about bringing in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the Leafs as the new arrangement satisfies our pension fund objectives for long term stable returns," said Michael Rolland, senior vice president of Borealis Infrastructure."

Now I am sure that you know where I am heading with this.

1. What have the Mayor and Council been rallying for this time on the border: tunnelling.
2. What is the #1 issue that Windsor Council wants to talk to Detroit Council about: the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel
3. Didn't we just have a so-called Public Information session on the new Tunnel Plaza that most members of the public did not know about
4. Why would Mike Hurst of DRTP owned by Borealis issue a press release out of the blue a week before the City's strategy session on Friday talking about tunnelling?
5. What does Eddie desperately need to be re-elected: an arena
6. What does Eddie want to do with the Tunnel: own/operate/lease it
7. What does Borealis finance: tunnels and arenas

One of the items to be discussed at that strategy session is the new arena for Windsor or refurbishing the old Barn. And co-incidentally we have a new ownership group of the Spitfires who would love to play in a new arena and a Mayor who seems to want to accommodate them in order to get re-elected no matter what it may cost taxpayers:

• "The new owners said they would like to see a new rink replace the aging Windsor Arena...
  
  Windsor Arena has no luxury boxes to sell and decent parking has always been in short supply.
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis attended Monday's news conference and said a new arena isn't a dead issue. "Windsor's on a roll and we need to continue that momentum," Francis said. "We've seen from the Super Bowl and (Major League Baseball) All-Star game what it takes to attract those types of events."

What is happening today:

• "On Tuesday, February 28th the Detroit City Council and the Windsor City Council will hold a joint meeting... The bodies will be discussing issues related the Ambassador Bridge / Detroit Windsor Tunnel and other Border Crossing issues. The meeting will consist of a discussion between the two city councils (no public comments will be accepted). "

If one puts it all together, can we say a DRTP tunnel (financed in the billions by taxpayers to make them mega-billions), a new arena financed by Borealis for our new Spitfires and a long-term Tunnel finance deal as Eddie saw his Chicago Mayor friend do there also financed by OMERS. It just seems to come together too nicely doesn't it. Or as Gord Henderson wrote:

"Now or never. And if it's now, what a coup that would be for city politicians in an election year."

And if one really wanted to go hog wild, what about Borealis financing a new bridge for Eddie or helping him buy out the Bridge Co. Now THAT would be a complete deal wouldn't it!

Was that what Mike and Eddie really talked about during their "transition" meeting right after the election? Who knows!

Is Support For A Tunnel, Support For DRTP

I was surprised to read the new Press Release sent out by DRTP on Friday: "Tunneling in the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership's Rail Corridor." It really said nothing new but should make people concerned about the big push being made to build a tunnel. It got me wondering if there was more to this than meets the eye.

I find it so interesting that all of a sudden a tunnel is the answer to our problems. I wonder why Gridlock Sam did not mention it prominently in his Report as the way to go. Why didn't the Mayor and Council come out with this idea back in January, 2005 and rally us for this so that they could have had a multi-billion dollar short-term dream. Why are they supporting a tunnel so strongly now other than the obvious reasons that they have failed on everything to do with the border and now need something to get re-elected."

While I am not a great fan of DRIC from the "political" perspective, I take seriously the comment "An underground truck route has been deemed difficult by the bureaucrats and engineers because of potential costs, soil conditions, underground infrastructure and the inability of finding an alternative traffic route during lengthy construction."

As an example, The Cansult Limited report stated:

• "using a conservative estimate of $100M (CAN) per km (based on the Alberta LRT tunnelling project cost), however, would yield a cost of at least $65M for a single tunnel, or $130M for a twin tunnel and potentially much higher. It is reasonable to expect the cost of construction for an urban at-grade truck bypass (including property acquisition costs) to be in the order of $10 – 15M per km. Therefore, the total cost of construction for a two tube truck bypass should be expected to cost at least $200M and, with reasonable contingencies factored in (together with the premium cost of such a short section of tunnel), could easily reach a cost of over $200M. If all three tunnels of the ultimate Schwartz-proposed tunnel were constructed, the cost of construction could easily exceed $300M. For the same $200 - $300M expenditure for constructing a potentially short-term 8 km truck bypass, a six-lane urban at-grade freeway of anywhere between 14 – 30 km (depending upon the details of the alignment) could be constructed in a location suitable for the long-term border crossing ultimately selected by the DRIC project."

Frankly, I thought DRTP would have stayed in the background a bit longer until everyone in town was demanding a tunnel, not just a few Talbot Road people. Then Mike Hurst could have come out as our saviour. Thank goodness Mike's sense of timing for issuing a press release is about as good as that of his US colleague. Remember Marge Byington's press relase and interview attacking Kwame days before he won the election!

Now everyone should know that behind the concept of tunnelling, is the risk of the building of DRTP! If that does not kill the idea of a tunnel, then nothing will.

The man who was front and center on the border fight as Chair of STOPDRTP was Councillor Dave Brister. He received more votes than any other Councillor when he ran for office because of his role. Wouldn't it be ironic if his macho "sue the government and tie up the border plan" outburst and support for a tunnel actually gave ENCOURAGEMENT to the building of DRTP right through his Ward. Isn't it ironic as well that he is now a "champion" of the Talbot Road residents!

I must admit that I am not sure yet what my position on a tunnel is and, if I thought it was a good idea, where it should be built. But it is not as easy a decision to make as one would think. As an example, in Saturday's Star, a gentleman wrote in the Letters to the Editor section

• "Picture a new border-crossing route that has the truck plaza out on the 401 and the entire route through the city as a direct underground tunnel to Detroit."

That seems to make good sense doesn't it? Staging area and tunnel, what could be more perfect! Let's look at that idyllic scene if one were a local international trucker and a business person.

Assuming that the trucker picked up a load downtown, then the trucker would have to go out to the truck plaza on Highway 401 (presumably to clear customs) and then travel in the "secured" tunnel to go over the bridge to the US. Let's say the distance between the border and the plaza is 10 miles. At a cost of $1.25 per mile, the trucker would pay out an extra $25 for that litle trip and charge that to the shipper or as much as the market allowed him to do so. (10 miles out and 10 miles back)

Of the 3+ million trucks that cross over the Bridge, about 1/3 are local international or say 1 million. Our idyllic solution has just cost the local truckers and the local economy a penalty of about $25 million that international trucks would not have to bear. Instead of the road system helping our economy as it was supposed to do, it hurts it!

And if that trucker had a load from the US to the downtown, he/she would still have to drive it seems to that Highway 401 plaza and then drive back into the downtown. This hardly makes much sense and provides little incentive to build a new plant here. Even if the routing I am setting out is incorrect, it could also mean that a million trucks a year are still not going to use a tunnel!

DRTP's actions can divide communities but now DRTP is targetting Mr. STOPDRTP to put pressure on him to support their effort or risk losing his Council seat:

• "The Detroit River Tunnel Partnership previously announced on April 7, 2005 that after listening to the community, it was prepared to work with governments to tunnel all or substantial parts of its rail corridor, including the south end from the 401 to EC Row."

While DRTP would tunnel everything (or rather while DRTP would let the Governments pay everything for tunnelling), DRTP at least wants those rich and loud-mouthed South Windsorites to know that they are not at risk since they can have a tunnel. If they do not get it and if DRTP is built, then it is Mr. STOPDRTP who is at fault so blame him! Otherwise, it is just the poor in Ward 2 who can have trucks in their backyards since they do not complain and if they do, who listens to them.

As Chair of STOPDRTP, Dave refused a park and green space in the south to say NO to DRTP North and South. Will he be that brave now and risk being defeated if he does not favour a tunnel in the whole DRTP corridor so that the South is still at risk?

In the end, what this all means is that we are so wrapped up in tunnelling that we are not looking at the big picture: the road system in Windsor. Eddie is again looking short-term (to his own re-election), as with the Schwartz Report, and is ignoring the long-term need of the region.

Our roads need improvement regardless whether we build a new crossing or not and regardless where it is located. Making tough decisions on roads is a lot harder than rallying for tunnels. But then again, weren't Mr. STOPDRTP and Eddie part of the billion dollar short-term dream crowd rallying for Schwartz, Schwartz, Schwartz! What else should we expect of them!

Blue Water Bridge's Worst Nightmare

I happened to see a copy of the 2004 annual report of the Blue Water Bridge. Here is the part that troubled me greatly and confirmed to me that there is more going on in this DRIC process than we know about.

• Competitive Risk
  
  …is the risk that changes and improvements made by our competitors…that might significantly affect travel volumes
  
  The main risks to the BWBA’s strong volume trends include:
  
  -Improved transportation access and additional capacity at the Ambassador bridge (either in bridge twinning or a separate span) to alleviate notable congestion at the busiest cross-border bridge crossing between Canada and the U.S.
  
  The probability of any of these risks materializing, let alone all of them simultaneously, are reasonably remote.

If this does not confirm exactly what I have been saying over the last few weeks then nothing will convince you otherwise.

The threat to Port Huron/Sarnia is a strong, working and smoothly flowing road system in Windsor and an enhanced Ambassador Bridge crossing. However, no fears that this will happen. It is "reasonably remote."

With all due respect to the Councils of Windsor and Detroit, we have a lot more to be talking about and to be worried about than letting Eddie become a border crossing operator. All we have to be worried about is our future and that does not even seem to be on the Agenda!

Why Is this BLOG So Negative?

I like meeting with readers of my BLOG. When people I do not know write to me, I quite often invite them out for a coffee to discuss what they have written.

I met an out of town reader the other day and he was quite complimentary about my musings, even if he and I disagreed on some very important matters. One word of advice that he offered to me was that I should try and be more "positive" in what I wrote.

To be honest, I knew he was right. I felt that the tone of this BLOG was becoming too negative in what I was saying about the Mayor and Council and vowed to myself to try and do better.

But seriously, dear reader, after reading the story about the proposed meeting between the Windsor Council and Detroit Council in the Star, can you really blame me for writing the way I do. Here is the story in case you have forgotten:

• Detroit asked to oppose bid
  Council will appeal Motor City to reject bridge plan to control U.S side of tunnel
  Dave Battagello, Windsor Star, Published: Friday, February 24, 2006
  
  Windsor city councillors will ask their Detroit counterparts Tuesday to oppose a bid by the Ambassador Bridge to take over operations of the U.S. side of the Windsor-Detroit tunnel.
  
  Detroit holds ownership and is leasing it to an Australian bank, but is weighing a $20-million US takeover offer from bridge owner Matty Moroun.
  
  Detroit council was poised to dismiss the offer, but that was before municipal elections took place in November. Of the city's nine councillors, four are newly elected, raising fears the bridge takeover bid may get new life.
  
  "Somebody made a deal, but then it was put to bed," said Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac. "Some say it's over; there are all kinds of theories. I think we have to talk about it."
  
  The two councils will meet at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce office Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
  
  "It's a good time to sit down and discuss the importance of the tunnel to the viability of our downtowns. There are also a huge number of Canadians coming through there every day -- nurses, doctors. It's pretty critical for them."
  
  Coun. Alan Halberstadt described the potential tunnel deal as the "No. 1 issue to discuss at the meeting.
  
  "I would hope to get a commitment out of them that this issue not be revisited," he said.
  
  It appears the city of Windsor -- which owns the Canadian side -- is also considering whether it will make its own offer to take control of the tunnel's U.S. side so the border crossing can remain under public ownership.
  
  "It's very important for the city that in order to prevent it falling in the hands of any individual we may have to step up to the plate," said Coun. Ron Jones.
  
  "I don't want it to fall into the bridge's hands or any one individual. It's time for public ownership."
  
  

Now I have advocated that the two Councils work together for a long time to deal with the border issue. It only makes sense that the elected local representatives play a big role in deciding where the new bridge will go rather than a bunch of bureaucrats. Our councils should know the most about the impact of a long-term solution on our region and should be able to negotiate between themselves a solution that minimizes the negative impact on the population on both sides of the river.

So I had high hopes that we were going to start getting somewhere. Then I read the story. Can you now honestly tell me that I can be positive about what our Council is doing. Let me explain:

1. Did you see one word in the story about a discussion about a long-term solution
2. I would have thought that creating a smooth flow of traffic was the main issue at both the Bridge and Tunnel (after all, we just had the Tunnel Plaza "public" information session fiasco a few days ago) but it is not. The "potential tunnel deal [is] the "No. 1 issue to discuss at the meeting."
3. Haven't they got the facts straight yet? There is no proposed "takeover" by the Bridge Co. They are NOT trying to be the owner
4. Don't our Councillors know yet that the Tunnel is publicly owned! The cities of Detroit and Windsor already own it!
5. There is an interesting conflict of interest issue here that Windsorites should be concerned about. This is no longer a "City" meeting but rather it has turned into a "Windsor Tunnel Commission" meeting with a few Councillor hangers-on to try and negotiate a deal to own/lease/operate the Tunnel with the City of Detroit.
6. I wonder if Windsor is now violating Detroit's purchasing rules by trying to do a deal in this manner.

I cannot believe the arrogance of our Mayor and Councillors. They were elected to run a city not to run a tunnel. Is it their job to make Eddie Francis a new border operator? If the purpose is for "the city of Windsor [to] make its own offer to take control of the tunnel's U.S. side " I would like to know where Council has been given the authority to do this!

Eddie tried to do accomplish this without directly telling the public with the infamous Agenda Item #5 and ran when 16 delegations opposed him.

If I were advising Council, I would suggest that they change the agenda quickly and deal with the important issues surrounding the border. The last thing that Windsor Council should do is discuss business issues with Detroit Council concerning the financial deal at the Tunnel. There may be a lot of red on the floor before the discussion is done. Red ink for Windsor taxpayers I mean!

I am sorry, now you may understand the reason why I cannot be positive. Can you blame me when you see amateurs trying to play entrepreneur with my tax dollars!

Brighton Beach East Parking Lot

Where was everybody at the Tunnel Plaza Information meeting? I attended at the Cleary at about 6 PM and stayed for about 2 hours, primarily because I was waiting to meet the Project Manager.

I saw the photo in the Star today about the session. One bureaucrat talking to another bureaucrat. Do you want to know why?

Perhaps there were about 10 or 15 people in total there during the period I was at the Cleary. We were outnumbered by people from the various Governments involved. I understood that an ad had been placed in the newspaper over a week ago to advertise about this session. However, I guess the City's letter writers were too tired after drafting all of those targetted letters for people on the DRIC corridor that they forgot to send out letters to people impacted by what was going to happen downtown. Or maybe because it was the City who seemed to be in the lead in this project and so wanted no one to attend. Who knows!

A few interesting things to me. Traffic was projected to grow by 50% from the present 6 million vehicles per year and that is one of the reasons we needed to spend the $30 million for an expanded plaza. For what it is worth, wasn't that the volume through the Tunnel back pre-September 11? Did they manage before with that volume?

I also noted that the Bridge Co's proposal for the Tunnel and how to handle traffic was not presented at all. I know it is not on the table, but do the EA rules require that all reasonable alternatives be examined? Wasn't that what the DRIC people told us? What happens if the Bridge Co. and Detroit re-negotiate their deal? Won't that impact tunnel traffic movements?

Mention was made that we had no control over what happened on the US side. It seemed to me though that the problem is booths and staffing just like at the Bridge. No matter what we did on our side, we could still have massive back-ups because traffic from Canada really only had a few booths to pass through. The obvious question was why not add a few booths and fully staff the booths on the US side similar to what happened at the bridge.

By golly, I remembered why this did not happen. Who was going to be the champion and do it the way the Bridge Co. did it at the bridge? The City of Detroit, the City of Windsor, DCTC? Who? This is a "public" crossing after all and being "public" is so much better than private isn't it? Well, perhaps not in this case.

The interesting question is whether there is room to expand on the US side anyway. They only have a 4.5 acre plaza and the cost to redevelop it is estimated at $US50-70 million.

Their time-table to ram this through is pretty aggressive too. A few months it seems. The less people know I guess, the less the complications for the Mayor and his ambition to own and operate and lease the Tunnel.

It seems to me that we are not building a Tunnel Plaza but just a huge parking lot to keep cars off of city streets. In other words, a Brighton Beach East parking lot for cars like the one proposed on the Horseshoe road. $30 million to pave a parking lot!

Where's the $300 Million Already

How would you like to go and meet an industry group that has been suffering with this economy and tell them that you have had a couple of hundred million dollars in your pocket over the last few years but because of your inability to complete a deal, they cannot have it. That was the task that Mayor Francis and his buddy, Gridlock Sam faced the other night in their presentation to the Heavy Construction Association of Windsor.

A friend of mine attended the session and sent me this summary.

• "Schwartz's presentation started when the Mayor arrived at close to 8:30pm. For many in the room who were not up on the subject, it was enlightening and a solution. For those of us who have been following this for some time, it was just another story that may or may not happen.
  
  It seemed to be a well-rehearsed presentation that they tagged teamed together on. Sam's presentation lasted about 25 to 30 minutes, followed by Sam and Eddie taking questions for about 30 minutes.
  
  Sam spent most of the night pumping up the contractors on how much work they would be getting through this plan and how they need to be creative and innovative in their methods of construction, mitigating traffic confusion and disruption during the construction period and how to be proactive in keeping the flow of international trucks flowing freely across the border until construction is completed. Sam told them that if they did all this in their bid packages it would help keep out the big construction conglomerates from coming here and taking their work.
  
  It was the perfect lead-in for Eddie to tell the contractors that the city has increased the capital works budget this year and will be for the next few years in order to get the "city needed" projects done now before all this infrastructure work comes to them. He told them he doesn't want them to be tied down with small city projects so that they miss out on all the big money projects.
  
  Sam was directly asked about the project being turned into a tunnel project instead of on grade. He said that he is aware of no tunnel cost analysis or construction difficulties and no construction cost of a tunnel has been estimated to date. He did say he was rather surprised that no has come forward with a cost projection for a tunnel project. Then he said he really didn't want to offer comment on alternatives suggested by members from the floor.
  
  Sam spent alot of time convincing everyone that the Bi-National Group's proposal won't work and showed them why. Eddie followed up with a 15 minute bashing of the Bi-National's presentation and how we must fight against it and if we don't press forward with the city's plan we would be doing a dis-service to the community we live and raise our families in.
  
  I did find it very interesting next when Sam went off on a tangent about how we should be very alarmed that the owners of the Ambassador Bridge will not release their maintenance records to the public. He said because they won't release these records we are vulnerable and we are being held hostage by the Bridge Corp. He went on to say that with his experience in New York he demanded and got to see records of many bridges to ensure public safety and we should be entitled to the same. He said he finds it odd that they won't release the records and because of that what are they hiding? He said if we don't get those records there is a real potential for a disaster in this community."
  
  Between Sam and Eddie they summarized that their proposal was the real solution to our international truck problem and that we all should be on board as partners in getting the job done and done by Windsor contractors.

Just a few comments:

1. I would not be too thrilled at the presentation if I were a contractor. What it says is that I won't be getting any major jobs for several more years. The carrot is there but in the interim, all I will be getting is some some small "city-needed" projects. [ I wonder if Eddie talked about "local prefernce" or rather "fair wages" to get these guys onside. Isn't that to come before Council soon?]
2. I wonder if any of the contractors were the ones who told Councillor Brister last Saturday to "stay strong" and litigate. He "said the city could be forced to sue the government and tie up the border plan in the courts if route concerns are not addressed." Lots of macho talk. I wonder why our lawyer/Mayor did not explain to Councillor Budget that contractors may not be too pleased not to have construction work while the lawyers earn their fees in court for years and years.
3. I wonder if the Feds and Province are paying for the funds if they will prefer contractors they know or local ones. Since "local perference" is not legal, our guys may not get any of the work or just sub-contract work.
4. If it is a tunnel project rather than a "road" project, do local contractors have this experience or will they have to act as a sub-trade only
5. I wish I knew how they explained away the DRIC plan based on what Council endorsed in secret.
6. I guess that Sam is trying to get the Bridge Co. to sue him. If that happens, he gets to see their "secret" records in the Discovery process. I guess he (or maybe our lawyer/Mayor) thinks he can sucker them. It is not a game I'd like to play with a company that is not afraid to litigate!
7. I happened to meet a Government person the other day and co-incidentally asked about the Bridge records. He said that they met all legal requirements in what they produced so I am not sure what the issue is.
8. I guess Eddie really does not want to work with the Bridge Co. if this was part of Sam's message. It must still grate Eddie that the Bridge Co. out-manoeuvered him so completely and ruined his grand ambition!

What bothers me the most about all of this is that we are back where we were three years ago. We have lost sight of what our objective is: a long-term solution to the border, not a road design competition between Schwartz and DRIC. We are reactive again, not pro-active. We have lost our seat at the table and are now a proponent not a decision-maker.

How could we fall so far so fast. From the Prime Minister, Premier and US Ambassador asking us what we want to Councillor Valentinis asking why no one listens to us! I wish someone would tell me how that happened.

I was thinking tonight--why couldn't Eddie have mobilized Windsorites back in mid-2004 when he knew the Senior Levels were going nowhere on this rather than in 2006.

Compare how Eddie and Council acted with that of the Downriver Michigan politicans. Compare their results with ours. What went so wrong for us?

Prime Directive, the Star's General Order #1,

Congratulations on your promotion to your new job! Jim Venney is the new Publisher of the Windsor Star.

I do not know this as a fact but I doubt that a mere finance director at the Star would have been privy to the world of the Star Editorial Board.

Can you picture the scene: he is surrounded by his new colleagues on the Editorial Board, the lights in the Board room are low, the curtains drawn, the secret chants are sung, he is taught the secret handshake, given the key to the Editorial Board's washroom and then is given the envelope with what every Star Publisher must know: "The Prime Directive forbids any effort to improve or change in any way the natural course of a primitive society."

What a huge responsibility to put on the shoulders of any person and according to the Star, it is "effective immediately." It is now up to Venney to ensure that the Prime Directive is carried out. I can imagine the pressure Jim is under so being a Star gazer I wanted to help him out.

The natural course in our Windsor primitive society is for Eddie Francis to remain Mayor for three more years. Let us take today's issue as an example to see how the Directive is being carried out:

Slain nurse's family to sue
Under this headline that will grab our attention, we learn more today "Meanwhile, Windsor police, who recently launched a criminal negligence investigation into the workplace killing, say they have hit a roadblock in obtaining information from the hospital. Insp. Greg Renaud said "certain people" at Hotel-Dieu have "decided not to answer those questions" police would like answered."

Just watch who will be shouldered with that "obstructionism" down the road.

Angry cabbies feel 'betrayed'
Now the Star did not report who voted for or against letting the cabbies speak at Council on Monday during their in camera session. If I know who did, then the Star knows too. It was a 5-4 vote by the way in favour no matter what it looked like in public.

When we get the report on the Licensing Commission we read: "Although commission member Coun. Ron Jones moved that the strikers be heard anyway, he was not supported by other commissioners including Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac.

CAW Local 444 president Ken Lewenza, who also attended on behalf of strikers, angrily accused Gignac of having "distaste" for workers in the city because she did not support Jones's motion to hear the delegation."

Wham, Slam, Bang.... workers of Windsor, you cannot vote for Jo-anne if she foolishly decided to run for Mayor since she is anti-worker and obviously pro-scab! And Joyce, we let you off the hook this time so keep being nice and be part of the team!

Hurst to run for 3rd term
No not THAT one! Just seeing if you are paying attention!

Streetscaping plans to give 'identity'
Well Gord identified it as one of Eddie's big actions for 2006 so we have to do a story on it. You know, Phase 1 just like planting a few trees on the approach to the city was "Phase 1" so Eddie could put a checkmark on his scorecard! That plus the Keg is the start of our downtown re-vitalization remember.

AND THEN THERE IS GORD
I like him. He's fun to read. I love his flipflopping too. He does it without shame where he would have crucified a politician if he/she did that!

I asked his Councillor buddy after Council on Tueday how it felt to have Gord change on him in less than 2 weeks from support for refurbishing the Barn to supporting a whole new arena. He said he had not talked to Gord yet!

Now it is the Sandwich "brownie" baker who feels Gord's wrath! Poor Mary Ann Cuderman. Here is how Gord praised her last summer in a Henderson column as "David versus Goliath was a congenial meeting of equals compared to the challenge Mary Ann Cuderman and a handful of allies face in tackling the immensely powerful Ambassador Bridge company...Hats off to Truck Watch for putting up a brave fight."

Today "Mary Ann Cuderman, a West Windsor activist, told me the city put on a deceitful dog and pony show... "They put the worst possible scenario out there to get people all excited," said Cuderman, Why don't they work with the DRIC instead of wasting our time and money on something that can't fly? I can see now why we don't get anything done in Windsor," she fumed. I admire her passion. But she's off the mark on this one."

[Note: Did you wonder why Councillors Postma and Jones were not mentioned although they support working with DRIC too and have been attacked in camera by their colleagues for doing so. Why not....Council is no longer dysfunctional after Eddie's genius of the group therapy with the Governor's hubby. We don't want the war starting again internally. Eddie needs to be shown as the leader!]

And those damned pesky environmentalists: "I'm all in favour of grasses, rare or otherwise. But sacrificing entire neighbourhoods on their behalf? There must be a better way."

And Sam Schwartz and Marko his assistant, nice job with Saturday. Next time do not screw it up for the Mayor. Do what you said and no mistakes! "it's now clear the Schwartz plan's one mistake was drawing a specific line through the grasslands. He said if they had produced a yellow fuzzy swath like the DRICP did, as many as 50 potential routes could have been considered."

Finally Jim....there is the ultimate. You have my email address if you want to know privately, but then again everyone at the Star knows what that is, even a bean counter!

So Jim, welcome to the new job. Glad to be able to demonstrate to you how it's all done!

An Open Letter To Each Windsor Councillor

Dear Councillor,

It's all up to you! As you and I both knew it would be in the end.

As Gord Henderson wrote: "[Francis] said it's [the building of an arena] become the community benchmark by which all other council actions are judged" and for YOU to be re-elected.

Didn't I predict recently that the arena would be the key election issue!

All of a sudden, according to Henderson, we have huge capital sums available which we seemingly did not have with Beztak and the Raceway deals that were being worked on. We did not have it a few weeks ago either after the Capital Budget meetings. Do we need a forensic audit to find out how money was not there before and then suddenly appears when it is needed for an election gimmick?

"A city debt that was projected to reach $274 million by the end of this year will instead come in around $160 million, freeing up huge sums for capital investments."

Wow, not just sums but HUGE sums, probably enough to cover any deficiency to build an arena.

I can count the votes for and against an arena as can you. Will it be 5-5 allowing Eddie to cast the tie-braking vote for an arena or 6-4 against?

You know I speak my mind and I will again. It is up to you to save the City. In the same way he would have done a Tunnel deal to own and operate it (and which would be bankrupted by what the Ambassador Bridge proposed with Kwame), he will cause financial hardship to taxpayers with the Arena deal.

We do not need to put in any additional capital funds into an arena that private enterprise will not touch. What we are being asked to swallow is to get Eddie re-elected since he has failed on everything. To get elected in the first place, he said he was the only one who could build an arena and unless he pays for it, his career is over! That is what this is all about.

The gratuitous attack on Bill Marra was shameful and uncalled for. For a guy who is supposedly invincible and unbeatable, Eddie's E-machine is running scared. The Henderson column ought to be encouraging Marra to announce he is running for mayor not make him hide.

It is not enough to refurbish the old Barn at a reasonable cost and to keep people downtown. It is not enough to make the changes proposed for Riverside arena. Nope we have to spend, spend, spend to build a monument for re-election.

You, Councillor, are the key and we both know it. It is up to you to save Windsor. Eddie on John Fairley's show and in Gord's column said there had to be a business case for the arena. Where is that business case without MORE City money that could be used for public works that would actually help people. As Gord said: the City "might have the means to move well beyond the $15 million already budgeted for a new arena, without increasing the load on city taxpayers."

I will remind you of what was said almost exactly 4 years ago to the day about the arena. Henderson's column is reprinted below. Is it any different today?

You and I both know why no "private" money is available for an arena. Just remember what Dave Batten said about submitting a proposal for an arena during the previous election campaign! Is it any different today?

I beg you to continue to act responsibly as I know you will! It is not up to you to save Eddie Francis' career but it is up to you to save taxpayers from his ambition.


Blindsided -- again;
Windsor Star 02-23-2002
By: Gord Henderson Star Columnist

Dave Cassivi has been the arena guy for most of his 21 years on city council. Through thick and thin he's kept alive the belief that Windsor needs a new downtown ice palace and entertainment centre.

And yet when immense heat was placed on him this week to bail out the Windsor Spitfires with what amounts to $400,000 in taxpayer money or see the team leave and possibly the $41-million arena dream snuffed out, Cassivi dug in his heels and said no damn way.

Five councillors, Fulvio Valentinis, Eddie Francis, Joyce Zuk, Al Halberstadt and Cassivi, had the gumption to stand firm against the kind of bulldozer pressure tactics and deadline fear-mongering from our civic "leadership" that have helped bring debt-ridden and grossly mismanaged Windsor to its current state.

The Spitfire subsidy went through anyway, thanks to Mayor Mike Hurst's tie-breaking vote and those of his five council lackeys. But it took bigtime intestinal fortitude on Cassivi's part to place his principles and his duty to taxpayers ahead of his burning desire to see the arena, the holy grail of his political career, become a near-term reality.

What made him do it? How could Mr. Arena, a guy who has spent thousands of hours pursuing a new home for the Spitfires, choose not to bail out the Junior A franchise to keep it from skating off to that hotbed of hockey interest (more like a Junior A graveyard if you recall the late and much lamented Flyers and Thunder) that is Niagara Falls?

There were a number of reasons. Not least among them were memories of countless kitchen-table meetings with distraught residents of flood-prone Ward 4.

Again and again Cassivi has been called out after rainstorms to view the turds floating in sewage-filled basements. Again and again he's heard heartfelt pleas from taxpayers to end the misery and make this a city where people don't have to dread a heavy rainfall.

'Feeling helpless'

"It's not a pretty picture. People are out there feeling helpless and hopeless. People are cancelling vacations because they fear that while they're away their belongings will be destroyed," said Cassivi.

When they beg for help, for the kind of services any civilized community should be able to take for granted, Cassivi has always assured them the problem will be dealt with as soon as money is available. But he always cautioned that money is tight. Too many pressing demands. Not enough cash.

And what does he tell them now? Sure. We would like to keep your rec room from being ankle-deep in sewage. But you have to understand. Your needs come a distant second to helping a private sector firm, the local Junior A franchise, that says it's ankle-deep in red ink.

Cassivi is an arena crusader. But he's also a firm believer that Windsor needs to sort its priorities into two categories: needs and wants. The needs, like effective sewer systems, must come first. The wants, like bailing out a hockey club and building a spiffy new arena, come later. Perhaps much later.

"Circumstances have significantly changed in the last little while and we have to pause and evaluate. We have to take a serious, dispassionate and composed look at where we are. I'm for an arena. But not at any cost."

Cassivi is acutely aware of many businesses whose frazzled owners are hanging on by their fingertips during this economic slide. People who poured their hearts and souls into fulfilling a life ambition are now cashing in RRSPs to stave off the bailiff.

These folks and there are hundreds of them who go bankrupt in the Windsor area annually, don't enjoy the luxury of meeting behind closed doors with city councillors and emerging with a bailout. "All they can do is plead with us to hold down the expenditures," said Cassivi. "They're struggling very hard and taxes are a significant part of that struggle."

But instead of tax relief, they see a city staggering under the weight of the MFP and Canderel debacles and still unable or unwilling to turn off the tap. To add insult to injury, said Cassivi, council voted to prop up the Spitfires without having all the relevant financial information.

At least they're consistent. It seems only natural that a city which was blindsided on MFP and totally in the dark about the Canderel cost over-runs should take another leap of faith with our money. No worries, mate. There's plenty more where that came from.

Needed: One more councillor with a fiscal backbone and some respect for the taxpayers. And five fewer limp noodles. '

Eddie Francis Square

Have you ever been to Toronto and visited Nathan Phillips Square? It is a magnificent area with a City Hall building that is Toronto's signature to the world. The Square was named after Nathan Phillips, who was the Mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962. He was Toronto's "Mayor of All The People" and a truly beloved man whose sole job was to sell Toronto to itself and to the world!

I thought about that Square when I read the story in the Star that "The City of Windsor will spend about $200,000 to hire a private firm to study what renovations and upgrades are needed at 350 City Hall Square West and at a west side fire station....We have an aging building portfolio," said Sergio Grando, the city's executive director of hospitality and corporate facility planning"

It really is like playing a chess game when you deal with a matter at City Hall these days. A move today could have an impact tomorrow. Just like the signing of the Phase 1 agreement on the border with the Governments of Canada and Ontario which had nothing to do with the truck issue on the border but resulted in $30 million being set aside to upgrade the Tunnel Plaza.

It seemed absurd at the time. Now we know the real reason for that deal. About eighteen months later we learned that Eddie's Plan was to have the Senior Levels pay for upgrading the Tunnel Plaza so he could own/operate/lease out the new and improved Detroit/Windsor Tunnel with or without the City of Detroit! He would be a big-time Border Operator if that happened, not just a passive Chair of the Windsor Tunnel Commission. And then think of the great financial deals he could swing with that asset at his fingertips. (Fortunately for us, the Bridge Co. was a few steps ahead of him or Eddie might have added a huge debt load to the City when the Tunnel got into financial difficulties)

You may remember what I said about the $15,000 spent on the Report on the Income and Security Building. I was shocked when it was first announced. I could not believe that the City was auditing itself. If you recall my conclusion:

• "In thinking about it, it is geared towards what should be done if we are going to do another project like this again. Oh my goodness, does this mean that the City is in the land development business now too? Land development, running a border operation, setting up a CFL franchise with a new stadium--everything except running a city. Can you blame the Mayor and Council though...it is such dull work. It is much more fun being an entrepreneur with taxpayer money."

I think Councillor Halberstadt may be right. Spending $200,000 to do an investigation into a $4.2M repair job seems excessive. I wonder if the Report will come back saying that City Hall cannot be saved, that there is no point pouring all of that money into a building that should be re-built. A perfect example is yesterday's Heritage Day-award winning Tunnel Ventilation building. Isn't it an old building that shot up in cost during renovations because of unknown building deficiencies. It's a good precedent isn't it?

So here is how it will work:

• the study will be undertaken
• the report will be finished in early summer but not released by Administration at that time because they have to spend the time studying it so that they can give a thorough report to Council
• it will be released when Eddie wants it released
• the study will come back and be very negative about the building and suggest that the renovation costs will be substantially more than the $4.2 million
• it will also tell us how to move Departments around for better use of space to save outside leasing costs
• Eddie Francis will have another interview with Gord Henderson talking about the need for a new City Hall a few days before the Report is introduced at Council
• Gord Henderson will demand that, with the great financial situation that the City is now in after the Mayor's hard work on the Budget, we build a new "signature" City Hall for Windsor to make us the envy of the world
• Gord will remember that we spent $15,000 to develop a system for handling big projects internally and that this should be a City run project
• Gord will demand that we follow the example of Toronto and have an international competition to design this building that will build on our Super Bowl success.
• Gord will tell us to "Think Big" and get over Windsor's all-pervasive "inferiority complex," especially since we had just killed Eddie's new arena deal at Tecumseh and Lauzon and we have $15 million (or more) set aside anyway
• A Council resolution will be introduced and passed in early fall getting this whole process "in motion."
• No one will listen to the cries that this is another "Canderel."
• The Star will run a series of articles just before the election about the history of Nathan Phillips Square and how it made Toronto an international city
• A letter writing campaign just before the election will demand that the new City Hall Square be named after the Mayor that started all of this, "Eddie Francis Square!"
• The new Mayor, Bill Marra, will say that a few cans of paint are all that is needed to 'fix up" the building and will get down to the real work of rebuilding Windsor

That's how chess is played at City Hall.

Checkmate!

Impossible: Agreeing With A Star Editorial

Let us agree with the Star Editorial today: "Border security: Start at the perimeter"

The gist of that Editorial is

• "Instead of looking inward and expending energy and precious resources policing a North American border separating allies, they must begin looking outward toward a continental security perimeter...
  
  A North American security perimeter would encourage freeflowing trade and passage between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico."
  
  

If one draws the Editorial to its logical conclusion, it is advocating for a European-type Common Market where border controls within the perimeter are virtually non-existent.

With the introduction of border cards or whatever will be created for individuals, with all of the pre-clearance techniques for commercial cargo ie all of the initials like FAST , NEXUS etc, the border is becoming virtually free-flowing in practice if not officially.

What does this mean for Windsor and the border? It seems to me that our border crossings, both the Tunnel and Bridge, are becoming mere roads rather than customs clearance locations. As time passes on, fewer and fewer vehicles will be stopped. There will be no backups since there will be no checking by Customs on both sides of the border.

Again, "traffic numbers" will be irrelevant. Who cares how many vehicles are moving back and forth if the road network can handle the volume. But for the Customs, when have you ever seen a car and truck back-up on Highway 401 coming into Windsor?

It will be just like the countries in Europe or when one leaves or enters a Province or State or even when one enters or leaves a City limit: a nice sign on the highway saying "Welcome" or "Come Back Soon."

Who needs to spend billions on a new border crossing in Windsor. We just need to fix up Windsor's roads with the $300 million BIF funds! And do it now!

A Waste Of Three Years

I wrote last week in this Blog that there was "some really good stuff that I uncovered that should make some bureaucrats run for the hills if my preliminary reading is correct!" Well not only should the MDOT staffers run, but they better hide as well.

I and my former colleagues on STOPDRTP, my friends with OJIBWAY NOW! and thousands of Windsorites have wasted three years of our lives and seen millions of taxpayer dollars wasted on our fight against DRTP.

Remember my Blog on October 19 "Predicting the Future" about the 1971 article about a second tunnel joining Detroit and Windsor perhaps being needed within 10 years to handle an anticipated increase in traffic between the two cities. I found another one, this time a 300 + page Report.

A Report on the "Michigan-Ontario Railroad Border Crossing Infrastructure" was completed in December 1991. Unless this Report was mentioned somewhere in the tons of Bi-national Reports papers (and if it was, then so much the worse) I am shocked that MDOT has been sitting on a document that effectively killed a DRTP-type project in 1991! If this kind of a project made no sense, then why was this not brought forward right away. Why did DRTP have to be examined and only now eliminated? Is this all part of the stall so that the border will never get fixed and Sarnia/Port Huron becomes the crossing of choice to our region's detriment?

Frankly, if I were the Mayor and Council of Detroit, I would demand to see a copy of it and then go and visit the Governor and State Legislators in Lansing. I would want the answer from MDOT why my City was being discriminated against!

The Canadian Governments should be outraged that MDOT did not give them this Report or did they have it also hidden away somewhere?

The Governor and Prime Minister need to reconsider immediately the value of DRIC while the Michigan legislators need to start their hearings immediately and ask what else is there that has not been revealed.

On top of all of that, the border crossing traffic projections in the Report are of considerable interest. Actual facts prove that they are absolutely wrong!

How then can one justify spending several billion dollars on each side of the river for a new crossing based on traffic projections by the Bi-National engineers that have already once been revised downward. How much confidence should we have in their estimates. If their numbers are wrong, as I have said, the new bridge goes broke and takes the other crossings down with it!

Some background: Back in the mid-1980's Beztac (yup the arena Beztak) in partnership with the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority and the Windsor Harbour Commission and then separately MDOT a few years later proposed to construct a new double stack tunnel for trains and convert the existing twin tube railroad tunnel to truck use.

A Report was prepared examining this and other projects. Here are their conclusions about the Tunnel project:

• conversion would be very expensive for the value received
• Ambassador Bridge truck roadbed capacity will be adequate until 2005 at the very least (more on 2005 later)
• "no benefit" is assumed for a conversion or rather minimal benefits obtained for truck conversion expenditure
• conversion is predicated on drawing truck traffic away from the Ambassador Bridge
• Beztak assumed capturing 50% of the existing Bridge and Tunnel traffic for its financials
• it could be a premature expenditure of funds on a project that would provide marginal truck only capacity at best
• relatively long payback
• most important problem is the issue of access roads
• it is unlikely that US Customs would provide separate staffing at a facility so close to the Ambassador Bridge Plaza
• truck traffic would encounter significant neighbourhood resistance in Detroit
• because of the width of the rail tunnels, an American Association of Highway and Transportation officials waiver would be required
• single one-way lane would not provide much margin for errors by drivers
• removal of burning or incapacitated vehicles could pose serious difficulties
• the financial analysis of the Beztak deal asked how realistic it would be to assume that 50 % of the business could be captured and said it was "highly unlikely" given the Bridge's competitive response
• inadequate staffing of inspection booths caused the great majority of recorded delays
• the converted tunnel would provide a poor level of service given the single narrow lane and would require very careful driving
• to recover the full cost of the conversion a toll of $20.60 per truck would be required compared with current competitive average truck toll of $13.60
• it is not possible to estimate any actual benefits of the project
• it is likely that truckers would prefer to use other crossings
• costs of the conversion are excessive when compared to what the money would buy in alternative projects
• the cost buys a truck only, extremely restricted century old facility and would be a signiifcant part of the price of totally new bridge
• roadbed capacity provided is substandard and will not accommodate automobiles
• based on tunnel construction and access costs, and on the narrow single lane, the project is not thought to offer a good value
• it would not allow for auto use and the money might be better spent on a new bridge
• for the truck conversion project, the conclusion is that the benefits would be zero
• it is not recommended that the tunnel conversion be considered at this time

Here are their comments on traffic projections:

• Ambassador Bridge system could reach capacity in some of its elements such as inspection booth numbers by 1996
• Detroit-Windsor Tunnel will reach capacity by 1994 and there will be a need for additional capacity by 2000.
• Ambassador Bridge's roadbed capacity will be adequate until 2005

The whole episode troubles me. I cannot figure on what is going on other than an effort to move traffic away from this region. If the traffic numbers can be that wrong based on real facts, , then we need to stop and rethink the undelying assumptions of DRIC. Rather than being plugged up, the Bridge is operating at around 50% + capacity. With those numbers, who needs a new crossing?

Politics Windsor-style

When I was with STOPDRTP, I was pretty good at predicting what would happen on the border file. When my predictions kept coming true, colleagues on the executive would keep asking me "Who are you?" and "Where did you come from?" All I could do was smile since I had no intention of giving up my secrets.

Politics is a tough game, in Windsor and everywhere. I used to be involved deeply in it when I was younger... I stuffed envelopes, pounded in lawn signs and knocked on doors. I was a canvasser, scrutineer and poli-marketer. I became President of this group, executive member of that one, helped get Presidents of national and local associations elected. Over the years, I was an aide to an MPP, rubbed shoulders with the Premier, and premiers and PMs to be, cabinet ministers, back-room boys, bag men, strategists, ad men and party apparatchik. I attended sessions with some of Canada's most powerful bureaucrats in Ottawa and was awed by the power and scope of their thinking. I "lobbied" across Canada. I even helped set up and was one of the initial shareholders of one of Canada's largest political polling companies. I saw it all, played it all and then left it all. Until STOPDRTP brought me back into it.

Windsor is no different than any other place, big or small. Politics brings out a certain kind of person as does any profession. You get good ones, bad ones but most are in between. Politicians work hard, have some fame and must stay up some nights wondering why they wanted to do the job in the first place when they are forced to listen to abuse or take the criticism that people like I give them! And then every few years they have to humble themselves to keep on with their job, knowing they could lose to some flash-in-the-pan.

I am not going to make this a political science dissertation about politics. I just wanted to give you some background so you'll understand why I take the views I do.

So let's use the arena as our case study to demonstrate how our Mayor operates politically. My guess is that Eddie may have a strategist that he talks to about local politics. "May" is the key word since he may not either given his nature. If he does, there would be three people that I can think of, all very experienced, all Liberals whom he could use. Of course, being so "experienced," they are all predictable. One of the joys of STOPDRTP is that we were successful because we were totally unpredictable. We were steps ahead of everyone all the time.

Eddie has figured out that the arena is fundamental to his re-election. It's not that he really wants one but he said that he could get us one in order to be elected in the first place. It's an easy issue for a voter to decide upon unlike the border which is so complicated. Either the arena is built or it is not. He chased Beztak out of town, used the Raceway and Jebb groups to buy time and now has to do something or at least appear to do so.

So what does he do? He and his strategist must have a roadmap for the last year of his term. Like all good politicians, the goodies come out before the election. How is the key to success. Clearly, the expected success of the Super Bowl was the beginning of the Eddie push. The Star, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it is the greatest source of information in the city, is vital and is to play an important part.

Eddie grants his first re-election interview with Gord Henderson before the budget meeting. Gord can give out the good word on the Saturday before Monday's session about money, money that can be found to build an arena.

Frankly, if this were Queen's Park or Ottawa, Eddie would have to resign for giving out budget information in advance! I would be mad if I were a Councillor since the Mayor has effectively said what we must do with this "found" money without my permission! (Halberstadt should be furious since his buddy Gord flipflopped on refurbishing the Barn within 2 weeks after he first approved it in print) But who on Council dares challenge Eddie on that? Instead, a Councillor calls up colleagues and berates them for supposedly giving the Blogmeister information! Quite a double standard. I guess the other media-types in town know their role is to sit on the side-lines and merely accept crumbs.

On the same Saturday, there is a "fear-mongering" border session to get hundreds of people out so that the Mayor and Councillors are seen as their champions rather than as a group that has failed to get the long-term solution they promised us.

Monday was the charade love-in after the huge budget success (except Councillor Lewenza forgot and told us previously that we would pay big time NEXT year after the election). It was the intense budget deliberations that caused the temporary insanity, all is good now. They are thinking straight and are not certifiable or dysfunctional any more after the Governor's hubby was paid $3,000 to help them out

Now that we have all of this money, Gord can do another column on Tuesday setting out all of the wonderful dreams that will come true (Just like what Schwartz was supposed to do for us when we "Think Big" or what the arena was to be at the Raceway too if you remember). Eddie goes on the radio for his Tuesday "lobs" session so he can tell us of all of the plans "in motion."

Who knows what else will happen in Henderson's column before the culmination of all of this effort: Next Saturday's strategic session where Eddie makes the Councillors do what he wants, or else!

On Saturday, there will be discussion on each of the 5 points that Henderson discussed on Tuesday because most are done deals already. That means no surprises:
-Downtown Campus: the College will probably take over the Cleary but wants another building (I bet it is the armouries after the remark that Eddie made after the top secret NFL Canada party)
-Urban village: it will be "in motion" so Marra cannot take credit for HIS idea
-Bus terminal: if it is the deal I heard about, the deal was rejected by Transit Windsor until Eddie threatened to kill the bus terminal on a 5-5 Council vote (it is a "steal" for Greyhound so we will never see the contract!)
-Dieppe Eyesore: almost as important as the Keg I guess (yawn)
-Ouellette Streetscaping: just like the "first phase" of trees on Dougall and our new South Windsor art gallery.

With all of that momentum building how can a Councillor resist on the arena? And if they try, there is arm-twisting. I was going to tell you how each one would be pressured but in the end, I have chosen not to do a "tell all." It is too personal and would not be right. But there are buttons to be pushed and the Mayor and his friends who support him know how to do so and what they are . It's no differnt though in other part so life either so let's not be too holier than thou either. It's what you do to win isn't it? And Eddie is desperate to win.

One need not be completely brutal as a mayor unless one has to be. The game is a more subtle one too. Councillors are generally reliant on the mayor for re-election. If he does well so do they. He is full-time; they are part-time. They need him more than he needs them. And how would you feel today with a do-nothing mayor if you were a Councillor. You need Eddie and his Plans to succeed.

So that is politics Windsor side. Eddie can play this game as long as there is no obvious challenger on Council and as long as the E-machine chases potential opponents away.

It's fun to watch as an observer and as a former player. Who knows, perhaps I just might take out the old skates and pads one day soon and see what it feels like again. Perhaps an old Pro can show the amateurs how to play the game too.

Thinking Outside The Penalty Box

Do I have to do all of the thinking for City Hall? Isn't it enough that I pay my property taxes? I solved the border issue for the Mayor and Council if they would only listen, suggested an economic development strategy and now I have to solve the arena issue for them.

I'll explain in another BLOG how the Councillors are being pressured to support Eddie's new re-election hope so you will learn how City politics are played in Windsor. For this Blog, I'll show you what creative thinking can do.

Supposedly, we need a big time arena for Windsor. As Gord says today, we need it for "Windsor's self-esteem," so we can be a "self-assured Windsor," and to get rid of "Windsor's inferiority complex" which is so pervasive. Frankly, I thought we needed an arena so we can watch the games in more comfort but what do I know. This "group therapy" babble by the Governor's hubby is everywhere!

But I digress. Why, we are known world wide for our Cuban cigars, lapdancers, booze and now our dysfunctional Council. We have to keep the momentum going. We need a billion dollar solution for a City with a billion dollar Casino that makes us a billion dollar destination with a billion dollar short-term dream for a border crossing but we must not build up a billion dollar debt.

Part of what I am going to suggest will help us with our desire for regional co-operation with our neighbour across the river. We need to capitalize on our relationship with Kwame....Oh OK, we have to grovel and beg his forgiveness for Eddie almost costing him the election. We know Kwame is going to do the deal about the Tunnel and that we cannot stop him so we have to figure out a way to capitalize on it and yet make him a hero!

I have it on good authority that:

• "Talk is beginning to surface for a new arena for the Red Wings. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick would like to expand Cobo Hall, Detroit's Convention Center, to continue to attract more and bigger conventions. One of the options for the expansion is to tear down neighboring Joe Louis Arena and build a new arena elsewhere when the Red Wings' lease expires in 2008."
  

Ahhhhh I bet you now see where I am going with this. I am going to solve every problem that Windsor has in one fell swoop. Now we need to work with Ilitch too, especially the new owners of the Spits have to do so, to learn how to make the Spits profitable. "Ilitch took the Red Wings team which was having trouble getting the fans into the arena and turned it completely around by doing what it took to do so."

Now I am doing some non-linear thinking here so I may not have it all down pat yet but here goes.

Windsor needs to become a partner with Detroit and make Joe Louis Arena the new Windsor arena! It needs to be renamed as the Joe Louis Detroit/Windsor International Center/Centre (DWICC). If Joe Louis were alive I bet he would agree. This is the absolute truth too. I ran this idea past a fellow who co-incidentally used to caddy for Joe when he golfed in Windsor many years ago. He said that Joe would have loved the concept!

Preposterous you say. Absurd you say. He has been following the border issue too long you say. Nothing can be further from the truth. Let me explain.

COSTS AND REVENUES

I am sure that Ilitch and Kwame would be thrilled if we took part of DWICC off their hands and shared it with them. We could probably buy an interest in DWICC for some nominal amount, say $2, since it has no value anyway other than the cost to tear it down. Then they could go off and build a new arena elsewhere (and WHERE is another part of my plan!) We just saved $15 million or more in construction costs that we can use in an ingenius manner. (and HOW is another part of my plan!)

We could help fill it up with Spits games, university tournaments, kids hockey, CFL arena football, concerts, meetings, etc etc. It can serve thousands of seat holders or as few as we want. It has suites for the movers and shakers to entertain. It is relatively new and probably in good shape. It could be ready in the fall for the new owners of the Spits.

And as the Mayor said, we would have 6 million people to draw upon who would not necessarily have to cross the border. If the arena made money, look at all of the profits we would get! Imagine the junior players who would want to come here to play. Wouldn't you want to be a Spits player playing in a sold-out DWICC! What a thrill that would be. Or maybe an AHL franchise could be in our future.

REGIONAL CO-OPERATION

What better way to show our appreciation of our neighbour and to recognize that they would be the Senior partner in a partnership of equals but to co-own and operate DWICC. Kwame would be happy and might forgive us and forget that the only value we now have to him is as a snow cleaner. It would be a great way for Eddie to apologize for his gaff without actually apologizing so both leaders save face.

And then just imagine....The next international event that both cities can go after: the Winter Olympics. I can just picture Eddie running over the Ambassador Bridge and handing off the Olympic torch to Kwame at the Canada/US border point on the bridge. If that does not bring a tear to your eye and a lump in your throat, then nothing will!

We can build on the successes of all of the sports events we have had in the region. If the Super Bowl was to bring in millions to the region, the Olympics will bring in billions or at least we can say it will since who would know the difference anyway.

And since this area would be so exciting and popular, guess where new investments will go...not to the sunny south where land is cheap and labour is non-union but right to the rust belt, to the most dynamic area in North America, Windsor/Detroit.

And before you think that is silly, we ARE the main transportation hub on the continent and new economic development does not have to be all high tech. We can build a huge warehousing/distribution/intermodal network throughout the region as is being done in New Jersey, one of the fastest growing areas in the USA, to give us jobs, new housing and increased wealth

WHERE WOULD THE NEW ARENA GO

We have to help out Ilitch and Kwame and here is the genius of my idea as you shall see. The new arena and Cobo Hall would be built in South West Detroit, the fastest growing area of Detroit, to help re-vitalize that area. Just like the new Stadiums did in the downtown as we saw during Super Bowl. The Governor would want to be involved because of its importance to Michigan. She and Kwame can now work together and bury any differences so she can be re-elected.

THE BORDER

Now that we helped out the Americans, they owe us and can help us out. They can use their influence with our Governments (since we snubbed the Senior Levels) to get us a road to the bridge that will cause minimum impact on Windsorites. Kwame would ensure mutual co-operation between the Bridge Co. and the City-owned Tunnel to increase revenues at the Tunnel.

As Eddie has said when he talked about the 25,000 seat stadium, the border is not a problem for us so that cannot be an excuse to pooh-pooh this idea

How will they do that you wonder....The final piece.

WINDSOR'S DOWNTOWN

Now comes the cold water on the concept. It may kill our downtown. WRONG. It enhances it.

If you have ever been to a Leafs game in Toronto, as an example, you know that the restaurants are packed around the arena before the game for dinner and after for coffee and dessert, drinks or a night out. During the game, it's all dead. The arena could be in Timbuktu as far as the fan is concerned during the game. That is exactly what I want here.

Anyone who wanted to go to DWICC would come downtown and park (That fills up the 2 bankrupt garages downtown) and would then be transported over by Transit Windsor buses and transported back. Of course, we would have deals with local establishments for reduced bus fees for their patrons so that people would use our local spots to dine before the game and to have fun afterwards, just like in Toronto.

With all of this new excitement downtown, our Detroit friends would come over in increased numbers too to make our downtown very lively.

The Bridge Co. would work with the Tunnel and the deal would be that the Tunnel would be the exclusive crossing for the buses. With 200 booths and a huge bus parking area in the Ambassador Gateway plaza, there would never be a back-up for buses. Look at the increased revenues for Transit Windsor, the Tunnel and the Duty Free shop which all translates into revenues for the City!

Is this workable---we used 3-1-1 for the Super bowl buses didn't we so we have a reservation system already in place to ease Customs clearance. And remember the Mayor wanted to subsidize a NEXUS card system. Now we have a real reason for doing so.

How do we pay for all of this....so easy. We invest the $15 million set aside for the new arena and the returns pay for it and any excess is used to pay for roads and sewers!

I admit the concept seems "off-the-wall" at first but you can see it gives us everything we want and more without costing us much.

Now if you will excuse me, I am off to settle the weeks old taxi strike!

Woodstock At Council

Clearly there was a "Love-In" at Council last night.

No it is not that they hate so and so's guts because of the attitude expressed by that person or the class warfare or the put-downs in camera, no it was all due to the tensions caused by the budget deliberations that this Council temporarily lost their sanity and became dysfunctional.

Now that the savers vs. spenders fight is all over we can get back to normalcy.

Those of us who know what Council is like and the real, personal animosities amongst members had our stomachs turned as we listened to what was said in the Budget wrap-up speches. I am sure that the Administrators who have sent out their resumes already looking for another job must have had difficulty in holding back the laughter.

However, I am not going to make some cynical remark. Let's see how long peace and harmony last.

Hands Across The River

I just could not resist combining the article from Crains Detroit that came out today about the Governor's hubby and his job in Windsor and today's Windsor Star editorial cartoon.

What went on during the session was fascinating. I'd tell you what it was but I cannot. I have to respect the confidentiality between patient and counsellor in a "group therapy" session.

Mulhern must be a true miracle worker. Gord told us on Saturday that Eddie and Council "agreed to try to patch over its differences."

Just in passing, I thought the issue was between the savers and spenders not Eddie and Council..but since Mulhern deals with "leadership" I guess that is what is really lacking in Windsor.

Beware The Ides Of February

You, dear readers, and I make up the most powerful and potent political force in the City of Windsor since the days of STOPDRTP "controlling" City Council.

We are so dangerous because we are prepared to write about and read about alternatives respecting some of the serious issues impacting our City. We are prepared to question and do not accept unhesitatingly the orthodoxy being spread about how wonderful things are in Windsor and who is our salvation. We are prepared to use our brains. Let me explain exactly what I mean.

I know the "Ides" is the 13th of February, so please do not scold me for the headline. I also know Saturday was not the 22nd of February. However, Saturday was almost 3 years to the day of the Saturday Special Strategy session of Windsor Council under Mike Hurst when supposedly, the majority of Council reversed themselves and advocated the building of DRTP North. That session shocked the City. That day's meeting resulted in the transformation of Windsor and lead to the end of the political career of Hurst. It also helped cause certain Councillors and the Mayor to be elected.

Isn't it ironic considering the day! In a bizarre twist of Fate, Saturday's Gord Henderson column and Eddie's "public" border meeting will mark the beginning of the end of the one-hit wonder term of Mayor Francis. It will also be the end of the careers of several Councillors. Someone should insert in the City's Procedural By-law that the Mayor must hide in bed under his covers on this Saturday every February. It is too dangerous otherwise.

Let me dismiss Saturday's border meeting quickly. I did not see the "Big City" Mayor so I assume that he did not get his 11 PM flight out of Ottawa. He was lucky!

I talked to a number of people there as did others I asked to help me "work" the room. General reaction---When people found out that this was Eddie's guess as to what DRIC wanted to do rather than what DRIC actually proposed, they were furious. It seems A-Channel's viewership is a lot larger than I thought since people talked to me about "scare-mongering."

If I hear an obviously phony number about attendance, I just may file a Municipal Freedom of Information Act application to get the list of attendees and shall count them, one by one, and might even call up a few at random to confirm that they really were there. You noticed that the Mayor has not talked about border traffic and bus numbers for Super Bowl since they are so bad notwithstanding what he said to expect before the big game. He knows if someone dares to give out incorrect information, I can call their bluff!

There was vast confusion at the session and about what it was all about. People wanted answers to questions, not boards and maps. People were angry at misinformation being spread. Councillor Budget was said to be out of character in suggesting money be spent on legal fees to fight DRIC. He has been virtually silent on the border for over two years even though he was elected as MR. STOPDRTP. The Ward 2 Councillors were very upset at what was taking place and the DRIC people I talked to thought Eddie was now in serious trouble with their political bosses!

Oh and Al Teshuba must be running for something municipally after failing to win federally for the Conservatives since he was holding forth too. I thought initially he was part of Schwartz's staff! Al's website discussion on the border was certainly underwhelming.

Snubbing results in Windsor only getting $100K out of $10M in amounts for St. Clair College and a certain Councillor asking why no one listens to Windsor but they do to LaSalle! What else will Windsor not get by annoying the people with power, money and control over our destiny?

BUT the big news with people was the Henderson column. No one understood why he attacked Bill "nice guy" Marra (the common view was that Eddie is afraid of him and that Bill would beat him easily if he ran) and the thought of spending MORE money on an arena would mean the end of whichever Councillor or Mayor supported it. If Eddie had not made the 25,000 seat stadium remark, it might not have bothered people as much.

The word of the day for Eddie "desperation!"

Let me deal with Gord's column now. I am not sure how to do it. Remember though Gord's column, "Reality check" when he wrote:

• "He's your boy. That's why you won't lay a hand on him," sneered one of a handful of blog and bacon peddlers who insist Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis has been a disaster in his rookie term and will be easy pickings in the 2006 election."

Can you believe the vicious attack on Bill Marra. I am pretty sure I know the person that Gord talked to, "one of his closest supporters." How his identity became known to me is a real fluke that I will not bore you with! However, I was assured that he was hardly an "insider" as suggested; an acquaintance absolutely and for a long time, but not much more. And just so no one thinks I am bluffing, spies tell me his/her name begins with "J." Only Gord can confirm if I am right or not.

Did anyone hear Bill announce that he was running for Mayor to provoke such an attack? What did the first part of the column have to do with anything that the rest of the column discussed? The attack just came out of the blue.

You know why it was done don't you? It was really written to answer the Blog I wrote the other day about "DesRosiers for Mayor." Remember what I said there: "that one of the tactics of the E-machine (Eddie's electoral juggernaut) is to "scare away opponents in advance." Does anyone want a better example of this?

Remember what I said in the conclusion:

• "Wait a minute. I just figured something out. The E-machine knows that Dennis is not going to run. Why does he need the heartache? He has a successful business. Why does he need a reduction in income?
  
  Nope, this is directed at those who might dare challenge the Mayor. It is telling them what they are up against. It is telling Bill Marra NOT to run!"

Does anyone want a better example of this?

And to further diminish the credibility of Marra, Gord says he won't even run in his old Ward, Ward 4 (the local joke in that Ward is that residents know now that they are voting for Junior not the senior Lewenza this time around so there is no confusion), but has to run as a "carpet-bagger" in Ward 5!

As an aside, there was the $1000 amount that I keep mentioning too ie the cost of Tylenol pills for seniors at Huron Lodge that the Budgeteers cut!

But then there was the real meat, the arena. I wrote to a Councillor this morning asking to "explain to me why it is wrong for you and your Councillor colleagues to give me information for my Blog while it is not wrong for the Mayor to give information to Gord Henderson for the Star." There has been a controversy about that within City Hall trying to guess who my sources of information are.

As I have been saying for weeks now and Eddie said it in Gord's column:

"[Building the arena] it's become the community benchmark by which all other council actions are judged."

In other words, Eddie, if you cannot build an arena, you cannot do anything. It's black or white. It's easy to judge him on this issue.

STOP THE INSANITY!

Eddie will do anything and everything to get re-elected. His Plan depends on it.

Remember in his Kick-off speech for mayor when he said " I SAID TO YOU EARLIER THAT I AM NOT A POLITICIAN." Well he is one. He is a desperate one now and no one has yet announced that he/she might run against him.

• chase Beztak out of town even though they were not going to ask for money for an arena as the focus of the downtown urban village,
• then the Henderson dream column about the Raceway arena,
• then Raceway negotiations resulting in nothing but not discussed for a month,
• then a Councillor before the Raceway is even buried lobbying for a Riverside arena,
• then the 25,000 seat stadium,
• now the talk of an arena near Tecumseh and Lauzon.
  
  

Seriously, it's like Old Macdonald's farm;

• "Eddie Francis wants to be re-elected E-I-E-I-O
  So he pulls out some cash to build an arena E-I-E-I-O
  With an arena here,
  And an arena there,
  Here an arena, there an arena,
  Everywhere an arena, an arena.
  Eddie Francis wants to be re-elected E-I-E-I-OOOOOOOOOO."
  
  

And then the piece de resistance. The sheer desperation of Eddie to be a politician like the others and to bribe us with our own money to remain as Mayor:

• "...through zero-based budgeting, hard work and relentless belt-tightening, [we are] freeing up huge sums for capital investments..
  
  And now that the city has financial wiggle room, Francis appears set to invest some of that freed-up capital, not to mention his accumulated political capital, in fulfilling a city dream. At a strategic planning session tentatively set for next Saturday at Willistead Manor, Francis will make a pitch for the city to get behind building a new ice rink for the Spitfires.
  
  ...he'll be seeking council backing for one final push to replace the 80-year-old Barn...
  
  He said the city is in "a different position than we've ever been in terms of getting our financial house in order" but will not get into projects that don't make financial sense and are not supported by a business case.
  
  He wouldn't put it in those words. But the message I took from his comments is that the city, building on the momentum of dynamic new Spitfire ownership and the Junior Pan Am Games and Super Bowl successes, might have the means to move well beyond the $15 million already budgeted for a new arena, without increasing the load on city taxpayers.
  
  "It's time to really focus on building the city and having in our city what other cities have."

STOP THE INSANITY!

Poor Alan Halberstadt, learning in his good buddy's column a few days after his friend pushed to refurbish the Barn that his idea is dead because Eddie said so! We didn't even need a pesky Council meeting to dismiss Alan's idea. Alan must be getting a media-rejection complex already.... Eddie dismissed his request about Estrin's legal bills on Face-To-Face and now Eddie rejects him in Gord's column.

My Goodness. Gord Henderson is the biggest flipflopper in town: On February 9 he wrote:

• "There's a craving for a new arena and it's become larger than life. There's a psychological stigma attached to it," said Halberstadt. "But we just hosted the greatest show on earth and we seemed to survive without a new arena."
  
  Indeed we did. And if anyone thinks Windsor still needs more than a functional hockey rink, they should stroll over to Pitt and McDougall and check out this city's answer to the Grand Canyon.
  
  You have to eyeball this cavernous expanse of concrete and rebar to comprehend the massive scale of the $400-million hotel, convention and entertainment centre being added to Casino Windsor. This is our long-awaited multi-use facility, writ large, and it's going up as we speak.
  
  Now all we need is an improved home for the Spits. The barn reno/ expansion would serve that limited purpose admirably without becoming a drain on taxpayers.
  
  But it's never that simple in Windsor. I'm told fallback plans are being cobbled together for a twinned Riverside Arena at a new location that could service minor hockey as well as the Spits."
  

STOP THE INSANITY!

Is someone smoking something about our fiscal position and the room in the capital budget? There is no wiggle room! I spoke to a number of Councillors and they are unaware of this "wiggle room" to waste money. Here is what they said in the Star only a few short weeks ago after the Capital Budget meetings:

• "City Council will soon choose its poison -- pass a small tax hike or be prepared to accept a greater number of bone-rattling potholes and sewage-filled basements after a storm...
  
  The committee -- consisting of councillors Fulvio Valentinis, Tom Wilson, Ron Jones, David Cassivi and Joyce Zuk -- passed a second recommendation that more than $4 million in funds removed from the city's reserves by the operating budget committee be replaced. The city's reserve funds were at $22 million before recent payments surrounding the MFP settlement and $7.2 million for pay equity, dropping the balance to about $10 million.
  
  "That gets very dangerous," said Valentinis, chairman of council's capital budget committee. "We have a downturn in the economy coming. There are all kinds of surprises that crop up so it's important to have reserves in place."
  
  There is little wiggle room for council to reach a zero tax increase, said Valentinis, who cited the annual three per cent employee pay hikes plus rising utility and gas costs.
  
  The only option for councillors to consider is reductions to the city's sewer and road rehabilitation budget, he said, noting the combined proposed spending total of more than $15 million for 2006.
  
  "Council can achieve zero, but it will have to come out of roads and sewers," Valentinis said...
  
  John Tofflemire, the city's general manager for Infrastructure Services, emphasized to council how there was "no value" in cutting back roads and sewer repairs after so many year of neglect in the annual budget.
  
  The city has close to 1,000 kilometres of roads, excluding E.C. Row Expressway, with 20 per cent rated as "deficient," meaning they need immediate work. In order to prevent further deterioration, an average of $13.8 million needs to be spent annually.
  
  This year $8.4 million for road rehab is budgeted, although that is up substantially from last year's $4.55 million.
  
  "We have an overwhelming infrastructure deficit," Tofflemire said. "Even before a nickel gets cut out of this year's budget, it's going to be inadequate. What councillors have to decide is how much can be deferred."
  
  Each of the five councillors on the capital budget committee seemed to favour a small tax hike over cuts to the road and sewer repair funds.
  
  We can't let the city fall down around us," Jones said. "We have to maintain infrastructure because in 2009 or 2010 (repairs) are going to cost a lot more than now. It's pay now or a lot more later.
  
  "People will understand a tax increase when they see us doing improvements in roads and sewers."
  
  Coun. Tom Wilson agreed.
  
  "It's not an option for me," he said. "What's the top call we get? Sewage in the basement from collapsed sewer lines.
  
  "We keep looking at zero zero, zero (tax increases). All of a sudden, we need to catch up. (Taxpayers) can appreciate a one or two per cent increase when they see the full amount going into roads and sewers."
  
  

I have written too much already. I hope you had an extra large coffee while reading all of this. Let me again quote Gord about what this is all about:

"Now or never. And if it's now, what a coup that would be for city politicians in an election year."

This column will have ramifications much more significant than the mere election of a mayor. I suggest you refer back to my BLOG "Twenty Fearless Predictions For 2006" dated January 3. What is scary to me is that many of them are really coming true and it is only February!

STOP THE INSANITY!