Tunnel Expansion "Postponed"

The poor Windsor Star must be red-faced.

On Friday, they published a very nice story about the Tunnel Plaza Improvement public session where Windsorites would have the opportunity to view what was going to be done at the Tunnel. Some time earlier, Eddie killed the meeting. Oh sorry, "postponed" it as the ad said in Saturday's Star

I would have thought that he would have had the decency to call up the Star the night before to suggest that they not run the story. He tells them almost everything on the border in advance doesn’t he? Oh well, an oversight. I hope the Editors do not get too mad at him since he must be pre-occupied with his skating lessons.

The meeting was designed to allow to showcase what was being proposed especially the main justification: “The expanded plaza should have enough space to accommodate the queuing traffic instead of on the streets.” Well, that problem was already solved by a change in queuing rules at the Tunnel and the 10% drop in traffic numbers since July but let’s pretend we forgot about that.

I heard that the City initially wanted to say that the meeting was cancelled so the new Tunnel Commissioners could see the project plans before the public. That ruse was so obviously not the case, that the explanation was pulled.

Let’s try and figure out what really happened. The chatter around town was that something was going on with the Tunnel, something big on the financial side. I was not sure if that meant change in ownership or management on the Detroit side or both sides or what. Given Eddie’s cancellation, it was pretty clear he was caught by surprise. I wonder who he called on the Detroit side to talk about it on Friday. The rumour mill was active on that one too.

I must admit that I wondered if the Feds knew about the rumours too given their strong reaction about a year ago with proposed Tunnel changes and the passing of Bill C-3 by the Commons and Senate. My guess was that were not in the loop either or they would never have let the proposed public meeting take place in the first place. Why would they allow Eddie to embarrass them too.

I doubt if the the Bridge Co. was involved or it would have been plastered all over the front page of the Star to try and stop anything they would try and do.

Then I got to thinking. I saw the story in the Star on Friday also about the Peace Beacon and its $603K increase or about 25% over the original cost. Then I remembered the funky Bus Terminal downtown. Wasn’t its cost over-run about 35% over original estimate? Streetscaping costs downtown had tripled I thought. The overpass on Huron Church Road was higher than expected. And the Tunnel Ventilation building---who knew what the excess costs there were!

I got this cold shiver down my spine when I remembered the $200K extra for soil problems at the land downtown for the arena exchange and recalled what Don Sadler said about contaminants at the Lear site:

• “There are no environmental issues," said Don Sadler, the city's director of parks.
  The area, which sits behind the Lear plant on Lauzon Road, was inspected for metals and other contaminants, Sadler said.”

What did Sadler say at the Peace Beacon site:

• “Every shovel full was another nightmare," said parks director Don Sadler. "There was no way of knowing without x-ray eyes the extent of everything that was in there….
  
  "Soon as we got digging down a little bit deeper to place the footings, then we ran into a tremendous problem.
  
  Sadler doesn't blame the firm hired to conduct the test because the problems could be missed when digging so deep. "At 50-foot intervals, you don't always hit every pocket."

My goodness, I hope they did not do 50-foot intervals at the arena site…BRRRR my wallet gets cold and emptier just thinking about it!

So I made a big leap. I bet that the meeting was cancelled when Eddie finally saw the real estimates for the project. One of the obvious questions that the public would ask is what would this cost since so much property is going to be expropriated and then built on. There would be tough negotiations with Burger King and the Duty Free Shop who own property there. Expropriation would cost a lot of money given the Casino expansion and the expected increase in business. And who knows what contaminants could be lurking under the soil.

The original deal signed some time ago was $30 million, $10 million for each level of government. So after almost 3 years of “study,” and their timetable for construction (2009 start) what would the cost be now I thought.

If I looked at the various projects the City has failed in estimating properly, I figured a cost over-run of about 25-35% or say $9 million averaging amounts (Eddie likes to average doesn’t he!)

Doing some simple math, that means Eddie has to find another $3M somewhere if the costs are split or $9M if the City has to pay it all.

I wonder if we will see the accounting magic of bridge financing to see this through. Unfortunately, since the Tunnel has lost traffic volume, revenues have decreased and dividends ended. He cannot get money from there. City Reserves are down dramatically too so that is out. A tax increase---hardly, when Eddie wants to run on a fiscal responsibility platform provincially.

So Eddie has to grovel now….no wonder Halberstadt and Brister are making nice to the Senior Levels. Eddie loves them now and needs their friendship desperately….they are his allies against the big, bad Bridge Company.

But what if they say NO! We agreed on $10M each. Go fund it yourself since it is your asset.

Oh well, cancelling the public session gives Eddie time to try and pull another rabbit out of his hat or to allow another Star attack on the Senior Levels, especially Sandra so they will knuckle under.

This time around, I think they have Eddie by the short and curlies and they will know it when he comes to visit, cap in hand.

Hmmm I have an idea to help out. But Eddie would have to have the guts to phone Dan Stamper. How would Eddie explain that away to the Senior Levels and the public after what he did and said before. And how will he dare face Stamper after putting forward the Interim Control By-law to try to hurt the business of the Bridge Co.

Is Windsor Closed To Business

Something bothered people yesterday about what is going on in Windsor. My BLOGsite hits spiked upwards rather dramatically which meant a lot of people came to my site. I would expect that my BLOGS today will get people very concerned as well.

To be honest, if I was going to take Chair Remo Manicini's offer to become the head of the Economic Development Commission, I would reconsider today. Do you want to be the one whose job it is to turn off the last light in Windsor?

I cannot think of any two worse signals that this City has given about how adverse we are to business, and how bad our economy is than what took place yesterday. It tells me that nothing will happen in the downtown for years, no matter how much Mark Boscariol may wish it differently, and how badly the blackmark about this City as a place to invest is growing.

One story has to do with Sandwich. The message to business is take your billion dollar project and shove it. Windsor doesn't want your money here.

Oh Councillor Jones can talk about a building or two being occupied on Peter St some day as his "proof" of the Sandwich renaissance (after Leon Paroian had said that nothing has happened there in 50 years) but he has not told us what happened to the big investor who wanted to put $100,000 into Sandwich. Why won't Councillor Jones tell us who he is and what he is going to do.

Here's a hint to his/her possible identity--I bet that the investor must be a real guru who can see the value of Sandwich. Unfortunatley, the last guru who was in Windsor seems to have "downsized" his office and staff here!

But that is not the big story in Sandwich....that one is that Councillor Valentinis has to compare the Bridge Co. with some developer who sneaks in at midnight to chop down a tree as justification for the unseemly haste of "freezing" all of Sandwich with an Interim Control By-law.

Let's see, the Bridge Co. has spent $500 million so far to develop their project in Sandwich and wants to spend $500 Milion more. If my math is right that is ONE BILLION DOLLARS--and our Council opposes them. Not only opposes them but has not had the courtesy to answer a letter sent out by the Bridge Co. last November to the new Council asking to meet.

I guess that there are no unemployed in Sandwich and in Ward 2 and that businesses are booming such that there is no need for jobs and customers.

Oh well, it is Dan Stamper's fault. He is after all only the 4th largest taxpayer in Windsor. Our Mayor only talks to the Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners it seems.

However, if Dan waits long enough, as the Big Three quietly wind down their operations here, and as the Casino does not get the business it expects as the perception of the border not working grows, by default he may be the biggest business in town! I wonder if he will want to talk to Eddie then at all.

However, that is not the most troubling story to me. This one should make Mark Boscariol reconsider his comment to me:

• "My support for Mayor Francis is unwaivering, I only wish to work with him more to continue the momentum and not let it stall."

Hey Mark, this kind of momentum scares me. I have had enough of it. Haven't you yet?

I am sure that you saw the small story at the top of page 2 in Tuesday's Star: "Developer gets 3 years to complete land swap." Oh my, real estate must be in very bad shape here now.

When the arena land swap was done, what we were getting at our Crown jewel of land beside the Art Gallery was a huge development. I believe Mr. Farhi when he said:

• "he will use the year to line up potential buyers for a "first-class" condominium development overlooking Windsor's waterfront, with retail on the ground floor.
  
  "The building next to the Art Gallery is going to warrant a first- class facility," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "I am not building anything unless it is first class."

Well several months later, as he began to understand our market, we learn that in exchange for the City not paying $200,000 but only $100,000 for soil clean-up, Mr. Farhi won't have to build for three years!!! He extended his development time by 2 years.

In other words, it seems he must NOT have been able to find buyers for the condo or he would be building it now. He must need the extra time or else he might have a huge financial disaster on his hands if he built a building that no one occupied. Is that the real reason why he was so generous with us? He bought 2 years of time for a mere $100,000.

Now Mr. Farhi should not be so shocked about how bad the condo market is. Remember, Chuck Mady a few months ago was offering huge discounts off of the price of units in his first-class building to get rid of the final ones. Why would the market be any better now after all of the lay-offs in Windsor? Who would the buyers be?

Now I have a great idea. Out of adversity grows opportunity as I heard so many times during the Capitol fiasco at Council. However, I need someone with a large pocket-book who can afford to hold land for a long time to be my partner. I have the brains but not the cash to make this work.

Think about this though as a plan, if you want to partner with me, so we can both make a huge fortune in real estate in Windsor. It is a long-term investment in Windsor--a very, very long-term investment--of prime real estate. It is better than the TV infomercials that show you how to buy property with "No Money Down" for only $39.95.

Windsor's real estate market is a shambles right now. The best property on the river has been exchanged with the gentleman from London. Eddie could barely give away the river-front Canderel space. Mr. Farhi has said that he now needs three years to build his condo project.

Everything is so bad that it is so good.

Here's how we can make money. Let's take advantage of distress pricing. You know a buyer's market or when someone is in default in their mortgage payment and is desperate or going through a messy divorce or having to leave town for a new job in Alberta.

The RFP for the Urban Village has not gone out yet but didn't Eddie say it would be soon?

• "Francis said a report to council in February will enable the city to issue a request for proposals and there are strong indications of developer interest."

I hope those developers were not the friend of Councillor Jones in Sandwich or Beztak before they got chased out of town or Chuck Mady before he moved most of his operations outside of Windsor or Eddie is in trouble. Frankly, who would be an developer in the urban village area now that Farhi owns such a good piece of property.

Anyway, when the RFP goes out, no one will probably submit a Proposal because of Windsor's anti-business attitude that we saw in Sandwich and bad real estate market so YOU, dear rich reader, should partner with me and make a low-ball bid.

You know what, the City will be so desperate since we are the only bidder and Eddie needs a WIN that they will accept it, no matter how bad it is! You'll have to hold on to the land for a bit but we will make a fortune once Eddie is no longer the Mayor and when the new Mayor and Council come to their senses.

We will be rich, partner. 60-40 split in my favour right since I thought this up? Trust me, have I ever lied to you before!

PS. I really like Mr. Farhi's style from reading about him online even though I do not know him. He is a tough and shrewd operator in the best sense of the word. Darn, he may also be my main competitor for the Urban Village too if this story is right.

It looks like he is playing the Councils of London and Windsor off against each other. Good for him! Do you really think he cares about building condos only in Windsor or is he just as interested in making a ton of money at the Lear plant location with commercial developments. He can always sell off prime water-front property at a profit.

Here is an interesting story about how he might be playing the game. He holds out a carrot to Windsor and threatens to leave London. Who will throw the most money at him to keep him around. What a great position to be in:

• "Wed, November 8, 2006
  
  By NORMAN DE BONO, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER
  
  London developer Shmuel Farhi has cut a big deal in Windsor.
  
  He's agreed to a land swap that sees him get 0.4 hectares of prime downtown waterfront land in exchange for 16 hectares in the city's east end where the new arena for the Windsor Spitfires Ontario Hockey League team will go.
  
  Farhi plans to build a $45-million, 20-storey condominium tower on the downtown site and another $50-million commercial and residential development near the new arena, he said yesterday.
  
  The deal may be just the beginning of what he sees as an ongoing relationship.
  
  "They called me and said they wanted to make a deal," Farhi said.
  
  "Here's a city that picked up the phone and said they wanted to work with me. They sent people here and we got a deal done in three weeks."
  
  Farhi has been at loggerheads with the City of London in recent years over developing parking in the downtown for his commercial buildings.
  
  At a recent city council meeting, he threatened to tear down his London developments or invest elsewhere...
  
  Windsor also will develop a four-hectare property, immediately behind the land Farhi now owns, as a downtown urban residential area and Francis said he expects Farhi to bid on the development."

Now Mr. Farhi likes Heritage buildings in London and bought their Capitol Theatre. Do you think Eddie can convince him to invest in ours as a new "good neighbour?" What a great coup that would be!

The Increasing Power Of Windsor Bloggers

Oh it is hurtful all right. I am powerless and part of a

• "lonely and isolated lot, rebels against the mainstream living in the make-believe world of cyberspace, where truth is often a casualty of fingers tapping at a keyboard."

First I had to endure that my writings were "Blogaloney." Then personal shots directed at me and perhaps some others calling us all kinds of nasty names that I dare not repeat.

And now, the indignity of it all, a front page Star stories about Bloggers.

Wow, we bloggers in Windsor must be gaining in power in Windsor. Perhaps we are becoming a threat to the Windsor Star itself. I know that many people read my BLOG as an alternative to the Star, to get a different point of view. I would expect that the total number of daily readers must be in the many thousands if you combined the total hits of all of the Bloggers in town. I know from what ex-mayoral candidate David Wonham said that a brief mention of his website during the election campaign from me here resulted in him getting several thousand hits more than his normal number.

I would be curious to know how many hits the Star's Bloggers get. Frankly, I prefer reading Roseann Danese's BLOG rather than her news stories. She is much sharper in the BLOG and she has terrific insight that she cannot "report" in a news article.

Hmmmm perhaps we Bloggers should start seeking local advertisers too to have some real fun by using that money to let the public know we are around. Or maybe it is time for a full-fledged on-line Blogging "newspaper" with various sections. The cost of starting and running that would be a lot cheaper than buying a building and newspaper presses

We certainly are a big threat to City Hall since we really are the only ones commenting daily on what is going on in town. Note I used the word "comment" not report. We break news, we explain, we analyze, we deal with the absurdities of the day and we do it from a different point of view too. We do not have to be careful NOT to offend the politicians either.

Oh well, it does not really matter. Sticks and stones and all of that. Trying to be philosophical at 6 AM in the morning without having a cup of coffee yet is just too hard. I'll just stick to writing a BLOG.

And I hope that you continue reading it!

Council First Impressions

There is no sense in trying to make sense out of last night's Council meeting. I cannot do it. You read about some of the things that were done in the Star but let me give you my first impressions:

1) R-E-S-P-E-C-T

That is one thing that this Mayor has little of for some of his Council colleagues at least it seems.

RESPECT---Imagine hearing Councillor Halberstadt say that he knew nothing about the Interim Control by-law, not a word, until he read his Council package on the day before Council. How many others had the same thing happen but did not have the guts to say it so boldly last night. My respect went up for Alan considerably! [I bet that this line shows up in his federal election campaign brochure as an indication of his strength. Today at least, he has my permission to use it]

RESPECT---It was just like what Alan had to do to get letters from the Mayor over the border issue. Stand up at Council and demand them. The Star saw them but not a City Councillor. I wonder if he has read them yet. If he has them, Alan should post them because I bet they will make good reading!

RESPECT---I wonder how many Councillors knew about the Estrin lawsuit or did the Star know about it first again, for months?

Back to the by-law. It's a step that could stop a billion-dollar project, that freezes hundreds of homes in Sandwich, that can give a message to investors to stay out of Windsor and Council does not know about it.

The Mayor acts on his own it seems. Well, not completely. Councillor Jones seemed to have a hint something was coming by his quote in the Star a few days before.

I guess that Alan is on the "outs" these days for daring to question the Mayor. Quack, Quack to you if you dare defy his Worship!

2) Good thing Bill Marra's tunnel motion was withdrawn last night. It gave Gord Henderson another chance to attack Councillors who would dare not support a tunnel. Hey, kids are involved you know.

Bill by now knows he has been played. He should withdraw the Motion. That would be fun too for him and a way to hit back with a smile on his face as he says that there is a need to do more research. I'd love to see how Eddie would scramble then

3) Poor Les Chaif. He must have thought that someone wanted to hear what he had to say about Benson School. Now he knows how the Superior Park people felt. At least he was not called a racist!

4) I really don't know what to make of the Brentwood matter. We can save buildings with hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer aid but we cannot save souls. I wonder which is more important to the community.

I am glad to see that Councillor Gignac opened up her cheque-book publicly so that everyone will know how generous she is. I expect that, if she wins the Brentwood Lottery since she bought lottery tickets too, she will donate the prize to Brentwood too. Sniff, sniff {wiping away tear}.

5) If you want to stop Eddie cold in his tracks when he tries to bully you at Council, as he tried unsuccessfully with Dan Stamper, just tell him that he is wrong and that you have his words from the Windsor Star to prove it.

It was hilarious to watch Eddie trying to be the Teflon Mayor and divert crticism of his actions and see Stamper have none of it. You had to be there to see it in person.

I hope the people from the Capitol stayed around and saw it as the real drama of the evening!

I bet that Eddie stayed up more than his usual 18 hours trying to find the words Stamper was talking about.

6) Congratulations to lawyer Leon Paroian. He has suffered several tragedies in his life over the past few years and it was nice to learn that he is remarrying last night. "Once every 50 years" as he said.

However, his new wife is a lucky lady too. As Councillor Halberstadt pointed out, he will become wealthy as he fights on behalf of the Bridge Co. against the City's Interim Control by-law. She will not have to worry financially about anything! Unfortunately, taxpayers will not be as lucky if the Bridge Co. wins since not only will we have to pay for Mr. Paroian as the losing side must do but our lawyer as well, whoever that is. I wonder how the Mayor, Council and Mr. Estrin will deal with this now.

7) Councillor Valentinis really annoyed me last night. I could not believe the story he gave about the need to introduce and approve the Interim Control and Demolition by-laws in such a stealth manner and to reject a request to defer.

Notwithstanding the undertaking by the Bridge Co. not to take action on new demolitions, they were not the only enemy it seemed. Someone else, who no one knows, might come in and knock down buildings, which no one can identify, for this huge project that is unknown.

Let me give you an example of ONE interim control by-law: the one used to stall downtown development while the Casino moved forward on its plans.

• April 26, 2001 “Jeff Watson, a senior planner with the city, said he's been asked to examine whether an "interim control bylaw" would allow the city to temporarily stop new bars from opening while permanent solutions are found.”
  
• April 7, 2003 “City of Windsor officials will be watching as Guelph prepares an interim bylaw to halt new bars while working on solutions to their city centre problems.
  
  Citing problems with policing its growing downtown bar scene, Guelph is considering an interim control bylaw which would place a moratorium of up to 12 months on new bars while it seeks other ways to deal with the issue.”
  
  
• October 7, 2003 “City council's decision Monday to delay a one-year moratorium on downtown bars outraged one councillor who said the issue has "been studied to death" while injuries pile up.
  
  "The suggestion that we have not provided due process is bunk," said Councillor Alan Halberstadt.
  
  "This has been going on for three or four years, it has been dealt with by a consultant who held public meetings, by the resource team and by the revitalization task force. It has been studied to death.
  
  "It's merely a tactic to put pressure on council to back off," said Halberstadt. "Closed-head injuries downtown are piling up and we need to deal with this now."
  
  The delay was requested by Michael Duben, chairman of the City Centre Business Association and was approved by a 6-4 vote following a 20-minute debate. The issue will come before council Oct. 20.
  
  The remaining 13 recommendations in the long-awaited report from the City Centre Security Enhancement Resources Team (CCSERT) were approved by council.
  
  "Many of our members were not aware this was going to be discussed tonight and believe that it should be looked at more closely before we jump to conclusions," said Duben. "We believe it should be delayed so that a full public process can be undertaken. But we have no issue with the remaining recommendations which we believe should be implemented as soon as possible."
  
• November 5, 2003 It became an election issue too “Eddie Francis and Bill Marra agree on 13 of 14 recommendations made by Peter Bellmio, who conducted a study and survey of Windsor's downtown last fall.
  
  But as far as the other recommendation is concerned, Francis favours an interim control bylaw which places a 12-month moratorium on new entertainment lounge licences in the downtown while Marra opposes such a bylaw.
  
  Francis believes it will give the city a 12-month grace period to conduct a planning study but Marra believes it will create an unnecessary drag on downtown development."

That interim control by-law was years in the making, fully publicized, postponed because people affected were not aware of it and a major election issue but there was a need to pass this one so quickly. No stealth concerns there but one directed against the Bridge Co. here.

What did Mr. Paroian say about "Bad Faith" again last night!

8) Quick call a Doctor. The Mayor's amnesia attack is getting serious. Now his famed photographic memory is failing along with a bad case of amnesia.

Here is the complete Windsor Star story about $400,000 to be spent for a Peace Beacon not $3.2M

• "Dieppe pavilion to cost $400,000; [Final Edition]
  Dave Hall. The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ont.: Oct 7, 2004. pg. A.2
  
  Demolishing the aging concession stand in Dieppe Gardens and replacing it with a pavilion built into the banking along Riverside Drive is expected to cost $400,000.
  
  A suggestion by Councillor Alan Halberstadt that the historical facade of the former Toronto Dominion Bank at the corner of Riverside Drive and Ouellette Avenue be used in the design of the peace beacon in [Dieppe] has been rejected by administration."

It is nice to know that Alan still reads my BLOG although now it appears that the Mayor does not. I guess he cannot stand to see his words thrown back into his face. I guess he does not like it when something sticks.

There's more, but I have had enough as I am sure you can tell.

Windsor Airport Leases And Canderel

I did not get home until after 11 PM last night from the Council meeting and was so angry at one of the comments that Councillor Valentinis made that I spent about an hour going through my databases researching the matter. I am afraid that his actions last night may have cost him his mayoral appointment if Eddie makes it as the PC candidate for Windsor West. If he offended several of his colleagues personally as he offended me last night, then he is finished!

I'll tell you about it later today. I am also taking the advice of fellow Blogger at http://windsormunicipal.blogspot.com/

Windsor Municipal Shadow stated that:

• "It usually doesn't pay to do anything while you're angry, and that holds true with blogging. After watching last night's Council meeting, I may even have to wait two days."

If you want to read someone who reacted quickly, then take a look at the BLOG of Chris Schnurr http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/

I'll give you a small taste of why I am so disgusted.

Ssomething is very, very strange here. And inconsistent.

Items 13 and 14 on the Council agenda last night (and on the Consent Agenda meaning there was going to be little debate about them) had to do with with "Land Lease for Windsor Airport." We are given freely a lot of information about these leases and in great detail. Funny though, Municipal Freedom of Information Act applications have to be obtained to try to obtain similar information on other leases that the Mayor has been involved in.

Can the explanation for the differences be that he is that bad a negotiator?

We learn that:

• Dr. Murray R. O'Neil will lease space at a cost of $1,377.30 with a rent escalator tied to the CPI
  
• Great Lakes Flight Centre Incwill lease space at a cost of $24, 058. 06 per annum with a rent escalator tied to the CPI and with the right to renew for 3 five year terms but with the rent to be renegotiated

In both cases there is no right to assign or sublet without the City's consent.

I am rather shocked to be honest. We learn everything about the rental on these properties but not this kind of detail at Canderel

Remember what Eddie said about rents at Canderel:

• "Francis said the figures that have been disclosed are average costs, and the numbers won't be further broken down."

But here they are broken down and we are given exact numbers.

We learn what the rent escalator is at the Airport but we are not given that information at Canderel.

The leases do not allow assigning or subletting without consent but at Canderel, it seems there was sub-subletting (see http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/2007/01/17/of-westmont-and-canderel-double-feature/ )

There were tenant confidentiality clauses at Canderel but not it seems at the airport.

We know that there are renewal terms at both Canderel and the airport but we do not know what the renewal terms are at Canderel.

If you can explain the openness with the airport leases but not the Canderel ones, then you are a better person than I! As for the arena lease with the Spitfires, I won't even go there!

Why Is Council Really Freezing Sandwich

It's too obvious. It's just like the imposition of the Interim Control by-law downtown so the Casino had time so it could do its thing. The By-law that then-Councillor Marra opposed. It is the same pattern exactly!

I am so sick of being manipulated. You should be too.

If you think the scolding by the Star of secrecy at City Hall has changed anything, then you are sadly mistaken. It is even worse: manipulation of the Council agenda for political purposes is the norm now as I shall demonstrate below.

There is no "open and transparent" Government in Windsor and I doubt that there will be for the next four years. All I wonder is how 10 people can allow themselves--and Windsorites--to be used this way. Do they have no respect for themselves and their legal obligations under the Municipal Act to "represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality?" Or do they really think that they are acting in the best interests of Windsor!

He is Teflon after all. And he tries to remain hidden as others are placed front and centre, supposedly to get the glory. He does so because he cannot tolerate being blamed or criticized, and lashes back when he is, because he never does anything wrong. He is afraid to fail but knows how to grab the praise. He is clever in how he gets others to do his work for him since they take the fall if something goes wrong.

He claimed he was not a politician yet a Senator, after seeing him perform once in front of him, called him one

Obviously I am talking about our Mayor.

I just had this feeling about the Council meeting on Monday that something was going to happen that we would only find out about in the last minute and I was right. I checked the Council agenda at noon on Friday and not much of significance was posted. There was nothing on the Capitol nor were delegations posted.

I did not check the Council agenda page until later and there in plain view now right before the weekend was all the important stuff. It was too late to speak as a delegation at Council as of right. A delegation that wanted to speak now had to get Council's permission, which is NOT automatic.

What was added:

1. Capitol Theatre report although it was dated as at January 15 and was only signed on behalf of the CAO and no one else in Administration (shades of the key report on the Arena)


2. University of Windsor Program & Service Delivery Survey (the public opinion survey that was prepared a few months before the last election at taxpayer expense to let sitting politicians know what bugged citizens. A draft was available in September, right before the election.)


3. Olde Sandwich Town Community Improvement Plan dated January 24 which was not a PLAN but a request for an interim by-law to freeze everything in Sandwich for up to 2 years (see how subject titles mislead, just like the infamous Agenda item #5)


4. Delegation List

Here's how manipulation works.

On the Capitol---Star news stories, a Henderson column to soften up Councillors (including the resentful Councillor Postma who gave a radio interview) and the public before the Report was posted to work up the locals to get everyone on side reluctantly to save the Capitol. All followed up by an approving Editorial in Saturday's paper. That should give Councillors backbone to vote "AYE Eddie!"

On Tunnelling---I already informed you how Councillor Marra is being played by introducing the "tunnel" Motion. I loved his line in his Letter to the Editor last Friday:

• "Why tunnelling is the best option. "If they are serious about the well-being of Windsorites, they (DRIC) can commit to a tunnel," stated Mayor Eddie Francis on March 29. I could not agree more with the mayor."

Way to be a team player Bill!

How generous of the Star to give him space on the Friday before his Motion. Such a remarkable co-incidence. His Letter and the one from Moe Haas that happened to be put in at the same time paints Bill as a possible pro-DRTP-type and the fall guy when Eddie has his new Plan when the Tunnel concept is shot down. Oh and I defy most people to be able to find Marra's Notice of Motion in the city website in the first place. I see that only pro-tunnel Al Teshuba is speaking on it.

I must admit that I thought there would be a cast of thousands speaking in favour of the Motion but I guess Councillors wanted to make it an early evening and wanted to get the vote done quickly. Surprisingly, but for Al, it probably would have gone on the Consent agenda!

On the Bridge Company--- But the most fun is watching how the Bridge Co. is portrayed in advance to accomplish the objective of making them the City's "enemy." It is a long process, meticulously planned, designed with a bunch of news stories in advance to make the Bridge Co. appear evil so that when Council acts, everyone will be so pleased. Just read what I have excerpted below

This time it is Councillor Jones who is the sacrificial lamb if something goes wrong.

Let me show you how it works. Here is the timeline so you will see what I mean:

Friday, October 13, 2006

• Bridge work raises fears
  Dave Battagello, Windsor Star
  West-end community leaders fear land preparation by the Ambassador Bridge is linked to the company's bid to twin its span or resurrect a controversial ring road proposal in the heart of their neighbourhood.
  
  The bridge company has been bulldozing its properties, levelling them off. Gone are several former university dorms and custom broker office buildings it purchased, plus a handful of homes.
  
  The company also continues to purchase residential properties at an alarming rate, they say.
  
  "I'm very concerned with what they are doing," said city Coun. Ron Jones. "It's incumbent upon us to be very vigilant and watch them closely...
  
  While the bridge company can bulldoze its own properties, city infrastructure such as roads, sewers and other utilities are off-limits, Jones said.
  
  "We have (city inspectors) going in there on a regular basis to ensure our concerns are met. I have talked with one inspector who said they have not touched our infrastructure and (are) staying on their property...
  
  "They are not going to give up on anything," Cuderman said.
  
  "They are buying up properties and letting them deteriorate. Unfortunately, the way some of the neighbourhood is starting to look, it seems like they are getting somewhere."

[NOTE: Councillor Jones has been on this kick about "watching" the Bridge Co. for some time now, mentioning it several times at Council. Each time he was told by Administration, as it was related in the story, that the Bridge Co. was acted absolutely legally. I am sure that must really trouble him!]

October 30, 2006

• Council Minutes
  Under CR519/2006 "the Olde Sandwich Towne Community Planning Study (attached hereto as Appendix A) BE ADOPTED as the municipality’s guide for future planning, capital budgeting and community improvement efforts in Sandwich" even though one task force member appeareed at Council and said that "she personally feels that process was not properly followed in terms of notification and receipt of a draft copy of the Planning Study, and concludes by suggesting that the Study being presented before Council is highly influenced by Administration and not a true product of the Task Force."

December 21, 2006

• West side's demise predicted;
  Dave Battagello.
  
  "...Homes are being ripped down and mountains of dirt are being shifted a stone's throw from where the family lives. Meanwhile, the bridge proceeds with construction of six new truck customs lanes -- seemingly laying the groundwork for a second span.
  
  Since their home, like every other on the block, is owned by the bridge company, "there is not much we can do about it," Jones said.
  
  "But the way they are doing things, it's as if there is no respect for our community...
  
  "Windsor is not Detroit," said Coun. Ron Jones, who represents the west end and walked the Indian Road area near the bridge Wednesday. He voiced concerns the bridge is moving beyond its approved plaza plans and is laying the groundwork for a second span.
  
  "I'm not comfortable with what they are doing. There is not a doubt in my mind where they are going with this," Jones said.
  
  City inspectors have been keeping an eye on the bridge construction work, he said. The bridge has been legally approved to tear down four homes on Indian, with demolition applications pending on several others, Jones said.
  
  The city can stop demolition only if it involves a heritage building or property designated under a demolition control bylaw."

January 8, 2007

• Councillor Jones' speech at Council [as taken from the BLOG of Chris Schnurr]
  
  "Your worship and members of council, I hope all you have received this particular document [editor’s note: reference to The Olde Sandwich Towne Community Planning Study Report], one of which councillor Postma and I are so very, very proud of the hard work that has gone on. Mr. Yanchula and his planning department. More especially Alexander and Carol Chan, Neil Robertson – they have done a marvellous job putting this document together, your Worship, talking about the history of Sandwich Towne, talking about the future of Sandwich Towne, and what we intend and hope to do out there.
  
  But I want draw attention to a wonderful and decent human being, Mrs. Hildegarde-Ash who chaired that particular committee who worked tirelessly to keep the group together and bring us to where we are now. And we’re hoping in the very near future that this will be a corporation and we can start applying for different funding. We have had word from a well known planner, world renowned, that he is prepared to put forward $100,000 to help us with our projects out there. People have stuck together out there. We have really reason to believe that this is going to be truly a wonderful piece for Windsor. The crown jewel in the Windsor area.
  
  I want to thank administration, I want to thank members of city council, for sticking together, united, and trying to bring Sandwich Towne back to the glory it once involved. We have a lot of historic nature there. We have a lot of historic buildings. We also have, your Worship, some sacred territories there, some aboriginal terrorities and I hope that this council will see that we stick together and protect all the heritage of Sandwich Towne.”

January 15, 2007

• CKLW story
  BRIDGE ORDER
  
  The province has ordered the Ambassador Bridge Company to have a licensed archeologist on site during some of its work on Indian Road. The Bridge is demolishing some homes that it owns on the road to prepare for an expanion to its operations. But the area is identified in the city's archeological master plan as being archeologically sensitive.

January 25, 2007

• Bridge plans hit heritage snag
  Expansion project may be disturbing historically sensitive, First Nation burial sites
  Dave Battagello, Windsor Star
  The local archeological society wants the city to halt expansion of the Ambassador Bridge because the company may be digging on historically sensitive lands that include First Nation burial grounds.
  
  Katherine Graham, president of the Windsor Chapter of the Ontario Archaeological Society, urged the city to issue a stop work order pending an archeological assessment of the west-end site.
  
  The land in the area was once a Huron reserve dating to 1749 and a number of human burial sites have been uncovered there over the years, including a finding in the 1960s, Graham said in a letter to the city.
  
  She added that according to the city's archaeological master plan, the lands are of "high potential for archaeological remains...
  
  Under Ontario's Heritage Act, stop work orders could be declared so archeological work could be completed, she suggested to council...
  
  Council is expected to discuss the matter during Monday's meeting, said Coun. Ron Jones.
  
  "It was brought to my attention, not only by people in the neighbourhood, but also among First Nations and archeological groups, that they have concerns," Jones said.
  
  "It's very obvious to them it was a Huron village. They have concerns about some of the dirt that's being moved in the area. Certainly, there is a need for us to look at this."

January 29, 2007

• Motions to pass an Interim Control By-law to prohibit certain uses of land and a Demolition Control by-law to prevent actions such as demolition which may stabilize the community.

I may have missed a story or two but you get the drift. That's how the manipulation is done.

Don't you just abhor the Bridge Company now! So when the Motions to freeze Sandwich and to forbid demolition are passed, you will feel so happy too. Never mind the huge adverse consequences to the people of Sandwich that they do not know about. It does not matter. It is for their own good whether they like it or not.

So now you know how manipulation takes place in Windsor. When you see a strange story in the Star, cut it out, keep watching and then soon thereafter, when you least expect it, you will see how it plays out. It's not so hard to do.

Then you will learn how not to be manipulated.

Tiny Stories

It's cold out there and you probably need some extra reading this morning as you finish that extra large coffee you brought to work to help warm you up.

Here are some more short and quick notes for you to ponder:

DOES SELLING YOUR SOUL FOR THE DOWNTOWN HELP

Wasn't it Mark Boscariol who said he would switch from helping his friend to support Mayor Eddie Francis

• "Boscariol, who backed Bill Marra's failed 2003 mayoral campaign, swore he would switch sides and support Francis in 2006 if he could bring a campus downtown."

His unflattering comments in Henderson's column suggest that he should have encouraged Bill to run for Mayor since Bill was the big backer of the Urban Village downtown, a big backer of an exciting downtown and an opponent of Eddie's Interim Contol By-law.

Here is what Boscariol complained about:

• "Boscariol lambasted city hall for foot-dragging on several fronts, including transfer of the Cleary to St. Clair College, the promised urban village, business incentives and streetscaping... city can get the lead out when it feels a sense of urgency. The arena is living proof we don't have to accept city time...He said too many of the city's ideas sit on the shelf."

Here is what Francis can show as his accomplishments:

• "He cited work on the downtown transit terminal and Dieppe Gardens Peace Beacon and said the Cleary keys are to be formally handed over to St. Clair on March 9...As for the urban village, Francis said a report to council in February will enable the city to issue a request for proposals"

Geeeeeeeeez Eddie you forgot the Keg! Note none of Francis' results have been completed and the two that he said were started are hugely over-budget. Quite a record achievement eh.

MARRA SLAMMED ALREADY

Wow, I thought it was a no-brainer. Tunnelling = "Mother(Father)hood as an issue. Who would dare say NO to it. It was Eddie's fundamental non-strategy wasn't it that got him re-elected and Henderson's command to the forces.

Well in Monday's Star, there are Eddie's buddies Councillors Halberstadt and Valentinis expressing opposition to the nothing Motion Bill put forward to support a tunnel. Even with all of the anti-diesel stories that the Star published on Monday too to help out! This is twice in a few days that Battagello has been by-passed on Eddie moves. What has he done wrong?

That was quick to destroy Bill's mayoral hopes by two of the possible contenders. Make him look foolish right away.

It also tells me that "tunnelling" as a strategy is dead, near-term anyway. That PLUS the comments by Halberstadt and Brister that they want to work with the Senior Levels PLUS the Interim Control By-law for Sandwich are the clearest signals that Eddie is backing off embarrassing the Senior Levels on a tunnel for now and wants to form an alliance against the Bridge Co.

Given their animosity to Francis, will the Senior Levels be fooled or will they try and use him for their purposes?

And what will the Bridge Co. do----what they have been doing: fixing the border themselves at their expense while the politicians fiddle!

FISCHING FOR A NEW PRESIDENT FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

A little birdie told me that the City may have found a new CEO finally. The search group headed by Remo Mancini formerly an executive with the Ambassador Bridge Co. (see I did not get the memo about his re-invention either) may have selected a person to take over the job finally.

If it is the same gentleman, he has had experience in London and the Halton region. Interestingly, he may have had a leg up on others since he was "Retained to carry out a review of the programs and services of the Windsor Essex County Development Commission."

We'll see how good my inside moles are.

Speaking of the Development Commission, there are also rumours that, as expected, Tecumseh is looking at pulling their funding from the Commission as well. You guessed it .. the arena issue. They were the ones most hesitant to take the regional approach. They wanted to test Eddie very early in the process and the arena gave them the perfect opportunity.

CLEARY TAKEOVER...IS THE CAPITOL NEXT

Nice to know that Gord Henderson was told when the deal between the City and St. Clair is to be done. Too bad the Mayor could not let the peon taxpayers in on the secret. I wonder if the rest of the Councillors were in on the secret

I wonder how everything was resolved...probably giving St. Clair the Capitol Theatre for free will help!

SAVING SOULS IS OUT, SAVING BUILDINGS IS IN

On Monday, it will be interesting how Council turns down putting in a few dollars into Brentwood but will spend who knows how much on the Capitol including writing off a huge debt owed to the City.

With all of the budget over-runs this City is experiencing, are we ever in trouble at tax time!

NOT EVERYONE ENJOYED THE WARD 2 STRATEGY SESSION

Wow, take a look at Chris Schnurr's Blogsite. http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/ I cannot believe that someone would be so dumb as to threaten Chris at a public meeting. I hope that there were witnesses! I am shocked that City Hall did not take steps to ensure the safety of citizens at meetings like this.

I also received an email from someone who was not too pleased at what went on. I have chnaged it slightly to protect his/her identity. Here is the note:

• "I never thought in a million years I would have reason to contact you Mr.Arditti through this web site. I have read your blog for about 10 months now, perhaps more and you always call the kettle black and shoot from the hip. I have people at work now reviewing your comments and discuss your blog 'at the watercooler' so to speak.
  
  I and my friends have just returned home after walking out of the Ward 2 meeting at the College Community Centre. What a bunch of bureaucratic propaganda!
  
  People were assigned tables and that is fine by me. You register at the door and are assigned a seat. We arrived at 1:25. They said we would have to be split up. Under other circumstances this would have been no problem but since we were the only home owners from [a street], we wanted our neigbourhood represented in a united front. Persons from another neghbourhood may or may not have had the same issues as ours.
  
  We were asked to fill out name tags and wear them. This I found offensive. Sure it helps to know the first name of persons sitting at your table but I did not go to talk to them. I wanted to address my neighbourhood concerns. Their name did not concern me, their issues did however. For the record that would have been graffiti and rental houses being used for drug running, all of which are a stones throw from my door step. I named myself "X" and my friend "Y" to retaliate. (They have our names and address on the registration sheet and which table we were to be seated at.) We were given new blank tags. (We should have just been told we had detention.) That didn't bother me. It is awful hard to offend me. Been in the west end, this same ward for 50+ years. Street smart? Yes. Educated? Yes. Can recognize a public bl** job when it slaps me in the face? Yes? No I did not complete a new tag. My friend did.
  
  I understand the importance of structure and discussion forums BUT papers handed to us to review before our group discussion did not list areas we were concerned with. It appeared to be premeditated issues of which someone at the City deemed relevant. I say appeared because I was so irritated I left. The table facilitator had a chart with agree or disagree boxes to be checked during the discusson. Talk about leading the masses to slaughter. Are these people so naive that they are willing to sit around for 3 hours and listen to what the city wants to address? Again, I did not stay so in all fairness they may have covered our concerns and whether they would have been acknowledged, I will never know.
  
  The organization was a bit under planned but I understand that upheaval at the beginning due to the unanticipated attendance.
  
  I should have stayed throughout but I was afraid if I sat through 3 hours and not found anything relevant to us I would just boil harder and longer. Perhaps you know of persons who had attended the other Ward meetings? Hopefully, then you could get other feedback. Perhaps from someone who sat through it all. By the attendance numbers, that shouldn't be too hard a feat.
  
  Thank you Mr. Arditti for allowing me to vent. I hope I have not taken up too much of your time but this letter has been very therapeutic. I would be interested to know if you received other comments.

LUCKY POLLYANNA

Gord's friend "Pollyanna is happily awaiting the replacement of a couple of Windsor's most embarrassing eyesores in 2007. She plans to be sipping a chardonnay on the patio of the new Peace Beacon in Dieppe Gardens when they knock down that travesty called the Cleary Guesthouse."

Polly must be a tourist since Windsor taxpayers may be sipping Kool-Aid by the time this project is done. Its cost as outlined in the City Agenda Item is now over $3.2M. It was supposed to cost...well I am not sure after reading the Administration Report.

However, going back in time I found this story:

• Dieppe pavilion to cost $400,000;


• October 7, 2004
  
  Demolishing the aging concession stand in Dieppe Gardens and replacing it with a pavilion built into the banking along Riverside Drive is expected to cost $400,000.
  
  Dubbed beacons in the city's four-year-old Central Riverfront Implementation Plan, the five park pavilions planned for the riverfront will house washrooms, concession stands, information services and shelters.
  
  Most will feature a sloping landscaped roof, designed to blend into the banking.
  
  The Dieppe pavilion will be known as the Peace Beacon."

Eight times higher than what was talked about only a few years ago. You can write a comment as well as I to finish up this story.

Nawwwwwwww I won't talk about the arena and what it will ultimately cost! Too easy a target.

The Ayes Have It

For those of you just dying to appear as a delegation in front of City Council to speak in favour of or against a tunnel for Windsor, here is the Notice of Motion that Councillor Marra will introduce on Monday.

It will probably pass unanimously unless one or two Councillors have the guts to stand up and say it makes no sense. Don't hold your breath though since tunnelling is the new City battle cry (and Eddie's ticket to Queen's Park).

A well-known expert on the matter had this to say to me about the Motion:

• "It's over. Between Eddie and the Windsor Star conditioning the residents on tunnel, tunnel, tunnel... the earth is scorched. The "Great Tunnel Debate" for next Monday is a joke... The MTO will say fine, and not build anything. Period...
  
  The $3.2 billion price tag is not fiction, or "inflated". That's why they'll walk away. You showed yourself, traffic numbers are down, not up. You don't think they know that in Toronto and Ottawa? That buys them 10, 15 years to wait it out and let Windsor suffer for their civic leadership...
  
  MTO will say no rush, we can wait until you come to your senses. They won't literally walk away, but they won't be bullied either. Imagine the precedent! Every municipal leader from Windsor to Timmons finds out they can extort the MTO."

The problem with my friend is that he just does not understand. This is Windsor, we deserve it and are owed it! Just ask City Hall.

If you want to read a brutal BLOG on the lack of scrubber technology that makes a mockery of what is being proposed, read the piece written by ex-Ward Two Candidate Chris Schnurr at
http://chrisschnurr.wordpress.com/2007/01/16/someone-stop-the-insanity/

Perhaps before Councillor Marra writes another letter to the Star, he should ask the Chair of the Windsor Tunnel Commission aka the Mayor about problems with the heritage-designated Tunnel ventilation building and massive cost over-runs for repairs. Perhaps he could ask him also what scrubbing techniques are used at the City owned Tunnel downtown. He may be surprised at the answer! NOTHING!

• Notice of Motion
  
  Whereas tunneling projects are common throughout the world; and
  
  Whereas the City of Windsor wants to protect neighborhoods and get trucks off local streets; and
  
  Whereas tunneling combined with capturing and scrubbing emissions will significantly improve local air quality; and
  
  Whereas the Town of LaSalle adopted Resolution 7652/06 supporting tunneling and has advised DRIC of that position; and
  
  Whereas the Town of Tecumseh Planning Committee adopted resolution PC -41/06, supporting LaSalle’s resolution on Tunneling; and
  
  Whereas the Warden of the County of Essex stated that tunneling is the least intrusive option; and
  
  Whereas there have been numerous public statements and correspondence from the City of Windsor urging tunneling,
  
  Therefore be it RESOLVED that the City of Windsor advise DRIC that they must have a tunneled solution for Windsor Border traffic.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not against tunnelling where appropriate in Windsor but I am against politicians pretending that they are accomplishing something when all they may do is chase the $300 million BIF funds out of town.

Motions like this do nothing to solve the need to find a proper road to the border. All it does is make it tougher for anyone to take Windsor seriously!

Windsor Mayors' Conflicts

It seems that finally someone is concerned with our Mayors' possible "conflict of interest" by being Mayor and also Chair of a Board. Unfortunately for me, it is the wrong Board that was being discussed this time around.

Again, as I wrote once before note the plural "s" in Mayors. This criticism is not directed at just this Mayor but every Mayor who plays the dual role.

• "Mayor's police board role questioned
  
  By Chris Thompson, Thursday, January 25, 2007
  
  A local criminal lawyer is questioning the wisdom of having the mayor of the city serve as chairman of the police services board. “We want to avoid the politicizing of police,” said Greg Goulin"

As you, dear reader must know by now, I am very critical of the inherent conflict of interest with the Mayor being Head of Council and also Chair of the Windsor Tunnel Commission.

I asked before about $9,150. That's the amount that Mayor Francis, Chairman of the Windsor Tunnel Commission, receives as salary to sit on the Commission. Is he overpaid?

As an example, with the operations of the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel seeming to be getting worse and worse with cost over-runs at the Tunnel Ventilation Building, no one hired to run the operation, $6.6m dividend disappearing and a huge drop in traffic that continues and continues, the Mayor should seriously consider teminating the services of the Chair. But do you really think that Eddie will fire himself?

How about the unique security risk at the Tunnel? Should Eddie as Chair demand action to fix it since there is a huge liability when as Mayor he knows that there may not be enough money to do so?

This conflict of interest may be causing Windsor serious problems as well. Is the Mayor concerned about the border from the competitive position as Chair of thte Tunnel or for the public interest as Mayor? The two interests are not necessarily the same. Which one is the dominant one?

The Senate of Canada recognized this conflict during the debate on Bill C-3 :

• "We have seen decreases in numbers of crossings at various places, including the tunnel from Windsor to Detroit. By the way, the committee that oversees that tunnel is chaired by guess who? The Mayor of Windsor. I would suggest perhaps the Mayor of Windsor may have a conflict as he debates how other people see this."

It would appear that the Tunnel Plaza improvements to take vehicles off Goyeau and Wyandotte is more important for the Chair than fixing the road to the border for the Mayor. There seems to be a Tunnel deal between Windsor and the Senior Levels made early on but the potential of a lawsuit between them as both the Mayor and Councillor STOPDRTP threatened legal action over the road.

Just a hint for Eddie. You had better be careful over these Board/Mayor conflicts. It can hurt your credibility in your future career as you dance around as it did in this exchange in the Senate. The use of "politician" here was not a complimentary one!

• Senator Mercer: However, you are the mayor of the city of Windsor.
  
  Mr. Francis: I am.
  
  Senator Mercer: I suspect that the city of Windsor has more than a passing interest in this process or you would not be here.
  
  You are chair of the tunnel commission, is that correct?
  
  Mr. Francis: I am chair of the Windsor Tunnel Commission, yes.
  
  Senator Mercer: Does that come with the title of mayor? Is the mayor always the chair of this commission or is this something separate?
  
  Mr. Francis: No, the mayor has historically taken on roles and responsibilities on a number of committees. In addition to the Windsor Tunnel Commission, I am also chair of the energy company. It is part of our job. Our jobs never end. We work on committees.
  
  Senator Mercer: I have bridges in my province that go from one city to another, not from one country to another.
  
  Mr. Francis: It was established when the tunnel was created and vested in the city of Windsor that a committee and a commission would be struck. The commission is an agency.
  
  Senator Mercer: City council then chooses who the chair is, do they?
  
  Mr. Francis: The commission does, yes.
  
  Senator Mercer: The commission, but who appoints the commission?
  
  Mr. Francis: The city council.
  
  Senator Mercer: I told you he is a good politician.

Frankly, this issue needs addressing by the new Council. In fact, Council needs to look at the role of Councillors on Boards as well. Remember how much extra money Councillors made in salaries by sitting on boards. Enwin had troubles as an example and many extra meetings were required to fix its problems, all of which meant Councillors earned additional income. And did we ever find out what the problems were? If we did, I must have missed it.

Cameras In The Courtroom

• 
  No wonder we are called "Sin City!" It could only have happened in Windsor and Essex County!
  
  Is it something that could change the course of Canadian history? Could it result in the fall of the Conservative Government and perhaps the emergence of the Green Party as a power in government as voters turn away from the old-line parties. Will it make Adscam look like kindergarten? Or will it increase Conservative Party membership?



I am sure you saw the recent story about putting cameras in Canadian courtrooms.


• "Ontario will let citizens watch the wheels of justice from the comfort of their living rooms, Attorney General Michael Bryant said Wednesday, announcing that cameras will be installed inside the Ontario Court of Appeal.
  
  The cameras are expected to roll by the spring. Eventually television may come to all the province's courtrooms, Bryant said. "Ontario's justice system is ready for its close-up."
  
  "I think it is inevitable that we are going to have cameras and radio broadcasts in the courtrooms of our nation so that everybody can see what the public moments of our justice system are"

That seemed to come out of the blue. I do not remember hearing a great outcry about it do you? But what I do know is that Windsor may well be the battleground for the forces for and against the idea! Can you imagine what it would be like if there were cameras in the Courtroom for the big Windsor trial that just finished? There would be a feeding frenzy, a Zoo!

Clearly, the recent case involving the death threat to Jeff Watson must have played a vital role in the announcement. If you want to get people talking, you need something really BOFFO as Variety, the entertainment bible would say!

What better way to get the rating numbers up than politicians and a "situation." How Bill Clintonish. And what can be more BOFFO these days than a hint of a scandal and something that won't be revealed

We read in the Star:

• "Bradie alleged the real reason Schnekenburger was upset with Kouvalis was that he had warned her not to make a pass at MacKay at the barbecue.
  
  "He said in a joking manner he didn't want me to hit on Peter MacKay," she admitted.
  
  Kouvalis did that, Bradie alleged, because Schnekenburger had another "situation" with another MP, a relationship that had caused some pain. Schnekenburger acknowledged that incident. Bradie told the court he would not reveal the identity of the MP. He also did not reveal details of the relationship between the MP and Schnekenberger, who is 21."

Perfectly done as a warm-up for the real thing, the real introduction of cameras. It is a teaser, a come-on, it would have forced us to tune into the next episode.

• "A date will be set Thursday to continue the trial."

Just like with the famous "Dallas" TV show. You had to tune in again to see who tried to kill JR. The number of viewers watching would have gone through the roof! Geraldo would have come here as must Extra, A Current Affair and Inside Edition. The National Enquirer has to come for enquiring minds. The British tabloids would probably book an entire hotel together when they heard about this. Who knows, OJ Simpson might do the play-by-play for Court TV.

The case has become the talk of the town. The name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs is involved somehow? Who is the MP that is involved? Is it a Conservative or from another party? Why the point of the girl being described as 21? A "situation"---what kind of word is that? What kind of "relationship" was it? What kind of "pain?." The MP's wife calling witnesses to her home to discuss the case a few days before trial. And then the acquittal and possible civil actions or perhaps a book and movie deal to reveal all. Oh the drama of it.

This is juicy stuff....the Nielsen TV ratings would have been huge. If they sell commercials, we are looking at Super-Bowl type costs for advertisers. I bet it solves the Ontario budget mess quickly since the Administration of Justice is a provincial matter!

Of course some people know the answer to the questions I posed above already. How did they find out? Another breaking news story: "Canadian coins with tiny radio frequency transmitters hidden inside...Whoever did this obviously has access to some pretty advanced technology."

The Estrin Lawsuit

The Windsor Star stated in their story:

• "The city is not named in the lawsuit, so there are no financial implications for local ratepayers."

How wrong they are!

My first reaction in reading the story was that Eddie Francis had totally miscalculated.

He had forgotten his roots and thereby did not understand the Bridge Co. at all. He must have believed that the Bridge Co. was part of a huge, faceless corporation run by a bunch of managers whose only function in life was to earn more and more money.

He had forgotten that it was nothing more than his pita business only on a much larger scale, a "family" business run by a father and son. It was not a "public" corporation owned by shareholders whose only interest was seeing the Dow Jones index going higher but a "private" one whose owners wanted to ensure the future of their children and grandchildren.

Someone deep in his inner circle had told him that the Bridge Co. would never react. They dared not do so. They were too secretive. They would be pilloried in Windsor.

Eddie must have assumed it was a GM. He forgot it was still a Ford.

These are fundamental errors that will cost the City of Windsor dearly and I do not just mean financially in the long run. It will be what Eddie Francis is remembered for, part of his legacy I am afraid.

How can I be sure of what I am saying? Dan Stamper stated:

• "I don't care that they work for the city, but when they take out a sword and try to hurt us there is a problem."

Remember what Matthew Moroun said at the House of Commons hearing:

• "We are asking this committee, and especially Transport Canada, to please put down your sword, set this legislation aside, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue, not just at a very formal hearing to discuss the legalese of this legislation, but rather to discuss and brainstorm and cooperate with one another toward an even more successful Ambassador Bridge for the advantage of the operation, the government, and the public."

There clearly is a lot more going on in this story than has been reported. I want to think about it before I write more.

Interestingly, the lawsuit was started in November but not reported until today. Given the close relationship with the Mayor--after all the Star sees materials that even Councillors do not get unless they go public and even then may still not have seen it--I am curious to know when the Star first learned about it. Assuming it was shortly after the lawsuit was launched, why did it take so long for the Star to report it.

I wonder if the Casino wants to take a bet about how many Councillors were told about the lawsuit by the Mayor before it hit the pages of the Star. In my opinion, each Councillor must tell us publicly if and when the Mayor told him/her about it. We have open and transparent Government in Windsor don't we? If they were not told or were told very late in the game, then what are they going to do about it

One final question. Will Mr. Estrin be let go? Now a couple of Star stories make sense to me. Eddie had to protect himself against charges that he wasted taxpayer money using a law firm that may be conflicted and which he may have to let go before the issue arose. So the spin-doctors were out there in advance justifying Estrin's retainer:

1. "Legal bill to top $3.2M for city's border battles January 09, 2007
   
   "These costs are very small when you consider what's at stake," said Mayor Eddie Francis. "When you consider what we are up against, we have to continue to do what we need to in order to protect the city's best interests.
   
   "It's unfortunate a local government has to be put in a position of having to spend funds on something like this. But what choice is there? Otherwise we might as well fold up our tent and put up a For Sale sign."
   
   The city has been put into a position of defending its interests in the border battle against the deep pockets of private business interests, Francis said...
   
   None of the funds have been wasted given how the city has been able to fend off the use of E.C. Row Expressway as a truck route, prevented the DRTP from becoming reality, slowed the bridge company and also steered government into building the next bridge in an industrial area off Ojibway Parkway (as recommended by Schwartz), Francis said.
   
   "Those making a case that the city should not be spending this are those who want to see the city go away so they can advance their interests," Francis said."


2. "Consultants bill city $5.2M million; Roseann Danese Windsor Star January 17, 2007
   
   $1.7 million spent on border file went mainly to lawyer, traffic expert
   
   Mayor Eddie Francis spent $1.7 million on border issues, according to a list of expenditures attributed to his office. A big chunk of that money went to Toronto environmental lawyer David Estrin and New York traffic consultant Sam Schwartz.
   
   The payments include fees incurred by Estrin's Gowling law firm for OMB hearings, interim control bylaw preventing non-railway use of railway land, legal advice regarding E.C. Row expressway, the regional transportation master plan, Ambassador Bridge issues, rail issues, DRTP issues, bi-national review and the environmental assessment review.
   
   The documents show Estrin received three additional payments that are not included in the figure provided by the mayor's office. He was paid an additional $374,214 in 2004, $443,781 in 2005 and $648,115 in 2006.
   
   The total amount that went to Estrin's law firm was about $3.2 million...
   
   Skorobohacz said it has been money well spent and not "out of the ordinary" compared to other cities. "Windsor has challenges because of its location," Skorobohacz said. "Is the investment of a David Estrin warranted? Yeah, it's more than warranted" to make sure the city's interests are protected."

If the Star knew about the lawsuit when it published these statements, then I am very disappointed in it.

Let me think about this turn of events some more. I promise to try and give you a view of this matter that may be a bit different than one which you might expect. Stay tuned.

Is A New Caesars Windsor Expansion Planned

Rumour has it that there is talk that when the new operators take over, they will expand the Casino dramatically again!

They have to. There are so many things to bet on in Windsor that the Sports Bar needs new space, a whole new wing perhaps! Here are a few obvious examples:

• when will Eddie announce that he is running provincially or federally
• for which party
• if Eddie chooses not to run which big Toronto law firm will he work for
• who will be our new appointed mayor
• will the Ambassador Bridge finish its new enhancement project before the DRIC bridge is even started
• when will DRTP officially close its doors
• will Project Ice Track or the East end arena be built first
• will the Penguins move to Tecumseh?

But the heavy betting today, if it were allowed, is whether City Council will help save the Capitol Theatre on Monday.

Just as in NFL betting, there are sites that give you all kinds of information that will help you pick the winners for the games by giving you the inside scoop and tips, I am going to do the same today for Capitol betting.

The first big hint, the City's website. Normally reports are attached to agenda items that can be viewed by opening up a PDF file. In this way a delegation knows what is being proposed and can prepare arguments for and against. But not for the Capitol.

Here is what the City website says:

• "Item -- Capitol Theatre - Request to Transition (available on Supplementary Agenda)"

In other words, it is not going to be posted! Why bother speaking as a delegation if one does not know what is going to be proposed except in the last minute. Obviously then, most of the delegations will speak in favour of the Capitol!

But here is the big give-away as to what will happen, an email from the Arts Council - Windsor & Region that I received:

• "Looking Forward: Windsor's Future in a Changing World
  
  What is our place in the global economy? What must we do to attract new business and industry?
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis will host a thought provoking and inspiring evening with Diane Francis and Glen Murray.
  
  Diane Francis, broadcaster, best-selling author and editor at large for the National Post, advises several corporations about the pitfalls and opportunities facing Canadian businesses in the global economy. She skillfully interprets the impact of national and international events on the business community.
  
  Glen Murray, urban strategist, consultant with AuthentiCity and Chair of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, works with businesses and governments. He will show how strengthening the links between the arts, culture and the economy enhances our creativity and quality of life, creating a more attractive city and urban wealth.
  
  Together they will discuss our strengths and weaknesses and suggest how to secure a stronger presence in the national and global economies.
  
  When:
  Thursday, March 8, 2007
  7:00 p.m.-10 p.m.
  6:30 reception
  
  Where:
  Capitol Theatre, 121 University Avenue West
  Tickets $10, available from the theatre box office, 519-253-7729
  
  For more information dial 311 or email at 311@city.windsor.on.ca"

Now seriously, do you really think that the Mayor would have these big shooters from Toronto come to the Capitol Theatre if it is going to be closed down. Get real...do you think he wants to be booed and jeered by Arts types in front of out-of-towners? Naaaaaaaaw, he has to be introduced as the saviour of the Arts in Windsor.

Bet on it!

Just to give you some more hot tips for your betting pleasure, don't you think that this is a weird session anyway. It costs us $10 to learn about our future? And why would the Mayor merely be an MC of the session? Didn't we have a world-class guru brought in by the City at no cost to taxpayers before?

Let's see....Diane Francis journalist, small "c" conservative in Canada, author, Editor-at-Large for the National Post, well-known in Toronto having worked for the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun and Macleans as well.

Glen Murray, from Toronto, Ontario, "is a partner at Navigator Limited as well as a Visiting Scholar & Urban Policy Coordinator at the University of Toronto. He is former Mayor of Winnipeg, best known for his vision to build culturally dynamic urban centres."

Interesting, wasn't Navigator a firm that provided advice to the City during the border issue. And part of the "strategy" for Navigator is AuthentiCity.

Hmmm strong Toronto connection, strategic firm known to the Mayor, good publicity in Windsor and elsewhere about Eddie's forward thinking...bet on a Provincial cabinet position too for our Eddie!

PS. Remember how bad Eddie's meeting planners were. I think they messed up again.

Was Eddie scooped by another small town in Ontario?

If you just cannot wait to hear Glen Murray in March, he will be speaking on "AUTHENTICITY, CREATING URBAN WEALTH" in Chatham on January 24. I guess he must have a standard "urban wealth" speech that he uses. Cost is $35 but you get a continental breakfast, a networking coffee break, hot lunch, not just a cheapo reception for $10.

PPS....One other thought----AuthentiCity, SimpliCity Hmmmmm I wonder.

How Good Are Consultant Traffic Projections

Do you remember these graphs I posted once before? They were presented by the Bridge Co. at the Senate Bill C-3 hearings.

Just this once, humour me. Would you please assume that the Bridge Co. actually knows what it is talking about, being the most succesful bridge operator between Canada and the US. What they said and what the graphs show is the huge variation between projected numbers by consultants and the actual traffic volumes at Sarnia and Windsor.

Aren't the upward consultants' lines very similar? Would you have liked to have been an investor in Sarnia based on these projections? Where would your investment be today? Would you invest in Windsor based on actual vs. projected?

Numbers are significant. They are the basis upon which projects are built and financed. In Windsor, the huge volume of traffic projected in the future is one of the main reasons supposedly why we neeed a new crossing and why someone might want to finance the project in a P3.

If the Bridge Co. is right, and the numbers seem to show they are, especially as evidenced by DRIC revising them downwards several times already, then why do we need another crossing costing multi-billions?

There seems to be available capacity even now when DRIC itself said that the bridge was operating at under 60% capacity. If the volumes aren't there, then who but taxpayers could afford a project that can cost as high as $6 Billion? Can you figure out as well the millions in operating losses that crossing would have that taxpayers would have to pay out every year.

If the projected numbers are right, no problem. As I have Blogged before, if they are wrong, what are the potential consequences:

1. Bankruptcy of the new crossing
   
2. Someone buys the new crossing for pennies on the dollar in a fire sale
   
3. Government forced to take over the project and bail it out
   
4. Lawsuits
   
5. Bankruptcies of some or all of the Ambassador Bridge, Detroit/Windsor Tunnel and the Blue Water Bridge

Go back and read my BLOG on April 18, 2006 "Machiavellian Megaprojects" where we learned that

• "Which projects get built? We found it isn’t necessarily the best ones, but those projects for which proponents best succeed in conjuring a fantasy world of underestimated costs, overestimated revenues, undervalued environmental impacts and overvalued regional development effects...
  
  In fact, there seemed to be a formula at work: (underestimated costs) + (overestimated revenues) + (undervalued environmental impacts) + (overvalued economic development effects) = (project approval)

This is not a mere academic exercise. The NATIONAL FEDERATION OF MUNICIPAL ANALYSTS in its article, Recommended Best Practices in Disclosure for Toll Road Financings, stated:

• "While issuers generally provide significant disclosure for toll roads, the disclosure is not necessarily adequate. Higher quality disclosure must be provided to investors in both the primary and secondary markets...
  
  The feasibility study is the investor’s primary consideration when assessing the economic viability of a toll road and its ability to produce adequate and timely toll revenues to meet financial obligations. To date, many of the feasibility study’s projections for stand-alone start up toll roads have overly estimated traffic and revenue performance."

In an article, "Expert Forum on Road Pricing and Travel Demand Modeling," a commentator stated:

• "Despite the enormous sums of money spent on traffic and revenue forecasts, there is growing concern about the accuracy and reliability of these expensive forecasts."

Another report by Halcrow Fox stated:

• "With large infrastructure projects, the Danish Transport Council state that:
  • Cost overruns of 50 to 100% in real terms are common; overruns above 100% are not uncommon;
  • Traffic forecasts that are off by 20 to 70% compared with actual development are common; and
  • Forecasts of project viability are often over-optimistic to a degree that such forecasts correspond poorly with actual viability"

One of the key ingredients for an "investment grade" traffic and revenue study according to the Washington State Comprehensive Tolling Study is "an objective assessment of the local economy and growth potential." After reading the latest Gord Henderson Economic Statement for Windsor, can anyone legitimately argue that there is economic growth potential to support an investment of billions in a border crossing?

This study continued:

• "In 2002, the bond rating agency Standard & Poor’s (SP) published a report on toll forecasting performance. The basic argument in this report, and in three annual updates, has been that there is a considerable amount of optimism bias in toll revenue forecasts around the world... The point of the SP’s work was that there was a considerable trend towards the overestimation of traffic and revenue, leading to their conclusion of an optimism bias.
  
  S&P suggests that first-year toll revenue estimates have been overestimated by an average of 20 to 30 percent over the sample of projects that they studied. In the 2005 update to the study, they tested traffic performance through the fifth year, and did not find any marked improvement. They also looked at truck forecasts in particular, and found that these were a particular concern, because trucks typically pay considerably higher tolls than light vehicles, and variation in this forecast can have a much bigger effect on actual toll revenues."

A GAO report in 2004 discussed problems with major toll-roads it studied:

• "Four of the five toll roads have faced an additional barrier to financial success because they were or are being built in anticipation of future growth and development... each has struggled financially because the expected level of traffic has not been achieved.
  
  [As an example] SR 125, is also a stand-alone toll road that is being built in anticipation of future growth and development and is scheduled to open in 2006. According to an FHWA official, the traffic studies for this project may be optimistic because, while they are based on anticipated development in San Diego County, they are also based on traffic from Mexico that may not materialize if anticipated development south of the Mexican border does not occur."

The importance of the Ambassador Bridge's testimony and the Danish Professor's thesis as well as these articles was brought home to me recently when I found on the Internet a story written in Forbes magazine a number of years ago. I think you may find it enlightening:

• Roads Less Traveled
  Kelly Barron, Forbes Magazine, 09.03.01
  
  New toll roads have been a bonanza for consultants, but not for bondholders.
  
  
  Florida Governor Jeb Bush's recent veto of a $1.4 million bailout of the Garcon Point Bridge spanning Pensacola Bay was the final indignity in the troubled history of the controversial toll bridge.
  
  A pet project of former Florida House Speaker Bolley (Bo) Johnson, recently released from jail for tax evasion, the bridge was partly built on land he once owned. The builder was charged $4 million in fines and restitution for violating federal environmental laws. Adding to the folly, the toll bridge was built parallel to a nearby free bridge.
  
  But the bridge likely would never have been built at all were it not for the seal of approval it received from URS Corp. of San Francisco, one of a handful of consultants that specialize in traffic projections for public projects. Using URS' 1992 projections that 6,500 cars would drive over the bridge daily and pay what is now a $2.50 toll, promoters flogged $95 million in bonds to finance the project. Today only 3,500 cars a day use the bridge.
  
  "The bridge is an Edsel," sighs Joseph Mooney, a financial adviser who resigned in 1993 after a dispute with local officials over the numbers from URS, a publicly held engineering company whose largest shareholder is investor Richard Blum, otherwise known as the husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
  
  They should have listened. It has become painfully clear to bondholders and politicians that many of the public toll-supported projects built in the past decade, the majority blessed by URS and its ilk, have become financial albatrosses. The Garcon Point Bridge bonds, for instance, trade at 71 cents on the dollar, following multiple downgrades to junk status by the ratings agencies. Local officials will likely have to tap a reserve account next year to meet debt service.
  
  URS defends its record in Florida as solid. But the company has overestimated revenue projections on toll roads elsewhere in the state, including the Seminole Expressway, the Polk Parkway and the Suncoast Parkway. On the 15-mile Veterans Expressway in Tampa, annual tolls are $15 million, barely half what URS projected in 1992. Tolls from the main portion of the state's profitable turnpike go to subsidize those clunkers.
  
  "Many of these deals shouldn't even be brought to market," says Robert Muller, a managing director with J.P. Morgan Chase, who has researched toll-road feasibility studies. Muller figures that at least half of the traffic projections for toll roads--mostly performed by URS, Wilbur Smith Associates in Columbia, S.C. or New York-based Vollmer Associates--vastly overstate the potential.
  
  But that hasn't stopped politicians, bond salesmen and contractors from relying on them. "It's almost an accident if the projection comes in perfectly," admits Edward Regan III, a Wilbur Smith senior vice president. For its part, Wilbur Smith's initial projections in 1992 for the 15-mile San Joaquin Hills Toll Road in Orange County, Calif. were 40% above actual traffic counts. By 1997, $1.1 billion in bonds had to be replaced with lower-rate bonds or risk default. Still in need of riders, the local toll-road authority recently handed out discount coupons.
  
  Despite their mixed track record, the consultants who do the traffic projections have a nice little business, yielding upwards of $500,000 per study. Although traffic studies for revenue bonds probably brought in less than 5% of URS' $2.2 billion in revenues last year, the stock is still doing better than the average revenue bond these days--it's up 239% in the past five years.
  

Before billions are spent on capital costs, before millions are spent on annual losses, doesn't it make sense to look at actual numbers for a change? Isn't it time to revisit traffic volume projections to determine how good they really are?

When we have a private enterprise solution with required Government oversight, once Bill C-3 passes, and an almost 80 year "public/private partership" between the Bridge Co. and Governments, I am having difficulty understanding this desire to waste money on something that may not required based on projections that may not be valid.

If there is a "hidden agenda", it is time already that it see the light of day so we taxpayers can determine its legitimacy. After all, it is OUR money.