A Bit Of This, A Bit Of That

Just six bits that I thought you might find of interest

ANOTHER REASON FOR COUNCILLOR VALENTINIS TO GET ANGRY

$300 Million BIF money is sitting in some account somewhere to fix the road to the Ambassador Bridge and to create infrastructure jobs for Windsor contractors and workers while Eddie and Council dither. In other parts of Canada, the money is actually spent. Thanks to a reader for pointing this out to me. Here is a Trucknews.com story

• Highway construction underway to U.S. border
  By: Steven Macleod
  
  SURREY, B.C. -- Work has begun to complete the widening of the Hwy. 15 corridor, from Surrey, B.C. to the U.S. border, in an effort to ease congestion and travel time.
  
  Having a continuous four-lane highway from the Trans-Canada Highway to the Pacific Highway border crossing is expected to improve access for truckers to and from the U.S.
  
  "This $15.4-million project is the latest component of the joint federal-provincial program to improve the movement of goods and people to and from the Lower Mainland's border crossings," said Transport Minister Kevin Falcon. "We are committed to working with the federal government to open up our transportation gateways and improve the movement of goods and people."
  
  The Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia are cost-sharing this latest project, with most of the work being funded through the Border Infrastructure Fund. Supplemental funding is provided through the federal-provincial Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program border crossing component.
  
  "Improved links will also reduce freight costs, and enhance the economies of Canada, British Columbia and the Greater Vancouver region," said Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.
  
  This project will see the widening of Hwy. 15 in Surrey from 32nd Avenue to the Roger Pierlet Overhead, and from 68A Avenue to 92nd Avenue. Work includes grade construction, soil preparation, asphalt removal, paving and electrical installations."

IS ROSEANN DANESE AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE GROUP OF TWO OR THREE

Whew, if you think I am hard on the Mayor and Council, check out Roseann's recent BLOGS. They will make your hair curl!
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/features/blogs/danese.html

TUNNEL PLAZA IMPROVEMENTS

Hmmmm, did Eddie cancel the public information session when he found out about the Alinda deal? My sources tell me that it was the Mayor's office that put the order out to cancel the open house, supposedly so that the "new" Tunnel Commission members could be on board. Having said that - when is the open house rescheduled. Don't the taxpayers (both individuals and businesses) living in the area deserve an opportunity to see the plans (after all, Councillor Budget and the Mayor have been lauding the new openess at City Hall).

DID REMO MANCINI MESS UP

I wonder if John Millson applied for the Economic Development job. If he did, should he have been hired?

Interesting Henderson column about John Millson who went out to Alberta knocking on doors to promote work for our area and his job creation out of Fort McMurray. Henderson discussed

• "a 100-job venture, in co-operation with a Calgary-based firm, to make composite utility poles in an existing plant.
  
  The Tilbury plant, which is to be in full production by June, is the first big payoff from Millson's Alberta door-knocking as president and point man of OilSands Development, a company looking for joint business opportunities involving Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
  
  Millson, who keeps reinventing a career that has seen him peddle flowers, the City of Windsor, restaurant furniture and racehorses, said it clicked in August, after an Alberta cabinet minister spoke in Oshawa about potential joint ventures, that he needed to be out west selling our area."

Contrast his style with what our new Economic Development Czar is doing

• "And while today is his first on the job, Fischer has already prepared a first draft of a report he'll deliver to the economic development commission Saturday, setting out a 120-day action plan and outlining his plans to restructure the office with a stronger focus on business attraction and retention."

BRENTWOOD RECOVERING

Councillor Gignac's purchase of Lottery tickets certainly helped didn't it. I wonder if she won anything and donated it back.

COMMUNITY CONSULTATION GROUP MEETING

I am a member of this group set up by DRIC for the border crossing matter.

At our recent meeting, there was a discussion of the air quality monitoring during the last quarter of 2006. It is clear that the likelihood of a tunnel is just about ZERO. The results show that generally pollution from trucks is not a significant risk along the DRIC route with most readings in the "acceptable" range. Generally, any high readings are due to non-Windsor causes such as trans-border pollution.

As for Windsor's "interim control by-law" and heritage designation stopping anything border-related, it was pointed out that the Province and Feds are "senior" to the municipality.

One strange thing I thought about during the DRIC meeting was the emphasis on the Ambassador Bridge's program and the reference to the website to find out information about it. It was admitted that a discussion about that subject was a "distraction" to what we were discussing at our meeting but nevertheless it was talked about as part of our agenda.

This fixation of Government people about the Bridge Co. is really interesting to me. I am sure that you can guess as well as I can why that discussion took place.