1)
2) I attended a recent presentation of capital works budgets for 2007-2008 to the Windsor Heavy Construction Association. This is an annual event to let contractors know what they can start planning for. Everyone presented their out look for the upcoming construction season; County of Essex, Town of Leamington, Amherstburg, Lasalle, Lakeshore, Tecumseh etc. Everyone - except the City of Windsor. No representation this year. Everyone is assuming that this means no work to speak of and that rumors of almost the entire capital works budget being sucked up by the arena are true.
3) Why is it that everyone thinks that Eddie is this fiscally prudent operator when council is still seriously contemplating a 3.2% tax rate increase.
When Eddie came to power, the City's 2004 $10M debt reduction amount came almost entirely from the increase in the Sewer Surcharge from 140% of the water rate to 180% of the water rate. The following years, there was significant increases in assessed property values which allowed the Councillors to keep the mill rate increases down.
Now that there are no assessment value increases (likely decreases in the coming years) and very little new construction in the City, all we hear is the excuses to support such an increase.
Windsor is dying and cannot afford any increase at all. If you want to balance a budget, you don't need to micro manage or make excuses through good PR, simply leave it to Administration to cut their departmental costs. It is amazing what they will quickly find.
4) Ed,
Your blog is so controversial that [foreign] government has blocked it from view!
5) Bloggers extraordinaire;
I just realized that a year has passed since the famed Tecumseh Council meeting. The meeting where Windsor City Council resolved to pursue its own EA amongst other things. The meeting where Eddie cross-examined Al MacKinnon. I nearly forgot about it. We rely on you to remind (embarass) us on these key dates in civic history.
6) Maybe a councillor is finally thinking.
A twin bridge would only go halfway because they (Windsor) will not allow it.
If the city thinks they can stop the bridge company, I for one would love to have a nickel for every pound of paper the lawsuit would generate.
This is not a Timmie's outlet or a Mac's they can use scare tactics against.
This involves billions. If by any chance the City can do anything, can you imagine the gridlock when the bridge closes to traffic?
In this day and age of negotiations and well versed business people, you would expect some sort of respect from a local government.
How many jobs have been lost in the last five years?
How many more in the next five?
Can you imagine how well Windsor would do IF we had entrepreneurial councilors?
Wait, maybe they are waiting for the bridge to go bankrupt and the City will take over just the same as it did the Capitol Theatre.
I'd like to see the official cost after that Capitol mess is done with, let alone the costs for fighting the bridge company.
Good thing Eddie had a successful pita business.
It shows. Well maybe not.
7)Dear Mr Arditti,
Top of the day to you.
I do enjoy your article and most of the time you are "spot on" but, I like to make few suggestions that could help our situation. We need to spin our comments in a positive way so that we can encourage our leadership to fix our current issues.
I think that most of the city media (administration and development commission) communication be placed in the comics section of the paper. They are constantly moving in different directions, its time to stop and regroup!
Yes the Windsor populous and surrounding areas should feel in complete isolation from the rest of Canada simply due to politically driven agendas and lack of leadership. Does impeachment exist in Canada? If yes why doesn't anyone act on it?
The problem is very simple, Windsor has the tools for a "Come Back", the leadership is too blind and inexperienced to find the power receptacle!
Finding the common denominator for this temporary misfortune is the key in finding a solution but, it will require strong leadership, focus and perhaps some tough decisions.
If it quacks like a duck, if it walks like a duck than its a duck! We must remember and remind our leadership that Windsor is an automotive town. Automobiles production projections for North America are still in the 17 to 18 million units for the foreseeable future.
Why re-invent the wheel and turn this economy into something else. Why not fix what's broken for the immediate future and in parallel think about what to do after the automobile?
So lets see, with experience, skills, eager population, vicinity to the largest world economy (friendly to Canada), loads of local academic resources and support it begs few questions:
A. Why has our home grown industry moved southwest, northeast and in other continents?
B. Why on new automotive investments this industrial hub is ignored?
C. What are our Municipal, Provincial and Federal leaders doing to help the only city in Canada with no growth prospective?
To find the common denominator to Windsor's misfortune will not and should not take studies after studies, its simple!
Lets begin to understand that Windsor is not a problem but, an opportunity of growth for Ontario and Canada.
What does the automotive growth areas in the southwest, northeast and other areas of the world offer that Windsor can not?
We don't need to go back in history, we don't need to think too hard or too long! Could the recent events in one of the exclusive golf club in this area give our leaders a hint!
Instead of waiting for the last person to turn the "lights off", our leadership must engage with other leaders in the community (academic, industry, entertainment, labor, etc.) and discuss the issue on hand and find a common solution!
Fighting each other will only reinforce potential investors to stay away from this area.
Casinos with its current expansion, new arenas, etc. are needed to sustain the entertaining industry and yes, will attract the local populace and our American friends to spend their cash but, will not be sufficient to sustain our economy long term...
We need to focus on producing innovative, quality and competitive goods to revive the Windsor economy. We need to stop "pointing the finger" on who screwed up!...
Why don't we encourage both sides to work together (old and new). The old ideas got us here (long successful economic run for Windsor), the new ideas will shape a strategy for the future, both forces can contribute the Windsor "Come Back" if they work together.
We can do it! Lets do it!
8) My name is Harvey Bondy. I used to do a TV Show on Cogeco Cable for 9 years called "Get Busy with Living"
From that, I created a new opportunity A website that is a Community focused. This is my new Website
Harvey Bondy
Events & Photos
Just click the link
www.harveybondy.com
Please check it out. It will be continually Updated. Just Events & Photos. Lots of photos so far & many more to come
If you have an event that you would like to advertise, easiest way to tell everyone is to put it on the web.
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