Even More Thoughts

Here are some additional matters that I considered over the past few days

THERE IS NO BORDER CROSSING ISSUE

I told you what was in Sandra Pupatello's pre-election mailing to constituents--or rather what was NOT in it: any discussion about the border.

Did you read the big guest column in the Star from Dwight Duncan. Someone at the Star has a perverted sense of humour. It was the column placed right beside the Star Editorial demanding that

• "The Liberal government has a responsibility to voters in this community to tell us before the election where it stands on the project that will define this community for generations to come."

Try and find the word "border" in Dwight's column just as I defy you to find it in Sandra's brochure. It is not there.

The only logical conclusion that I can draw is that there is no border problem since the Ambassador Bridge has dealt with the matter so well and that they will be allowed to build their Enhancement Project. Our two MPP/Cabinet Ministers know that and that is why they do not have to talk about the border any more.

The announcement to permit the Bridge Co. to go forward will not be made however until after the election since the politicians fear they might lose a few votes. It seems though that their campaign people have not considered that they might actually gain votes if a multi-hundred million dollar project actually starts up now so thousands of people can have jobs!

CAN AMBASSADOR WILSON AND TRANSPORT MINISTER CANNON GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER

It's not bad enough that the border crossing matter has dragged on for so long and that each party is fighting each other party with nothing being accomplished except enriching consultants and lawyers. Now it is not clear what the position of Canada's New Government is. That's the name that Stephen Harper uses to distinguish his Government from Canada's OLD Government whatever that was, it's been so long.

We all thought that Transport Canada was in charge of the file but that is not necessarily the case. It might be all a ruse in the same way that Donna Cansfield is really not in charge from Ontario's perspective but is merely the front-person to take the hits on the file.

We should have figured it out when the Foreign Affairs Dept. through the Detroit Consulate paid for Eddie's baseball tickets. When Michael Kergin was retained by McGuinty we should have assumed that naturally he would talk to his former buddies in Foreign Affairs rather than in Transport. After all, it is a Canada-US issue and that requires the expertise and finesse of the people in the Ambassador's Office.

Why do you think that Minister Cannon came down here to visit with the Governor. It was a last minute trip. By my reckoning, they may have had a whole hour to talk together...hardly the time to achieve anything significant. Nope, the Minister came down here for the publicity of the news story and photo op at the Art Gallery so he could show his face to try and keep control of the border file for his Department.

There is a turf war going on between Transport and Foreign Affairs!

Of course he is in a losing fight. The Globe and Mail story on the Bridge Co. shook up the Prime Minister's Office and suggested that Transport was in big trouble with DRIC. That meant the Government strategy is in shambles now and there was a need to regroup.

I am sure that the Ambassador was called in since he was involved with the PC Government that settled the FIRA fight with the Bridge Co. years ago.

Here's the problem....No one knows what Canada's position is any more. It is chaotic. There are conflicting messages being given. We get the Ambassador saying one thing, the Minister saying something totally different. In fact the Minister when he was here the other day did not even visit the Bridge Co. Is he afraid of something to talk to them? Afraid to learn the truth that his bureaucrats have been hiding from him? At least the Ambassador and the Ambassador Bridge Co. were in Mackinac together so might have met on the porch of the Grand Hotel for a coffee!

We know that Minister Cannon just came back from visiting the Governor and wants public ownership of the new crossing. Yet we have the Ambassador, in words similar to Canada's Senate saying

• "...we have to take into account the interest of the private sector to make sure that the things that they feel are important, the things that feel must be taken into account in the decision making process are critical to the success of whatever comes out of the other end process.
  
  An over-riding principle has to be that we have got to do this carefully, we have to listen to all those different points of view as we go through this."

Would Canada's New Government finally figure out please what their position is so that it can achieve a solution that Canada's Old Government could not!

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY IN WARD 2

Economically speaking, life must be good in the West Eend.

Let's see now, the Ward Councillors are opposed to the multi-hundred million dollar investment in their Ward by the Bridge Co. They are giving George Sofos a hard time with his $200,000 investment in the Junction. They voted against allowing Bushante Development Group the right to demolish a 400 sq ft house and build a double-duplex for students.

Didn't Ward 2 also lose the downtown arena to the East end?

I guess they just do not need anything more from an economic perspective with the promise of the urban village errrrrr University Engineering complex.

And speaking of Ward 2, some very harsh language about Ward 2 between Councillors Halberstadt and Postma at the last Council meeting involving the word "ghetto," or a variation of it, that may require the Governor's Hubby to come back and do some follow-up work to prevent fisticuffs on Cogeco.

It's all just playing to the crowd on TV in reality. Why Councillors and candidates for office say all kinds of things during a campaign they would hope that people would forget. But some people have very good memories!

INCORRECT HEADLINE

The Star headline read "Ottawa banks $400M to fund new crossing."

Actually that money was set aside in the Federal budget supposedly to help finance the road to the border:

• "Responsibility for the access road that will link the bridge with Highway 401 rests with the Province of Ontario. To help support this important component of the new crossing, Canada's New Government will make a contribution to cover 50 per cent of the eligible capital cost of building the access road. This contribution will come from the new national fund for gateways and border crossings. Budget 2007 sets aside $400 million from this new national fund for this important project."

DO NDPers USE THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE

Do not believe a word when Socialists demand that a new bridge be publicly owned in Windsor. They do not really mean it obviously. If they have a choice to go into the US to shop or dine, it is now absolutely clear that their crossing of choice is the privately run and owned Ambassador Bridge and NOT the Cities-owned Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Even Socialists do not like to wait in long lines.

How can I say this? Simple. Take this recent quote from Brian Masse:

• "I believe in public ownership and will fight the campaign to keep it that way," he said. "We will have lower fares, greater accountability and we can afford to do it. And more importantly, it's done like that everywhere else."
  
  Masse said that the only U.S.-Canada crossing with higher fares than the privately owned Ambassador Bridge is the International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie, the only other privately owned bridge.
  
  "I'm concerned that we could be introducing a fee here that would be borne by Windsor residents disproportionately because we use the border more than anyone else," he said. "In fact, 50 per cent of the crossing is local."

If Brian ever took the Tunnel, then he would know, as I have pointed out many times before on here, that his information is incorrect. The Tunnel round-trip fare is $8.75 while that of the Bridge is only $8. The Tunnel is the higher fare. He must never use the Tunnel since he is so familiar with the Bridge Co. tolls. In fact, he must not even consider that the Tunnel is important or viable in the long-run.

Perhaps he could phone our Mayor and ask him why he values the US half at US$75M if few use it.

Oh and Brian's facts are not correct. The International Bridge is not privately owned either. "Its day to day operation is carried on by the International Bridge Administration (IBA) under the supervision of the Joint International Bridge Authority." Brian must be thinking about the Fort Frances-International Falls bridge.

It's scary that he is our MP and says he knows so much about the border. Do you think he might be a source of confusion if he cannot get his facts straight!

INDIAN ROAD RESIDENTS DON'T MATTER NOW

Shall these lines win the prize as the quote of the week:

• "Ward 2 Coun. Ron Jones said abandoned homes always raise concerns with the city.
  
  "We have to be very vigilant ... in keeping an eye on things, he said. "I know our building inspection people are monitoring the situation."
  
  The Sandwich Street home is the second vacant house in the area to go up in flames in the past couple of months, said Jones.
  
  Jones said he plans to discuss the situation with the city's chief building official and chief fire prevention officer."

I have this goofy idea. Tear down a bunch of abandoned homes on Indian Road and use the Green Corridor group to suggest ideas about how the neighbourhood can be improved. I'll let Councillor Jones take the credit for this idea and will allow him to introduce a Motion at Council about it.

Who could possibly turn down this idea!