What Readers Say

More comments from loyal readers:

1) Once upon a time

there was an emperor....

oops - sorry, wrong story...

well, not really - our emperor runs round buck naked while the sycophants admire his fine garments....

ewwww... that image is burning my brain....

isn't it wonderful that we finally know for certain ONE of the reasons the strike went on for so long.... MUCH easier to close child care centres when you've driven away the clients by being CLOSED for three months ....

they've been studying this for YEARS, according to [Ronna Warsh]

and they didn't HAVE to consult the county ANYWAY!!!

and here is the message from the Chief Axe-wielding Officer to the peasants:

***********************************************************

From: CAO Office
Sent: February 2, 2010 11:40 AM
To: Office of the Chief Administrative Officer; Office of the Chief Financial Officer; Office of the City Clerk; Office of the City Engineer; Office of the City Solicitor; Office of the Community Development & Health Commissioner; Office of the Auditor General; Mayor's Office; Local 543; Local 82; Fire Association Office
Subject: Message to all City of Windsor Employees`

To all City of Windsor Employees:

Last night, City Council made a difficult decision and approved the closure of all municipally operated child care centres. The report recommending the closures was very challenging for staff to prepare and this change in service delivery will be extremely difficult for those most affected by the decision . The recommendations followed a thorough review of our enrolment numbers, our current budget and the fact that the phase in of full-day JK/SK is set to start later this year. All centres will close by September 1, 2010.

The closures may impact all of us to some degree as we work to carry out collective agreement provisions as well as the policies in place for our non union employees. I ask that you continue to show compassion to your colleagues impacted directly by this change. We need to work together to ensure that the process to accommodate staff changes as a result of possible new placements or bumping are appropriate and fair.

I appreciate your commitment to the job and to each other during this challenging time.

Helga

Helga Reidel,
Chief Administrative Officer

************************************************

snif ... snif... I bet she knows the words to 'solidarity forever', too...

wonder if the integrity commissioner will take a complaint??

OH RIGHT..... NO NEW COMPLAINTS BEING ACCEPTED UNTIL THE NEW COMMISH IS HIRED.....

can the ducks be lined up any TIGHTER

I wonder if CANUE realizes it's up caca creek with NO PADDLES... 'tis said that 'middle management' is next on the hit list, about March or so...

and what is all this 'FAIRNESS'?

The only 'fair' thing going on is scattering the pain and fear and devastation that accompanies mass layoffs across as wide an area as possible....

tip: buy stock in drug companies, because sales of anti-depressants, tranquillizers, and anti-anxiety meds are going to SOAR...

and stockpile the gravol, this WILL induce vomiting before it's finished....

October cannot get here fast enough...

2) Just finished reading another blog of yours telling us the story while showing other "journalists" the obvious. I have come to the conclusion the so called "journalists" at the local newspaper have no clue on how to dig for a story. They are opinion orientated and not fact based. So much for talent.

The "water cooler" mentality has not served the readers and communityin an open and reasonable fashion. Instead they continue to provoke and take sides on issues they know little about or if they do, they present bias in order to please certain people. Less drama would be a good start for them.

Nice job Ed. Keep up the good fact based presentations.

3) In regards to last night’s council meeting...shameful. Three councillors declare conflicts of interest and the Mayor claims he can still participate.

My understanding is that a few of the city daycares are in “lower income” areas such as Glengarry. (I think) If this is true is there a private daycare provider planning to open up in this and other areas? Would they have enough business to be able to stay open?

What about just closing the underperforming ones or lowering staff levels there?

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark ah Windsor.

As always looking forward to reading your next blog.

4) It all seems so simple yet ironic.
Use money from the Bull or the sewage.
Either way day care could have been saved for years to come.

Tears do not justify deliberately hurting single moms
and denying the rights of children who cannot speak for themselves.

So much for compassion.

5) union seems to be serving strictly as buffer between employee & employer ... as an employee i can't seek fairness from employer without going through union first ... seems no union would be preferable to any union ... at least i could get help from lawyers & olrb

6) lame question but wondering it anyway, how can workers lose every time when we're supposed to be so united and standing?

7) I do have to say that I really love having an alternative media to get insight into the behind the scenes manoeuvers that go into making straightforward decisions.
Keep up the good work

8) Ed, if you were being circumspect, please, take the gloves off. We both know they all read you daily! There are so many unanswered questions. Dilkens just questioned if parents who choose city day care are making the right decision based on the fact that most parents do not choose city Daycare! And he was serious!

Please Ed, get er done! Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war!

9) So many closures and our mayor busy playing monopoly ...

10) I just read your blog, as I always do and I'm wondering about your question about the administrator (or should I say admini TRAITOR)

11) I read your blog every day and LOVE IT!

12) CUPE felt that Windsor Council was feeling neglected as evidenced by their
poor behaviour over the past year and is giving them some attention now.

maybe local businesses would be glad that a convention or two is coming to town

13) your blog is daily reading for me - a guilty pleasure!

14) There have been a lot of actions inside Social Services leading up to the idea of closing City daycares. Almost like the plan to close was in place from at least 2008. All the while government telling us that Children were important.

Children's Services used to work together with Children's Aid Society as a monitoring program by subsidizing at risk families. This provided social & developmental supports for underprivileged children. Children could enter daycare and parent/s could attend CAS parenting programming and such things as counselling, drug rehab, etc. This ended in 2008.

In early 2009 we were told that single parents could not longer access the 30 day subsidized daycare so that they could conduct full time job search. Parents would enter jobs with their childcare already in place. Gone overnight.

In April 2009 the strike forced parents out of work due to loss of
daycare and for others to seek alternative daycares.

15) Hello Ed, Thanks for the push on the blog. Lots of hits I can see;] I think you and the "boys" do great work in this city keeping the citizens up to date on all the issues and stuff that just doesn't make the local paper. I cannot help but to think where the citizens would be, if it were not for yourself and others to keep us informed. I can read the warmth and love that you and others feel for this city and that alone is what has inspired me! Education for the voter's will bring us the real winner in any election. I know there is more competent and trust worthy people out there who can take this place in the right direction and in OuR life time. with that being said, It is time for change and if we can bring awareness to more people, we can make it count. I think 70 to 75% percent voter turnout may seem impossible to some and in this city that would be a miracle, but a good man once said "at least it is possible" and when you can make it possible the opportunities are endless....or somethig like that } Thanks again Ed. for everything.

16) I stayed and watched the entire Red Bull event last year and spent a companion day roaming the downtown streets. I will tell you with absolute authority that the Harrow Fair draws more people. Year after year. Yup...Looks and smells like pure election fodder for the next two years. What can I say...Oh yeah...SOOOWEEE!

17) If there is no significant impact on the 2010 budget and PETU overall (including retro) got more than CUPE did, why is it that CUPE had such a monumental impact on the city budget and PETU did not??

I am a member of CUPE and I am still reeling from the impact of the strike. The emotional, let alone the financial trauma that this mayor has inflicted on this city is immeasurable!

Breaking the union is the goal of this mayor. He has no respect for people, especially the city workers.

Thank you for being a voice of reason in the midst of total insanity that has captivated Windsor and Essex County

18) [Copy of a letter sent]

Eddie,

I recall you comments during the CUPE strike with regards to the reason against arbitration, something to the effect 'We are not going to bring someone in from Toronto to decide the fate our our community' But now you just hired a lawyer from Waterloo to head up negotiations with the Windsor Police? I am lost here, Eddie could you explain your comments from before and how they fit into your decision to bring in someone from Waterloo?

19) Marion Overholt destroyed Eddie

20) [Windsor's new City Hall] I can bet you right now the Building is already drawn up in some ones files!

21) In today’s star our Mayor is quoted as saying the following in reference to the City Hall square building.

“It’s a very costly building to upkeep and maintain,” said Mayor Eddie Francis. Emergency repairs and other security upgrades have cost ratepayers approximately $425,000 since 2006.

Myself and many of my fellow strikers found it interesting that a locksmith was installing new locks on various doors at city hall just as the strike was beginning. We took it as a bad omen.

So how much of the $425,000 was to replace the locks during the strike and how much was for normal repairs?

As usual looking forward to reading your next blog.

23) I was given your name to voice my disagreement with the Mayor's decision to close the public Day Care Centers in Windsor.

How absurd, he has crossed a boundary! The program should have been an essential service!

I have just returned from living in British Columbia for 30 years, I was born and raised in this town, and am very saddened to see such an incompetent Mayor and council! I only wish that I could write as eloquent as my Grandfather ( R.M. Harrison ), I know that he is rolling in his grave. If you are not familiar with the name, he was a very popular journalist for the Windsor Star in the 40's and 50's, his specialty was politics. I know that he would have arranged a movement to remove such an arrogant mayor, whom I understand has made some very costly mistakes affecting the taxpayers of their money.

I will be forfeiting looking for employment so that my daughter has affordable daycare, she most certainly can not afford the rate as well as the strict hours available in the private sector

24) Interesting Article from the Amherstburg Echo ... don't think that they are so "shut up about it"
... must not have any cut-off buttons on the mike out there ...

Municipal daycare faces September closure
Windsor city council shoots down motion to defer matter for one month
http://amherstburgecho.com/PrintArticle.aspx?e=2368925

25) Re: Your blog today. The quote you use from the mayor speaks volumes.

"The public needs to come out and hear about this. How do we do this in a way that's reflective of the realities in the community."

In other words, “I will speak and you will listen.” He has no interest in consulting, he has no interest in negotiation, he has no interest in compromise, he has no interest in listening to other’s ideas. It’s his MO of My Way or the Highway. There is no conciliation in his methods.

Can the city survive 9 more months of this?

26) What's next, maybe the Mayor will recommend getting out of Huron Lodge business too. Who needs to be taking care of sick old people.

27) couldn't help but feel that the summer of 2009 being repasted in front of me and the rest of the Windsor taxpayers

does council enjoy being counter productive in there role as City leaders.I say move the election up to June 2010 so we can impliment people who are genuinely interested in reviving Windsors economy,the statistics do not lie,the jobs are not here yet nor do they look like they are driving down the new d.r.i.c. route to Windsor.I am ashamed to say I live in Windsor lead by a bunch of selfserving polititions and buisinesses interested in filling their pockets in such terrible economic times at taxpayers expense!!!

28) With all the boards Edgar reins over I wonder what his attendance rate is.

29) Amazing.

The "Bull" subsidy is at just under $18 per person with 2009 numbers.

30) Maybe we need to see a blog on how much Edgar's salary has risen as compared to the firefighters.

31) How can local business looking for wind farm work compete against a
corporation that is subsidized by it's own government with tax dollars the local
people pay.

Seems to me the government is not on a level playing field when it comes
to investing in domestic projects.

Ten million for Red Bull
Billions for Korea

Who's next in line?

32) Reading your blog certainly keeps me informed on what is going on in Windsor.

Thought you might find a phone call we received interesting. It was a survey call asking whether I would consider voting for the following candidates. I have no idea which camp initiated the call.

Eddie Francis
Bill Marra
Mike Hurst
John Millson
Jo-Ann Gignac
Dave Brister

It might just be an interesting election after all!

33) Union leadership during the strike was decidedly weak, so we cannot hope for any better now. Edgar has bullied us into submission.

34) [Re City Daycare] Ed,that is the most depressing thing I've ever read coming from you :(

35) [Re Robin Hood airport] I'd like to send a one-way trip ticket to the Celtic lands.......

36) Read about the daycare closures... as soon as one regular 543 member is out the door, the City cannot hire summer students. Another thing we have heard is that they are not getting rid of the 7 supervisors, they will redeploy them. They are all in the Sunshine Club. Seems like the City could have saved double the money if they got rid of them

37) We all know change is needed for this city to move forward.

38) Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the Commish was hired because they thought they could tell him what to do and come out smelling like a rose.

39) One big concern is that the relief of the managers not forming a union....it doesn't make sense....a union is just people negotiating together for better working conditions....call it CAW, CUPE whatever. Even though the managers are not "officially" a union, they are bargainin as a group for better working conditions for all... they got a group raise in wages and benefits....so aren't they a union anyway? Sheep, people and the star are so gullable.

40) ...His beloved King saved the city and the rest of the world from the evils of unions. All Edgar had to do is negotiate with the managers. Now that's different