Tons Of New Stories

Fast and furious, the media is publishing stories that absolutely need to be told

WHO NEEDED LUFTHANSA

It looks like London is way ahead of us in the airline hub game. But more importantly, here are the kind of costs that we in Windsor will be stuck payignng if we dare compete against Aerotroplis in Detroit and London, especially if the concept does not fly:

• "Airport freight centre plan wins backing
  
  Build it and they will come.
  
  An air-freight transportation centre at London International Airport would help diversify London's economy and attract much-needed new industry, say London business leaders who cheered city council's support for the strategy.
  
  "This could be a signature project," said Gerry Macartney, general manager of the London Chamber of Commerce.
  
  "It is strategically very important, giving us a position in the world market we presently do not have. If we want to be in the global market these are the things we must do."
  
  The idea is to use federal and provincial stimulus money to build the logistics centre at the airport...
  
  The airport also has a cold storage facility nearby -- Liberty Freezers on Sovereign Road -- and trucking firms that can tie into the facility so food products can be refrigerated and shipped.
  
  The development would cost $21 million. Two-thirds would be paid by provincial and federal stimulus money and the city would provide $7 million.
  
  Council has asked for a more detailed report on the proposal by month's end.
  
  White recently visited the Netherlands -- an international centre for moving freight -- to gauge interest from businesses on establishing transportation logistics businesses at London's airport. White was told there is interest, but the centre would have to be built for London to be taken seriously...
  
  That means goods could be shipped from London to Europe, establishing London as an air logistics centre nationally."

Oooooooooops, there goes the exporting of onions business.

By the way, whatever happend to our German friends Michael and Thomas. I went to their website, http://freshline.aero/ Not much seems to have happened with them for years!

WHY THE CITY OPPOSES ARBITRATION

• "Citing six arbitrated decisions involving municipal contracts going back to 1957, Francis said the city has not fared well. The most recent was last summer when an arbitrator gave 30 full-time equivalent city employees at Huron Lodge, all members of the Ontario Nurses Association, retroactive wage increases of between three and 9.3 per cent. The arbitrator also rejected the city’s attempt to end post-retirement benefits for new hires at Huron Lodge."

Doesn't this say more about how the City treats its employees in negotiations than about how Arbitrators make decisions! It looks like Management constantly loses.

Here is more childishness:

• "Both sides have said they’re willing to get back to the bargaining table, but neither seems willing to initiate such a move. CUPE’s leaders today said the city walked out on the last unsuccessful round of talks so that it’s up to the corporation to make the next move."

IS THERE MONEY IN WINDSOR

We must have oodles of it somewhere if we are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on it in infrastructure regardless of what the Senior Levels do. If that is so

• Why aren't we paying down our huge post-retirement fund liabilities that S&P is so concerned about or is that the real reason we have a strike
• Why haven't the Tunnel Plaza Improvements started where our share is only $10M
• Why didn't Eddie do the Tunnel deal for only $75M. He could have flipped it by now
• Why aren't we building the College bridge already
• Why did we have to borrow from the bank to fund the WFCU costs
• Why can't we support the Arts, such as the cost for converting the Armouries for the WSO.

Feel free to add to the list.

NO ARTIFICIAL TURF IN ROUGE RIVER

Imagine the cost---$600 for all of it compared with $81 square yard in Windsor

• MELVINDALE — Grass along the Rouge River near the ice arena is going be torn out for the health of the river.
  
  City officials recently accepted a $600 “Grow Zone” grant from The Alliance of Rouge Communities for seeds of native plants and wildflowers that will be part of a “no mow” area.
  
  Eric Witte, Department of Public Works director, said that this summer the DPW will remove the grass from the boat dock to the edge of the arena and put down the seeds...
  
  “In the long run, it saves us money and it’s good for the environment,” Councilman Jeffrey Bolton said.
  
  The city will incur the initial cost of tilling and seeding the area, but thereafter is expected to save money from reduced grass cutting and other maintenance."

A NEW EXCUSE FOR NOT CUTTING WINDSOR'S GRASS

Come on now, be fair, the strike of outside workers is a good reason for our parks looking like shambles.

Here are the excuses of the past that we did not have to hear this time around:

• "According to Councillor Valentinis, the reason why "Grass cutting at city parks [is] falling short" is "with global warming, grass appears to be growing earlier and faster every spring"
• we are waiting for the University students to join the Parks Department before the grass would be cut
• it a nature preserve so that the grass never needs cutting
• a mild May followed by lots of rain and warm weather has sent vegetation growth at city parks out of control and staff are having trouble keeping up with it.

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

More fantastic words of widsom from our Undevelopment Commission. When will the new head Wizard be hired:

• How can a motor city survive? Find a new road
  
  May 16, 2009
  Jon Wells
  The Hamilton Spectator
  (May 16, 2009)
  Motor cities like Windsor and Oshawa have felt the crunch from the auto industry's decline, but development leaders vow that the future holds better days.
  
  Still, Windsor's business development man does not mince words when it comes to the auto crash impact on his city.
  
  "It has had tremendous impact. There's been a complete deterioration of the manufacturing base," said Patrick Persichilli, vice-president of the Windsor-Essex Development Commission.
  
  Windsor's unemployment recently hit 13.7 per cent, the highest in the country.
  
  "The silver lining in all of this is that it has forced our manufacturing base to rationalize where they want to be in the next five to 10 years."
  
  He said the future is about their manufacturing base finding new markets, beyond auto, such as construction machinery, medical technology, alternative energy sources, aerospace. He pointed to the success story of Valiant Machine and Tool, which was named Boeing's supplier of the year in the non-production category."

Yes as much of a silver lining as our house prices crashing as unemployed workers' homes are foreclosed so that people can move here and live cheaply!

WHY THE JAIL WAS NEVER GOING TO BRIGHTON BEACH

Hmmm no one seems concerned that CBSA officers will be working there and members of the public will be using the lands or that there might be better uses for the land:

• "Councillor Hatfield states that at the municipal level, they were always under the understanding that a detention center would be built in Brighton Beach. Council was very surprised that the Province changed the location. He asks why the location was changed and why the proposed site was chosen.
  
  Mr. Woods states that through the site selection analysis, they considered the Brighton Beach area and for planning reasons, it was felt that the introduction of a sensitive land use into a heavy industrial neighbourhood would be more difficult to assess and mitigate through the Provincial guidelines. The other factor is the proposed new bridge to the USA that would take up a large part of the lands being considered. It was not clear whether there would be enough room to develop the facility at that location
  
  Mr. Handy states that most of the services exist but would have to be extended into the Brighton Beach site as well. He also adds that portions of the Brighton Beach site were under the Waterfront Port designation in the Official Plan and therefore those lands may be more valuable for other uses in the future.

EDDIE THOUGHT IT WAS HIS CANAL

Can you imagine the shouts of glee as Eddie read the headline. Unfortunately, the rest of the story was not as good.

Canada's Transport Minister officially opens Canal
Minister Baird highlights contribution of canal tourism to local economy

OTTAWA, May 15 /CNW Telbec/ - The Honourable John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, today launched the 177th season of uninterrupted service on the Rideau Canal National Historic Site of Canada.