Amber Alert: Greenlink Missing

Windsor Police are actively seeking help from the public to try and locate the border road known as Greenlink. It has been missing for some time. Please do NOT call City Hall since no one is around to answer the phones. Call 1-800-FIND-GREENLINK with tips.

No monetary reward is being offered given the fragile condition of the Windsor economy but the one who provides the information that leads to the recovery of Greenlink will be able to sit beside the Mayor at the next Council meeting provided CUPE strikers are not in the Chambers again!

Description

An award-winning "Made-in-Windsor" solution designed by foreign consultants consisting of a partially tunnelled 6 lane road that was designed to make it appear as if the Mayor and Council actually wanted to link communities, save the health of people especially children, give us hundreds of acres of parkland, and make us an international tourist site all at about the cost of a "cheap" and inferior solution.

Last significant public appearance

ACEC New York 2009 Engineering Excellence Dinner Dance, April 4, 2009.

From Gord Henderson:

• "The irony, from Windsor's perspective, is that Mayor Eddie Francis will be in Manhattan tonight to join the Sam Schwartz firm at a black-tie gala of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York where Green- Link will be given a Diamond award for its innovative design.
  
  Good enough to win awards in New York State. But not good enough for the folks in charge of laying asphalt in Ontario, the ones who can't figure out how to keep service centres open on our most important highway."

Last known meal

Eaten in New York City:

Last Federal Interest, May 7

"In other words, those holding their breath waiting for a decision on the border can exhale. It's clearly been made.

There's nothing left holding it up but the sideshow at city hall over GreenLink.

Asked about GreenLink, the city's attempt to extract further job- creation concessions from upper governments, Baird said the dispute was between the city and the province and has nothing to do with the feds..."

Suspicious indicators

---no photo in the Star of Eddie and Sam getting the award

---lack of Greenlink decals on new Windsor Police cars

---Gord Henderson's description of what project people in the future will remember about this era. No mention of Greenlink whatsoever but only of a ditch downtown beside the river:

• "The hotel chain, which had promised jobs and investment, left town in a huff. And Windsor, with Weeks at the helm, began its march toward the finest riverfront park in the country. Little wonder Coun. Percy Hatfield is so passionate about seeing this downtown canal project move forward...
  
  Previous Windsor generations had the brains and imagination to build Jackson Park and develop our riverfront park system during difficult economic times.
  
  I don't know about you. But I want to see something equally worthy passed forward to our descendants. I want to believe I'm living in a city that can see beyond sidewalks and potholes."

People of Interest

The Premier, Sandra and Dwight

Lingering question

Was Greenlink ever for real or was it an expensive figment of someone's imagination designed so far for reasons unknown but suspected!

Postma's Demolition Notice of Motion

Charles Goren would be so proud. Council is clearly made up of experts at playing bridge games or so they think! After all, bridge has "tricks" and someone can be trumped. There are grand slams too.

It is almost an insult. The bridge games-playing should infuriate residents. Here is what the Councillor is proposing with respect to the Bridge Company homes that they want to demolish:

• "Notice of Motion
  
  To be considered at the May 25, 2009 Meeting of Council:
  
  Moved by Councillor Postma, seconded by Councillor ________________,
  
  Whereas, the Ambassador Bridger Company owns approximately 75 properties along Indian, Edison, College, Bloomfield, Felix and Mill; and
  
  Whereas, the properties have become an extreme eyesore and a hazard to the neighbourhood, and the area is currently under a demolition freeze; and
  
  Whereas, the residents and property owners have handed in a petition to demolish these homes with over 230 names on it; and
  
  Whereas, a letter of invitation was sent to the Ambassador Bridge by the City in March inviting them to present a greening plan or green corridor for the homes along the Bridge and the City has never defined an acceptable greening plan for all of the properties owned by the Bridge Company;
  
  Therefore be it resolved, that Mayor and City Council meet with the Ambassador Bridge Company to discuss acceptable plans for their 75 properties throughout Sandwich Town and clearly define greening plans for the properties to ensure the residents are no longer living near boarded up, abandoned homes and restore the safety, security and aethetic looks of their neighbourhood."

If you ever wanted proof of the City playing bridge games, this is it. Consider the following:

• considering the number of homes, the response rate on the petition is very impressive
• the homes are an eyesore and hazardous because of the demolition freeze
• a meaningless letter was sent to the Bridge Company that wasted several more months of time (See below)
• what was the purpose of the Bridge Company presenting something if they had no idea what the City was thinking
• typical Eddie negotiation: Council to define an "acceptable" greening plan and the Bridge must react to it
• the residents have signed a petition saying what they want and are ignored

• no involvement of the residents impacted
• more required of the Bridge Company than other people who have received demolition permits
• the Bridge Company has said already what was "acceptable" to them and the residents seemed to be in agreement. What more is there to discuss"
• there is nothing there that requires the City to issue demolition permits nor does the City promise to do so. It is all one-sided.

Councillor Mom is just being used or is she helping in the bridge game too? This is nothing more than the Francis style of negotiations. My way or no demolition. I can hardly wait to see what Councillor Jones' FIVE-POINT PLAN friendly amendment to the Motion will be.

If someone thought this would work to convince a Court that the City was not dealing with the Bridge company in bad faith, then the strategy has back-fired badly. It is just another element of the Mayor and Council playing bridge politics at the expense of residents!

Oh I forgot to mention that there are dummies when playing bridge. However, in this case, the Bridge Company is not one of them .

PS. Here is a copy of the letter to the Bridge Compnany. If you received it, would you have the faintest idea what you were to do with it other than file it in the garbage can!

The Grass Ain't Going To Cut It

No it has nothing to do with the CUPE strike!

So said Councillor Mom at the citizens meeting the other night about the Indian Road and other homes owned by the Bridge Company even though she claims she wants the homes demolished.

Even Councillor Jones was in favour unequivocally of demolition provided his FIVE-POINT PLAN was followed.

In other words, the residents learned how bridge politics is played to their disadvantage. Out of one side of the Council's mouths come words of support and encouragement. Out of the other, the impossible conditions that can never be met by the Bridge Company.

They learned to be suspicious of Councillors bearing gifts. And they should be after all given the canal fiasco:

• Councillor Jones---"Council has yet to begin debate on the canal district proposal, but Coun. Ron Jones said he's already heard enough to know he won't be supporting it.
  
  "It's not going to fly ... it's a pipe dream," said Jones. His Ward 2 would host the marina-canal development, a multimillion-dollar plan a study group and consultants have identified as the Windsor downtown's way out of economic decline.
  
  He's angry at how Mayor Eddie Francis has handled the file since the concept was first unveiled last summer, and he dismisses the privately funded "nice, glossy report" handed councillors Monday night.
  
  "It's my ward -- I haven't been consulted. I'm just tired of it," said Jones.
  


• Councillor Postma---"Let me be very clear on my position with the Canal. I cannot vote in favour of a project that was not only submitted to the Federal government but also shown to a columnist from the Windsor Star before it was submitted to me. I represent the area, am in tune with my residents, live close by the area and deserve to see the report before the Feds or a reporter! The residents deserve to see it at the same time and so do the citizens of Windsor at large"

In the list provided by the Windsor Star:

• "Council motion to reconsider and then add $48 million for the downtown marina/canal proposal to Windsor’s list of federal stimulus funding eligible projects:
  
  • Yes: Caroline Postma; Percy Hatfield; Fulvio Valentinis; Ron Jones; Alan Halberstadt; Ken Lewenza Jr.; Jo-Anne Gignac;

I am not being nasty. Just setting out the facts. I do not make this stuff up.

The residents understand now that it is OK for other homes that have been allowed by Council to be demolished but not good if it is the Bridge Company's homes that are to be demolished. I think it is called a double standard.

What the Councillor Mom meant by her remark is that the Bridge Company offered to landscape their lands with grass as other land owners were allowed to do when they sought Council approval for demolition ---and Dan Stamper said he would do it right away---but that this offer was not acceptable to the majority of Councillors, 6 of them to be exact plus the Mayor. In other words, they had to do MORE than what other landowners were required to do. And naturally, the Council would be the one to set the terms that the Bridge Company had to comply with.

It is the downtown Burger King approval all over again.

Now Councillor Jones was even more definitive. If the Bridge Company complied with his FIVE-POINT Plan, he would not object to the demolishing of the homes. The only problem, he did not tell anyone what those 5 points were at the meeting! It has to be a huge secret that somehow the Bridge Company must guess or they are out of luck!

It must be so bad that he was embarrassed to tell what the points were to the residents at the meeting. Perhaps he was concerned that he night get booed the way the Mayor was at the East End Arena! It was the first time I ever saw Ward 2 people angry at the Councillor. They were incensed when he mentioned his condition at the meeting. They had no interest in Council process or his PLAN. They just wanted the homes demolished.

Councillor Jones was not as subtle as Councillor Mom in trying to get the Bridge Company to come to Council to get shot down. She played the g--rass card and lost ie. She must have been hoping that the Bridge Company would be suckered into a process that would come up with an arrangement they would never agree to. If that happened, then who would take the blame and who would get off the hook? And whose homes would never be torn down.

Councillor Jones dared Stamper to go to the Clerk's Office and apply for the demolition permits. Stamper told him that he was not prepared to play any more games and challenged him to come back to the meeting room the next day and deal with him with all of the residents present. Stamper said he would meet with the residents and Council to work out an arrangement but was not going to appear in front of Council to serve their political agenda. For some reason, Jones did not accept.

Councillor Mom said she was tired of fighting and that if another job came along, it sounded like she would resign as a Councillor. She pointed to her head and talked about bricks but I was not sure what she meant. Perhaps she meant that her head hurt as if someone had hit it with a brick.

Oh yes, the residents, the ham in the Old Sandwich. If they were at all naive about the politics of the border, they would not be after listening to the conversation. While some tried to suggest that politics should not be involved, Stamper came right out and said it was always going to be political. The issue was the building of the replacement span. To suggest otherwise was silly he stated.

The Councillors seemed to be interested in the residents' but in the end offered them no hope. I was waiting for someone to use again the classic line: "My heart goes out to you" and then to hear the reaction to that platitude.

Councillor Mom said she was going to introduce a Notice of Motion about this issue at Council on Monday. I doubt she will. The last thing the Mayor wants people to hear on TV is residents of the area pointing out the concerns:

• fire hazards
• homes being broken in
• drugs
• unsafe for kids
• scary to walk in the area after dark
• property value declines
• drunkenness on weekends

I was more interested to get the feel of the meeting rather than "reporting it." I noticed that the Star was not there. How convenient since the Bridge Company by far got the most support of residents. But then again, that is NOT something the Star wants people to know.

Just like at the CIBPA meeting, Stamper received the biggest applause of the evening. The Ward 2 Councillors are fortunate that he cannot run for Council.

Frankly, the residents did not care about the City-Bridge Company dispute. They wanted the homes demolished now and grass put it. Period. That is also what their petition said. They accused the Mayor and Council of not listening to them.

Most attendees I am certain did not appreciate who was behind all of this manoeuvering. He had his spy at the meeting to make notes too.

What gave it away was Councillor Jones saying that he had seen a video of the June, 2007 Council meeting when the Bridge Company made their presentation involving their Enhancement Project and talked about the Green Corridor. You remember the meeting---where the Council including Councillors Jones and Postma refused to grant to the Bridge Company a 5 minute extension to talk about their billion-dollar project. They were limited to only 10 minutes.

Now unless the Councillor has his own extensive library of Council meetings archived, which I doubt, the only other place I have heard who keeps these tapes is: City Hall.

I am sure that you understand exactly who I mean now. And why I believe that a solution will be a long time coming. It's only a few hundred West End residents after all and it does not appear that their opinion counts to City Hall when there is an "enemy" to fight.

It's So Typically Eddie

Now you know why Eddie has failed on the Border file. His weaknesses as a negotiator are laid bare for all to see in this one story. Amazingly, it captures so many of his flaws all at one time.

In the end, Eddie cannot handle pressure if he is made the focus of the strike. He wanted to be front and centre as the tough guy who would make CUPE bend. He got it but not in the way he expected. Again, typical--great on planning, poor on execution when Life does not work out according to his preconceived PLAN.

It's typical Eddie all in one Star story posted online on Sunday night, "City discussed direct offer to CUPE members to end strike: Francis" :

DON'T BLAME ME

• "Francis said he finds it a “predictable” strategy that CUPE would paint the mayor’s office as a target for public criticism. “They do this everywhere they go. They target the mayor... They try to break down the mayor and break down city council.”
  
  “I don’t view this as a popularity contest. I view this as part of the job in terms of making sure we’re delivering on fiscal responsibility.”

Interesting. Talking about himself in the third party and then is it the royal "we" or the collective "we?"

THREATEN

Oh my goodness. I bet the Senior Levels are still shaking from Eddie's judicial review litigation threats. Now CUPE has to worry about Eddie's threatened option:

• "With no end in sight to the city strike, Mayor Eddie Francis said Sunday that council has discussed bypassing CUPE leadership and offering a deal directly to union members.
  
  Francis said there is a provision in the labour laws that would allow the city to hold a “board-supervised vote,” where the city’s last offer would be put directly before the membership to vote upon. “It would be supervised by the Ministry of Labour.”
  
  Francis said the move has only been discussed as an option at this stage.
  
  “We have to weigh the pros and cons of that, because we only get one shot,” Francis said. “Council would want to make sure that, if we decide to do it, it’s the right time to do it.”
  
  “It’s an option that’s always been on the table. I don’t think that we’re there yet, in terms of asking for it. But... I don’t want to rule that out.”

Virtually similar language used with the lawsuit threat against the Senior Levels. Does Eddie dare do that and risk being a witness and being cross-examined by a skilled opponent? Hardly!

PROVOKE

• “CUPE wants this to be an issue of irate ratepayers dealing with garbage and weeds,” Francis said."

Actually, that seems to be Eddie's strategy so that he can get an injunction before Art in the Park and Red Bull.

Except it has become a "plague on both of their houses." Some citizens seem riled up already and want to take matters into their own hands:

• "Well, I guess the time has come to take the city into our on hands. It seems as though our Mayor and Cupe members care very little about us citizens. For whatever reason beyond anyones control, they will not get back to work. So, I purpose that we put a plan together so we can clean up some garbage and clean up some of our parks so our children can enjoy the summer. I'm not interested in letting these people ruin our city."

CUPE needs to play it smart now and not allow itself to be suckered in so that violence is provoked and an injunction ordered.

MY WAY OR THE PICKET LINE

If Eddie did not think of it, then the idea is worthless

• "Near the end of the talks, CUPE leadership suggested the involvement of a third-party arbitrator, and offered to come back to work if this were to occur. “If they bought into that, we’d be back to work on Monday,” Wood said.
  
  Wood said the union received no official answer to the suggestion.
  
  Reached after talks had broken down, the mayor expressed his dislike of the idea."

MEDIATION WAS AN OPTION FOR GREENLINK

According to Eddie's terms that is.

But arbitration was not an option for the CUPE strike it seems. Eddie does not have the guts to let a third party make the decision. He must think he might lose.

GRAB THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT THROUGH YOUR FRIENDLY NEWSPAPER

• "On Sunday, the mayor contacted the Star to elaborate on his comments and voice further disappointment with CUPE leadership."

The Star gave him a dozen paragraphs to mouth off and whine. Jim Wood got one!

CHANGE THE DEBATE

Gee, I thought the issue was post retirement benefits for new hires. I guess that CUPE's offer was so reasonable on that issue that Eddie had to find another one to justify his walking away from the table:

• "the union looking for guaranteed job security for its members.”

That should be worth a hundred or so anti-CUPE comments.

WHAT DID EDDIE OFFER

We heard out of Eddie's mouth, not the Union's, what CUPE offered. Is the Star that lazy to take his word for it.

Interestingly, we did not hear what Eddie offered and what he supposedly will take to the CUPE members one day.

If it was any good, he would have gone to binding arbitration.

Canadian Thickening

I do not mean because of regulations or rules but due to brain problems

We complain about the Americans and the thickening of the border. Then the Government of Canada pulls a bonehead stunt just before the Homeland Security Secretary comes here and on a US holiday weekend too.

What a way to discourage tourists. Is Canada that desperate to force the Bridge Company owner to sell out that it has to cook the books too!

Notwithstanding Sean O'Dell, most people understand that border traffic has dropped dramatically since the highs of the late 1990's. Accordingly, the traffic argument for a new DRIC Bridge has failed.

If that reasonable and logical thought is what you are thinking, you are wrong. Canada is going to argue that although border traffic is down, we still have a capacity issue at the Ambassador Bridge. Forget that it is operating at around 50% capacity or less these days.

Canada will argue that even with reduced traffic, it takes a very long time for a traveller to get across the river. Accordingly, we need to spend billions on the DRIC Bridge.

Here is what Canada did just this last weekend to prove their point. They fixed the answer to ensure a negative result.

Canada arranged for a survey to be taken about how long it took travellers to come across the bridge and clear Canadian Customs. But that was not all. To ensure that the times were poor, the number of booths open and staffed was just a small percentage of those available. And on a US holiday weekend when high traffic could be expected into Canada because of the number of US visitors.

Nothing like discouraging them to come back again too. What is Canada thinking!

Of the 23 booths available, not counting the 6 booths for truck that Canada has never staffed yet making 29 in total (the exact number by the way that the DRIC Bridge will have to handle the vast majority of the traffic 30 years into the future according to their studies) at around 3-4 PM, I am told that only 8 car lanes and 3 truck lanes were open ie less than half the booths available.

Accordingly, the crossing time including clearing Canada Customs was about 3o-35 minutes. If the booths had been fully staffed, of course crossing times would be minimal.

But that would not help out Canada would it? It does help Secretary Janet Napolitano tremendously when Canada complains!

2,4,6,8...Eddie Does Not Want to Arbitrate

It is hardly a big surprise. It was only a matter of when and not if the talks were to break down and end and who would end them.

What is our Mayor so afraid of:

• "The city suspended talks at around 7:30 p.m. because little progress was being made, said Mayor Eddie Francis.
  
  "What happened was the talks reached a point that there was very little movement. Instead of sitting in a room and staring at each other, we understood the talks reached an impasse," Francis said...
  
  Near the end of the talks, CUPE suggested that a third party mediate the negotiations, and offered to come back to work if this were to occur.
  
  "If they bought into that, we'd be back to work on Monday," Wood said.
  
  While the union received no answer to this proposal, the mayor disliked the idea of third-party arbitration.
  
  "It is my opinion not to leave this in the hands of a third party that's 400 or 500 kilometres away," Francis said Saturday night. "It is the responsibility of the parties to reach an agreement. The City of Windsor is prepared to sit down and reach an agreement."

400 or 500 Km away? Isn't that where David Estrin comes from? Sam Schwartz is even further away. Aren't they third parties who do not know the Community but we have relied on them?

• "It is the responsibility of the parties to reach an agreement."

HUH!!!???

I know it is NOT arbitration and the Star does not seem to know the difference but didn't Eddie want mediation for Greenlink. It would have been the equivalent of an arbitration since Eddie set the terms:

• "Windsor has demanded a mediator be appointed to end outstanding differences with the provincial government in the ugly fight over the proposed $1.6-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway border feeder road..."
  
  [Estrin Report] calls for immediate mediation to be completed within 21 days after an agreed-upon mediator is appointed.
  
  The focus of the mediator, according to the city, would be to mitigate access road deficiencies through strategic tunnelling with an understanding the cost of doing so be no greater than $200 million more than the parkway's current estimated $1.6-billion construction cost.
  
  By participating with a mediator the city is not waiving its legal rights, says Estrin's report.
  
  "We believe DRIC has ignored their obligations to the community," Mayor Eddie Francis said on Sunday.
  
  "We want a solution everyone can live with and move on. This request for a mediator is further demonstration Windsor is exhausting every opportunity to arrive at a solution and avoid unnecessary legal action."

So when it is convenient, Eddie will follow the advice of someone living 4-500 Km away to have mediation with someone who lives 4-500 Km away to solve a Windsor problem. But he won't do this with his own Union.

Here is the CUPE Press Release:

• CUPE Offers to Return to Work
  
  Marketwire) - Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members of CUPE 82 and 543, striking municipal workers at the City of Windsor, is willing to return to work immediately, however the mayor and his bargaining team will not cooperate.
  
  Talks broke down at 7:30 p.m. today
  
  "We have done all we can and we've made significant moves. We agreed that post retirement benefits for new employees could end at age 65 and we offered to cost share an optional benefits plan for them. The City refused," said Jim Wood, president of CUPE 82, 400 striking outdoor workers.
  
  "I actually made a verbal offer to get our members back on the job tomorrow if the City would agree to binding arbitration, but the mayor's people wouldn't consider the offer.
  
  "Our members don't want to be on strike," "We've tried everything we can to resolve the issues but there has been no movement from the City. Our members take no pleasure in causing difficulties for their friends and neighbours. But this is a matter of fairness and equity."
  
  "It speaks volumes about the mayor and his team that they refuse to work with us to get the city back to normal and our issues resolved by an independent third party," said Jean Fox, president of CUPE 543, 1400 striking indoor workers.
  
  CUPE presented many cost saving initiatives during bargaining and they have been ignored. The main issues are retirement benefits and a new, two-tier compensation system for new employees.
  
  "The mayor is using the economic downturn as a reason for seeking concessions and claiming it will save the city money. However, his plan won't save money for 30 years," said Fox."

If the Mayor's posiiton is so strong...what is he afraid of?

Jim Wood asked

• "I thought we'd get an agreement, we tackled post-retirement benefits head on.... I don't know where we go from here," Wood said."

I do and his name is Ken Lewenza Senior. But that is the subject of another BLOG.

CUPE Strike News

Just some local gossip about what is taking place. Take it for what it's worth...

FINALLY CUPE IS TELLING ITS STORY

Here is part of what they put out in a flyer. I did not include everything

PARKING TICKETS

Oooooooooooh, so that was the photo of the Mayor's car I assume that I posted the other day. No wonder the Star could run the story:

• "A tale of two city parking tickets"

However, I wonder how the Star found out about the parking ticket of CUPE Local 82 president Jim Wood. Was it in plain view too as it was ticketed? Did someone take a photo of it too?

Don't you find it interesting that the Star could write:

• "However, when CUPE Local 82 president Jim Wood, who represents the city's outside workers, was also ticketed by police during the strike, he had his fine forgiven after a call to the parking commissioner's office...
  
  She said fines can be forgiven if there are mitigating circumstances. "We do this for everyone," she added.
  
  The mayor said he could only imagine what people would say if he had asked for similar favourable treatment.
  
  "I paid the ticket," Francis said."

Hmmm I wonder why the Star did not interview Wood so he could tell his story the way the Mayor did. Naw, better to make it appear that Wood got special treatment.

Too bad that Diane Sibley is not a union member. CUPE could have filed a grievance on her behalf about her lack of memory:

• "Windsor enforcement services executive director Diane Sibley confirmed the forgiven ticket.
  
  She said Friday she couldn't remember the circumstances but that "there isn't a day that goes by that I don't get such a request from everywhere and everybody."

She has been hit by the amnesia disease pandemic at City Hall too. Darn Tunnel fumes!

"F*****G LIAR"

Which senior person called a senior person on the other side that name and why?

WAITING FOR GODOT

Wikipedia says this about the play:

• "Waiting for Godot follows two days in the lives of a pair of men who divert themselves while they wait expectantly and unsuccessfully for someone named Godot to arrive. They claim him as an acquaintance but in fact hardly know him, admitting that they would not recognize him were they to see him. To occupy themselves, they eat, sleep, converse, argue, sing, play games, exercise, swap hats, and contemplate suicide — anything "to hold the terrible silence at bay"

Here is how the CUPE/CITY negotiations have been described to me from the Union perspective:

• "4 days of sitting around a #$%^ room waiting for the corporations team to contact the Mayor and council before opening their mouths. Can you tell I’m pissed off, if you can’t I AM."

VANDALISM ESCALATED

18 CUPE members' cars were keyed downtown while they were picketing.

SECURITY CAN BE EXPENSIVE

There was a suggestion that the City hired an out of town security firm known for their work in labour disputes. The price can be expensive depending on what a firm is hired to do.

Here is one story I found about costs in a town much smaller than ours:

• "City of Kawartha Lakes population 74,561
  
  From Feb. 4 to March 28, city staff estimated savings in unpaid Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) wages at $2,464,134, with an additional $368,334 in savings from landfill operations and the parks and recreation department. Costs for the municipal strike included $947,611 for AFI Security, and an additional $979,722 in loss revenue from the landfill ($395,496), parks and recreation programs and rentals ($572,346) and parking - net of contract costs ($11,800).
  
  Estimated additional costs to the city include: landfill additional expenses ($4,320), courier ($2,020), information technology back up capacity and support ($15,637), public works tree removal from Mitchell's Road ($420), cell phone changes ($1,083), cleaning ($3,225), miscellaneous ($5,070), and non union overtime including winter control ($431,221).
  
  The report did not provide a breakdown of anticipated and budgeted winter maintenance costs and what the cost of contract snow plow operators were.
  
  The estimated $400,000 in savings is also being used to reduce the overall tax increase impact on residents."

MEDIA BLACKOUT

I wonder what is blacked out:

• Windsor Star May 20:

"The mayor held a news briefing shortly before midnight after a day-long media blackout as the city negotiated with CUPE Local 82, representing outside workers. He said there was an union offer at 12:15 p.m. and a counter offer by the city at 3:45 p.m., but that no offer followed from CUPE. At 9:48 p.m., the city ammended its offer, but there was no indication of progress. The mediator suggested that talks adjorn for the night, and resume today at 9 a.m.

“We can’t have the city putting in an offer at 3:45 p.m. and putting in another offer at 9:48 p.m. without getting a counter offer, that’s negotiating against yourself,” said Francis, saying he was “absolutely” disappointed. “We and the bargaining team, and city council, want to find a way to end the strike.”

• Windsor Star May 22

"It's a slow process, but we're here ... at the table," Jim Wood, president of CUPE Local 82 representing almost 400 outside workers, said when talks resumed Friday at noon.

After all-day talks Thursday, negotiations at the Best Western on Huron Church Road had been suspended at about 3 a.m. Friday shortly after the union gave its latest counter-offer to city negotiators.

Due to a media blackout, no details were being divulged on how close or how far apart the two sides remained...

While not wanting to comment on details of the negotiations, Francis did express frustration with the slow pace of the latest round of talks, with many of the city's top managers camped out for three days and nights of mostly sitting around and waiting at the Best Western."

WHEN IS A THREAT NOT A THREAT

When it is an option during a media blackout

• "Francis said that as the strike continues, the city may look at “other options” as they relate to retiree benefits. Another option is to ask the Ministry of Labour to step in and order a supervised vote on the city’s offer, the mayor said.
  
  “Those are options you have to weigh very carefully.”

I wonder if that is part of the City's 1,000-page contingency plan to deal with a strike by municipal workers. Mayor Eddie Francis has a copy

• "to suggest management was well-prepared for a work stoppage."