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Written by BBS
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 10:20 |
Much has already been said about this issue and I'm not going to repeat it here. One thing I would like to draw attention to though, is the motion for deferral that was defeated.
Councillor Lewenza moved a motion to consult with daycare workers, parents, the County, the Provincial government and the Official Opposition. This omnibus consultation motion had no time line attached to it. I believe that it was Councillor Dilkens who stated he was willing to support a motion to defer, but not one as broad and vague as this one.
Had Councillor Lewenza moved a motion of deferral with a two or four week timeframe attached, the motion might have passed. By trying to delay an important issue for months with his vague motion, Councillor Lewenza ensured it's defeat. Once the deferral motion was defeated, Council had no choice but to move forward.
Sometimes it's easy to point fingers but difficult to ensure they're pointing in the right direction.
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Written by BBS
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Monday, 01 February 2010 05:29 |
1. 266 days until the Municipal Election. In the running so far:
Mayor
Ernie L. Lamont
1584 Ferndale N8T 2K4
Phone: (519) 944-6860
Sam Sinjari
Phone: (519) 567-3020
Ward 2
Mohamed Chams
2645 Buttery Street N9E 4L7
Phone: (519) 250-5525
George Grant
1334 Rankin Avenue N9B 2S7
Phone: (519) 252-6884
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ward 3
Tristan Fehrenbach
1575 Victoria Avenue N8X 1P4
Phone: (519) 915-9498
Ward 5
John Middleton
1691 St. Luke Road N8Y 3N4
Phone: (519) 562-6990
2. Battle Royale at Windsor City Council tonight - Integrity Commissioner report plus the Daycare Closure report. Should be very interesting. 4 delegations listed for the Integrity Commissioner, 31 for the Daycare report.
3. Up next week at Council - Attendance at Work Policy. Sure to be another interesting subject. It's actually a fairly good report, even if I disagree with their method of averaging workplace absences to effectively lower Windsor's rate comparable to the national average. We won't even get into comparing the rates between the public and private sector. Whenever I see stats quoted, I like to go to the source instead of accepting the spin being presented.
4. Citizfaction will be holding a Municipal Candidates Info Night at Phog Lounge, Wednesday March 30th. 7:00 to 10:00 pm. More info to follow.
5. Urban Chickens - an interesting topic that is sure to be part of the next Municipal campaign.
6. A good question to consider - If Enwin has $4 million to pay the City of Windsor in a "dividend", why isn't this money being re-invested back into the system instead of increasing rates? Since this money goes into general revenues, is this nothing more than a back-door tax increase?
7. Guesting this week on Make This Your Canada - 4 to 5 pm on CJAM 99.1 FM. Tune in, it should be interesting as I'll be wearing my conservative hat for the hour.
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Written by BBS
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 07:09 |
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The phrase pops to mind whenever the Windsor Utiliities Commission and it's Chairman are mentioned. I couldn't have picked a better time to get back into the blogging swing of things. I'm going to be putting together some comprehensive blogs on this issue. In the meantime, a few things to consider:
"WUC chairman Coun. Ken Lewenza Jr. said that even when the 86 per cent increase was approved it was indicated at that time the utility was still $6 short on the average homeowner's bill for what was needed to support infrastructure efforts.
He said the utility needs $25 million per year to do the necessary capital improvements over the next 30 years according to its consultant Earth Tech Watson."
After reading that quote the question I have is where has the Windsor Utilities Commission been for the last 3 years? If they knew then that they still had a significant shortfall, why were they not consulting with the community?
Another WUC Commissioner, City Councillor Ron Jones:
WUC commissioner Coun. Ron Jones acknowledged that anger still lingers from the hefty rate hike a couple of years ago.
"The infrastructure has to be replaced, but the question is does it have to be right now?" he said.
"Public consultation is vital. The old premise of 'pay me now or pay me later' is going to come into play, so this is a decision that has to be vetted by the ratepayer."
I agree with Councillor Jones, but once again, where was this decsion and vetting since the last rate increase? Why has the WUC been sitting on their hands? Could it be because it was politically unpalatable for another increase in 2008 and 2009 after the whopping 86% increase in 2007?
Notice the highlighted name above - Earth Tech Watson. Here's their report from 2007. Make sure you read Chapter 8, Analysis of Water Rates and Policy Matters. Pay particular attention to the charts on page 8-2, labelled as Option 1 - Low Debt and Option 2 - High Debt.
People should also be asking their Councillors questions about the ongoing development charges study and what effect they have on utilities, present and future.
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Written by BBS
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Thursday, 28 January 2010 03:01 |
In case you missed it, Ann Jarvis has a great article on the subject (of which I get a line or two!).
I just wanted to take this opportunity to once again state my prediction that we'll never see an independent audit from a Windsor Auditor General before the next election. (How very convenient!)
You will hear plenty of mealy mouth excuses from our Mayor and Councillors as to why we don't have an Auditor General as yet, but the fact remains, they've had four years and still haven't managed to fill this position.
From a city that's endured MFP, the Canderal debacle let alone the 400 Building circus, you would think this would have been a priority with our elected representatives. Instead we pissed money away on the political football position of Integrity Commissioner and delayed hiring the one position that could deliver value for money for Windsor taxpayers.
270 days until the next Municipal Election day. Has your councillor really been representing you?
PS. If the City of Windsor ran as lean and mean as the Library does, taxpayers would be cheering in the streets. Is it coincidence that this is the only board/commission/committee not Chaired or controlled by the Mayor? Shame on Councillors Valentinis and Marra for being such blatant shills. Windsor politics at it's best.
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Written by BBS
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Monday, 25 January 2010 21:04 |
It's been a while since I've been blogging regularly. Blame it on work and personal life. Time to get back into the swing of things! Let's have at 'er.
1. New Blogs added to WE Speak
Windsoriste.ca
Bikini Birthday
Windsor Blogger's Blog
Stroller Coaster
Schmidt City
Our West End
Tsunami Glassworks
2. Stay Tuned to Citizfaction.ca - changes, events and more coming soon!
3. If ever - do you think we'll see an independent Auditor General before the next municpal election? Odds are 45 to one and clibming!
4. Only 271 days until the Windsor Municipal Election - are you involved yet?
5. Mentioned above is Doug Schmidt's new blog - Schmidt City. Doug now has the Municipal beat for the Windsor Star. Given the very short life of our two previous Municpal blogs by Roseann Danese and Dave Battagello, the oddmakers are already taking bets on the demise of Doug's effort. Here's hoping we're all wrong.
6. Black Kettle Bistro Cooking Classes - if you haven't already attended one, you should really consider it. Chef Rino provides a fantastic experience in a comfortable setting. I attended the initial Soups and Pasta class and will be attending Pasta night next. A great way to spend a few hours on Sunday night.
7. Funny Pic of the Day - fall down on your ass kinda funny - Hello? Who's this?
8. Worthy of more debate and comment. Where I come from it's three strike and you're out.
9. Also mentioned above, but deserving of further recognition - Welcome to Windsorite.ca. Best wishes to Owen and company on their new venture.
10. Buried in Next Weeks Council Agenda - Integrity Commissioners Annual Report. At $42,997.00 for 14 pages it works out to $3071.21 per page. 15 complaints submitted deemed either frivoulous or outside the scope of the integrity commissioner, 2 completed investigations, and six outstanding. The "Leak" investigation has been released to the public and the "Ron Jones Phone Usage" investigation is currently in Council's hands awaiting release. Value for money or waste of time?
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Election Countdown
left until the 2010 Windsor Municipal Election
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