My Next Article

Clearly, I do not write as many articles as I did before when I was writing with an online website.  I do not have the responsibility that I had before to ensure that there are plenty of articles written for our online readers. In addition, to be quite direct about it, there really is not that much new going on involving the governmental parties about whom I used to write so much before.  I must admit I don't know why that is happening although I have some reasons which I believe are the cause. No need though to bore you with them.

Every so often I do find an article that I think is interesting to write about. Here is a bunch of them.

OUR $78 MILLION SWIMMING POOL

Apparently, that is what it cost to build the swimming pool in our downtown. Quite a bit of money isn't it! 

I must admit that a number of decision-makers in Windsor must have made the decision early on to build this swimming building after determining that we were going to make a lot of money with its operation. Unfortunately, that is not happening. I saw this in an Anne Jarvis story in the Windsor Star on June 24, 2017:

"The city had to control the aquatic centre’s costs, it said. Families must be able to afford the admission price, it said. It was like the aquatic centre’s success hinged in part on the lowest paid employees getting even less. 

Since then, the aquatic centre has haemorrhaged money, costing $3.2 million a year to operate. The price of admission has increased. And the city is pumping $200,000 a year into marketing it."

Here are some other figures that you may find interesting that are quite depressing:

"The number of paying customers at the Adventure Bay dropped by 43 per cent from its first year of operation to its third.

Adventure Bay attendance by the numbers:

Year 1: 184,000

Year 2: 128,000

Year 3: 105,000" (CBC News, February 17, 2017) 

I am not going to go into a lot of stories about problems that the aquatic centre is having. That has been reported previously.  Now there is another problem financially for the pool that I found quite interesting:

"The Ontario Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal ruled April 11 that the City of Windsor must pay Shirley Moor, who works part-time at the reception desk of the WFCU Centre, all the money she missed plus interest after the city temporarily reduced wages for about 300 workers in an attempt to offset costs of the new $78-million aquatics complex."  (Craig Pearson, Windsor Star, June 16, 2017) 

Here is what the City is going to do: 

"Even if the pay equity tribunal upholds the decision for Moor, Dilkens said the city does not plan to compensate the 300 part-time employees in similar positions." 

According to the Mayor:

"[Mayor Drew Dilkens said]…we will seek a judicial review of the decision.”

Even if the pay equity tribunal upholds the decision for Moor, Dilkens said the city does not plan to compensate the 300 part-time employees in similar positions. If all 300 received on average the same amount as Moor, the city would be on the hook for $1.2 million."

I must admit that I have to scratch my head and try to figure this out. I wish someone would tell me why the City is not liable to all of these other people. What is so different about their position and that of Ms. Moor? If there is no difference, then why doesn't the City just pay the amounts owing now? Is it going to suggest that 299 other people start lawsuits against them?

WHO WILL RUN FOR MAYOR IN WINDSOR

Oh dear! Has the brother of our former Mayor, Eddie Francis, who is now sitting as a Windsor Councillor going to decide shortly that he better not run for Mayor of the City of Windsor and then will make a public announcement immediately? Thanks so much Gord Henderson for this information:

"Dilkens insists he won’t make a formal announcement regarding a second term until early 2018 but you can bet the farm, nearly three-quarters of the way through his initial term, that he has no intention of surrendering the keys to the corner office any time soon. 

“This is the best job in the world and I now understand why there were 12 of us running in 2014,” confided a happy and confident Dilkens this week." (Gord Henderson, Windsor Star, June 24, 2017) 

Clearly, it must mean that no one of any significance will run against the Mayor because he/she would lose badly. Right?!  Why what do you think, dear reader, after this last paragraph by Gord in his article:

"Dilkens has more than met expectations. But his ace-in-the-hole, leading up to next year’s election, is the booming area economy. With a hot real estate sector, a record low jobless rate and employers wailing that they can’t find qualified workers, pitching the claim that Windsor needs new leadership will be one tough sell."

What Gord did not do is demonstrate to us what the Mayor's actions did to improve our economy so well!

What if the Mayor decides not to run again but not until some time close to election day in 2018? It could be because he receives a very nice employment job at that time from someone.  Who knows, as an example he might become the paid Head of a new organization, Metropolitan Windsor, that would be formed by the Provincial Government combining all of the various governments in this area in a manner similar to what was done in Metropolitan Toronto a number of years ago. He would be our "Fred Gardiner."

Guess who might then decide to run for Mayor and who would have a lot of skill assistants behind him to help him win!

DEPARTMENT STORE STORIES

A couple of interesting Sears stories:

"The Sears Home store in Windsor is one of 59 locations under the axe after the once-mighty retail giant announced Thursday it is shuttering buildings and cutting 2,900 jobs under a court-supervised restructuring.  

The struggling company says it will close 20 full-line locations, plus 15 Sears Home stores, 10 Sears Outlet stores and 14 Sears Hometown locations. Included on the list is the Sears Home location on Legacy Park Drive in Windsor." (Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star, June 22, 2017) 

Then this publication from Brandon G. Stranzl, Executive Chairman, Sears Canada on June 23, 2017:

"All of the above being said, Sears Canada has just been through a long decade during which it was not innovating and reinventing its business, not listening to customers and not evolving to serve Canada's needs. This has left Sears Canada in the unfortunate position of having parts of the company that are no longer applicable to our customer needs, nor financially viable… 

in order to continue to serve our customers and chart our path forward, Sears Canada has filed for and obtained protection from its creditors with the intention of further restructuring our business. We are going to close some of our stores, which is in part recognition that many of our customers prefer to shop online, and because we want to be a more focused retailer."

That explains why the Sears outlet in Windsor is going to close.

I wonder financially how that outlet was working out. As an example, was it making or losing money? What will happen now? Will its operation now be taken on at the main Sears store in Devonshire Mall or will that operation be completely ended because it just does not make enough money?

I do not think that there is any easy answer considering the problems that so many organizations are having these days in running their future businesses. So many are going bankrupt now that seemed to do so well in the past because of the way those businesses are running their operations now. Their techniques just do not seem to work any more.

Take a look at this story that shows what Walmart may be doing in the US to deliver its goods to customers at their homes through the assistance of their employees. Clearly, permanent customer truck drivers do not seem to be the way to carry out this activity in an economic fashion:

" In its continuing battle with Amazon, Walmart is testing a new type of delivery service: Employees dropping off packages on their way home. 

The service, which has been tested since April but was just announced Thursday, pays employees extra to deliver online orders headed to destinations along their normal route home. It's the latest example of how the world's biggest retailer is leveraging its large network of stores and 1 million employees to go head to head with e-commerce giant Amazon. 

"Our stores put us within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population,'' Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart eCommerce U.S.. said in a blog post announcing the pilot. "Now imagine all the routes our associates drive to and from work and the houses they pass along the way. It’s easy to see why this test could be a game-changer." (Charisse Jones, USATODAY, June 1, 2017) 

I do remember what was happening in my life when I was a child so many years ago. As an example, I remember horse-pulled milk carts that came around every day to our house to offer our family dairy products.  How about Eaton's and Simpsons, the major Department stores in Toronto which no longer exist, sending out their customers' purchased goods to their homes the next day in their motorized delivery trucks. At no increase in price either for the delivery.

Does it really mean not that the major selling companies are doing something new these days to figure out ways to get goods to their customers but trying to remember what they did in the past and what they must do now to duplicate that service to remain in business!

My Life Is Changing Once Again---For The Better

Just about 2 1/2 years ago, right at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, I literally came within a few days of dying. I am not sure that anyone had the faintest idea what my problem was and by that, I am including people at the Hospital who saw me when I was in the Emergency Department. 

To be direct about it, it is possible to "save" someone with the medical conditions that I had provided that the medical person knew what the conditions were.  Regretfully, not too many people in the medical field were knowledgeable then about what was  impacting  me.  I was so fortunate that one of the doctors who did look after me in Emergency thought he knew what my issue was.  He had just taken a small course on my illness and was able to start treating me right away as he tested my blood conditions to confirm what my disease was. 

I have written a number of articles previously about what I went through for so many months as I recovered from my illness. Especially at the beginning and for a number of months thereafter, there was no real "opinion" given to me by anyone that I met in the medical area who could predict what my chances of recovery were or how good I would be once I had gone through the process to get over from my illness.  That changed obviously as my condition improved because of their efforts so that my medical people could become much more optimistic about my improvements and coming back to my previous life. 

Fortunately, I have done quite well and have overcome many of the medical risks I had after I survived my time in the hospital and the recovery process thereafter. Obviously, I must thank all of the doctors and medical people who looked after me so well.  They were learning as well about my medical state and made sure that they could provide me with the best services that they could to get me back as far as possible to the condition that I was in before the illness hit me so hard. 

This may be an article that some people will not want to take too much time reading, at least at first. After all, who wants to read another one about my medical condition. I must admit that I don't blame people for that. However, I would like to try to convince everyone to take a look at what I am going to write about because I think it is quite important for people to read.  Moreover, I promise that I will change drastically what I write on here and I am sure, dear reader, that you will understand why I am doing so after reading this article. 

To be direct about it, I have recovered quite well from the illness that I suffered 2 1/2 years ago! No, I have not recovered completely and will never do so. There are some health features that I have lost and cannot recover as much as I would like to. Obviously, I'm trying to figure out ways to get around the negative side and come up with an approach to accomplish the same result. Fortunately, I am receiving assistance from so many good people and knowledgeable people to help me in doing so. 

Let me give you some examples that I think should impress you considerably. It certainly made me feel spectacular. 

One of my health counsellors met with me a short time ago. Her approach was to come and meet me to determine what my status was, what assistance I still needed and what new assistance I should be provided, if anything.  She felt very positive about my status at the time and really did not have any new procedures from her group that they could offer to me any longer. Notwithstanding that, we had some discussions about concerns that I still had with my illness. Fortunately for me, she had some approaches that I could take even though they were not part of her Department's function. Graciously, she offered to help set me up with medical people whom she knew who, she felt, could provide assistance I might need. 

I recently attended a meeting with one of the people she thought would be of assistance to me.  The person was involved with patients with brain injuries.  Let me tell you what happened! 

We had an initial 2 hour session recently. It was a pretty tough meeting to be honest because it was very thorough and there were many discussions about what happened to me and what I needed now.  We had very little "off time" during our meeting. While we were together, we talked about everything from when my medical condition all started and what I experienced and went through until today. Talk about wanting to know as much about me in as little time as possible then you will know what this person was trying to achieve in order to come up with results that needed to be taken as soon as possible.   

The meeting was extremely detailed in talking about a number of different matters. One of the interesting steps taken towards the end of my meeting was to have a joint walk up and down the corridor where this person's office was located in the Hospital. Yes, I found it strange as well until I found out why it was done but only after it was completed.  It was clear proof that I was able to walk around and find the place where I first started out.  In other words, my brain was acting quite well.   

I was told that I really did not need any further sessions. I was not suffering from any significant medical issues since my major problems which started over 2 years ago were pretty much solved now. Sure, there were some issues that were still a problem, and I was provided with help in recovering from those, but I had done very well over that time period.   

Believe it or not, my future sessions were not ended as I expected even though I seemed now to be in fine health. I was encouraged to take actions at home to reconfirm to myself that I was better and then to meet again a month later.  I was so pleased about this new session being set up. It was done to ensure that I had acted positively and that further assistance was not required. 

One other significant step was taken. As you may know, dear reader, my partnership with my wife had changed after I came back from the Hospital. She was now the "boss" in our family because she was the one who now had the ability to make the final decision as required. We agreed that she would be the final decision-maker, especially if there are any disagreements, in any matter involving family members no matter what the subject was. It was a tough matter for her but she did a fantastic job as far as I was concerned. That was one of the positive statements I presented during our meeting when talking about how we have been acting over the past several years.  

Well, that approach was not viewed all that positively to be blunt about it.  In fact, a change was suggested to be made immediately! Oh no, it did not make my wife unhappy at all. She preferred it! My wife no longer was going to be the head of everything absolutely. She and I were to work together and arrive at decisions together. She was not supposed to be the sole decision-maker any longer. We were both presented with what our new life together should be and how we should act. It was so wonderful to hear and to know how we could act in the future so superbly together.  We were jointly the "bosses" in our relationship together. 

That was a remarkable step taken as far as I was concerned in the entire meeting that we had. Sure, it confirmed how well I was doing. However, more importantly, it provided the way that we should act together from now on. It helped my wife recognize how much she accomplished on her own. Moreover, it provided the best approach to make her life exactly what she wanted it to be at this time and in the future. 

There is a lot more that I could discuss about changes that that I have gone through. So many things have happened over the last 2 1/2 years that I think are quite positive and probably would be interesting for me to write about. But frankly, you, dear reader, do not need to read all that much more of it. I am hoping that you have seen these change in me and understand now how those changes were accomplished through the actions of so many wonderful people. I am just so happy that these people acted so well to bring me back to the life I am living now. 

As far as I am concerned now, dear reader, my life has changed so fantastically thanks to the efforts of so many especially my own family members, my wife and children. I am not going to write about my past the way I have done so for so long. My old life has changed dramatically to my new one.  

For that I am so grateful!

Writing Another Article

I really do enjoy writing articles on here, dear reader. Oh sure, they can take some time for me to do but it also can help me determine what I should or should not be thinking at the time about the matter which is the subject of my article. I find that to be quite useful for me in reaching decisions in my state of life. 

Many of my articles these days are much more personal than before. The reason for that should be obvious to you:  I have gone through an unbelievable health issue in my life. As I found out, not too many medical people know about what hit me at all. Many people who are struck by this disease don't even make it once struck by it or, if they do, there is no guarantee that the person will survive very well. Remarkably, I understand that I have recovered from this relatively unknown illness that struck me so suddenly in quite a good state. I feel very blessed for that.

It has taken a very long time for me to feel better. I spent several months at the beginning of my recovery in bed, unable to move around very much. I know that my illness has put tremendous pressure on my wife and children who have done such a great job helping me recover. They have done so marvellously for me that I will always be grateful to them. I am also very grateful to all of the wonderful people who have contacted me over this time to help me get better.

I just felt like writing this at this time, dear reader, because I feel so happy about what my life is now and how well I have recovered through the help of so many people. I just had the need to let you now know it. There is a reason for me to be in the state that I am right now. However, I do have to admit though that I do not know what it is. So please excuse me, dear reader, if I keep on doing a whole bunch of things to help improve everything in which I am involved to complete my duty.

Now, let me get back to news issues which I believe are important for everyone.

EDDIE'S ROLE AS MAYOR

Oh, I never really knew this at the time it seems. I now understand the basis of how Eddie Francis acted as Mayor of Windsor. I wonder if it is unique compared with how other mayors around the country act:

"I never viewed my job at the city as being mayor, I viewed my role at the city as being CEO of a $1-billion corporation." says Francis. "That skill set has helped me and has allowed me to bring strengths to compliment the strengths of the existing team at the WFCU." (Gord Bacon, AM800 News, June 2, 2017)  

In that article, he also made this claim:

"He helped credit union's board develop a five-year-strategic-plan and he says it's been a source of pride for staff. 

"Some of the great and exciting projects that we've launched over the last two-years, and some of the things that we're looking forward to doing in the next couple of years will allow us to continue to offer the best products, the best services, and be able to give back to our community," Francis said. "It's something that we take great pride in doing."

Well, I do not understand exactly what this means considering the following. I read this in the Credit Union September 14, 2016 news release:

"Net income from operations before final allocation to the total loan loss provision, unrealized gains and income tax for 2015/2016 totaled $5.034 million compared to the previous year total of $5.05 million."

That was impressive except when one looks at their financial statement, it said:

"Net income from operations before final allocation to the total loan loss provision, unrealized gains and income tax for 2015/2016 totaled $5.034 million compared to the previous year total of $5.05 million.  However, your Board of Directors on a recommendation of Executive Management adjusted the provision for losses on loans by an additional $4.35 million, which resulted in a net income before unrealized gains and income taxes of $684,000."

Hmmm.  I wonder what the profit will be this year after taking into account whatever the loan losses are now.

I also just happened to see this role for the former Head whom Eddie replaced at the bottom of the Windsor Star story written at the City Desk on June 1, 2017 without mentioning the name of the person who actually did the writing:

"Former CEO Marty Komsa assumes the role of executive adviser strategic planning…"

I am not sure why he is assuming that position or what that job is. I also wonder what his payment will be for doing so.

PHYSIOTHERAPY, AND OTHER, NEEDS

A great deal of thanks is owed to Dr. David Wonham for the speech that he made that gave out information about possible medical problems being caused over a weekend for one particular issue but which may apply also to other ones:

"When an elderly patient doesn’t get up and moving immediately after a hospital procedure, “things go to hell,” says a retired Windsor surgeon who is pleading with officials to provide more physiotherapy on weekends and holidays. 

“Ideally, a hospital should run seven days a week. Unfortunately on weekends, things slow down,” Dr. David Wonham said of the current situation in area hospitals, where he claims patients may miss therapy because of reduced weekend and holiday staffing." (Brian Cross, Windsor Star, May 31, 2017)

He made another interesting comment to justify why it makes sense to have staff on the weekend coming in:

"The problem is only going to get worse as the population ages, said Wonham, 80. He said if hospitals devoted more staff to weekends and holidays, it would end up being cost-neutral because patient stays would be shorter."

To be realistic, with the age of the population growing longer, we are going to see more medical concerns for elder people.  Just take a look again at the top of this article to understand what I mean. 

I do congratulate Dr. Wonham for taking such a tough position on this matter. Fortunately, Chairman Martin Girash must have understood the concern raised since he made this comment:

"He said Wonham’s presentation was “very important” because it brings public attention to this issue. The LHIN has assigned a staffer to rethink how rehab and restorative services are delivered. He noted that hospitals are one of the only health services open around the clock seven days a week.  

“We need to think in terms of this same level of activity on a weekend, if a person needs it, as during the week.”

It will be interesting to see what the outcome is. Fingers crossed for a great one!

TOURISM IN WINDSOR

Well, the number is supposedly growing much higher. If it is, how significant is the growth:

"Tourism agency says more Americans are visiting Windsor 

"It's slow and steady. We didn't expect that there would be a big spike," [TWEPI CEO Gordon Orr] explained. "What you have to do is ... be constantly messaging and marketing to them. We've got to remind them why they want to come over, and a lot of Americans still don't understand the exchange rate." (CBC News, May 31, 2017) 

Come on now. Our tourism numbers are not so good and just do not seem to be growing higher very quickly at all even with these very attractive exchange rates, for Americans especially:

"Orr said the number of American tourists peaked at about  nine million after Casino Windsor opened in 1990s. The low point came following 9/11, with only about three U.S. million visitors."

Seriously, our numbers seem especially low. When one US dollar is worth around $1.35 Canadian, I would have thought that this should attract Americans to come over here in huge numbers! I wonder why the numbers are still down so much and why we are not doing more in the US to get them to come here.

This article in the news just bothered me about this subject:

"Tens of millions of dollars flowed into bars, restaurants and hotels over the 10-day tournament according to Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr, who added he expects there will be long-term impacts too. 

"We know first-hand when people come and experience our area for the first time, they go back to their respective cities and their families and friends and they tell their story about a positive, memorable experience they had in Windsor, and that's going to be the best marketing of all," he explained." (CBC News, May 30, 2017)  

Doesn't he know what the real numbers are for the people who came out to the games and how low they really are:

"With a sellout guaranteed for Sunday, the tournament will get close to operating at nearly 90 per cent capacity.

That would put the tournament in the middle of the pack compared to Memorial Cups going back to 2012." (Dave Waddell, Windsor Star, May 26,2017) 

DOES LEGALIZING MARIJUANA MAKE SENSE

I honestly do not have the answer to this question. Really, is it any different to a question that could be asked about whether "legalizing" the purchase of beer and alcohol so easily now makes any sense at all either? It also may well lead to legalizing other products as well.

Here is an excerpt from a story in the news about opposition to the legalization of marijuana by the Canadian Medical Association Journal interim editor-in-chief:

"The interim editor-in-chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal is pleading for the defeat of a federal government plan to legalize marijuana, fearful youth will have easier access to a drug that damages their developing brains. 

“Simply put, cannabis should not be used by young people,” Dr. Diane Kelsall writes in an editorial published Monday in the journal. “It is toxic to their cortical neuronal networks, with both functional and structural changes seen in the brains of youth who use cannabis regularly.” 

Bill C-45, if passed, would make marijuana use legal for adults aged 18 and over. Yet current research shows the brain doesn’t reach maturity until around age 25, Kelsall notes in the editorial. 

A Canadian Pediatric Society position paper on the effects of cannabis on children and youth cites such serious potentially harmful effects as: increased presence of mental illness, including depression, anxiety and psychosis; diminished school performance and lifetime achievement; increased risk of tobacco smoking; impaired neurological development and cognitive decline; and a risk of addiction. 

The nine per cent risk of developing dependence over a lifetime rises to 17 per cent if marijuana use started in the teen years." (Brian Cross, Windsor Star, May 29, 2017)

It will be very interesting to see what happens as the debate on legalization moves forward.

More News Stories For My Friends

There have been so many personal matters that have arisen over the past few days that I just cannot believe it. All kinds of small problems in the house that required us to contact people to come immediately and fix them. We even had the Fire Department come once because the alarms in our house went off for some strange reason.

Unbelievably, and yes I know that is a strange word to use, these very many matters were resolved quickly and properly. This was just so positive. That really is all I want to say because I don't want to have to describe all these matters to you, dear reader. I am just so pleased that we deal with contractors who work so well with us. Just in passing, some of the contractors were hired by our Condominium Corporation because several of our issues were really those of the Corporation. It really is pleasing to me that our outside Manager acts so well and so quickly for us. 

Of course, there are lots of items that I have seen in the news media that I wanted to bring to your attention, dear reader. Here are some of them.

WAS THIS A REALLY BIG VICTORY

I wonder if someone will actually give us a number so that we can see how big a victory this was:

"The Memorial Cup was a big win for Windsor's economy too, according to the area's tourism agency.

Tens of millions of dollars flowed into bars, restaurants and hotels over the 10-day tournament according to Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr, who added he expects there will be long-term impacts too.

"… when people come and experience our area for the first time, they go back…and they tell their story about a positive, memorable experience they had in Windsor, and that's going to be the best marketing of all," he explained."  (CBC News May 30, 2017) 

Really? How much money actually came into Windsor at the time? Was it as much as originally estimated? Somehow, I have difficulty believing that. Perhaps Mr. Orr will be able to show us those numbers one day. Here is why I have difficulty understanding what he said

"Through the tournament’s first five games, attendance has averaged 5,534 fans. That represents about 85 per cent of the capacity of the WFCU…

With a sellout guaranteed for Sunday, the tournament will get close to operating at nearly 90 per cent capacity.

That would put the tournament in the middle of the pack compared to Memorial Cups going back to 2012." (Dave Waddell, Windsor Star, May 26, 2017) 

I just wonder how much our tourism numbers will increase. Given the huge decrease in the value of the Canadian dollar, I would have expected Windsor to be flooded with Americans by now. Are these numbers so attractive to you, dear reader:

"Windsor is seeing some indications that its tourism sector is getting stronger. Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island made a presentation to council Monday night, pointing to a number of positive trends in the tourism and hospitality industry.

CEO Gordon Orr says US travel is up about four per cent year over year. The same thing goes for hotel stays -- which saw a five per cent jump in occupancy rates, and an increase in the average room rate of $8.56."  (CTV Windsor,  May 29, 2017) 

Let us hope for the best because we certainly need it in this region.

CHANGES TO CABANA ROAD

I used to live on Roselawn Drive with Cabana Road near to me. I really liked that area and enjoyed the structure of the road in which we had a big green lawn space in the middle of it that divided the traffic.

Fortunately, when our family moved out of our home there, it was no longer going to be the same street as before. That all changed with the strange addition of bike lanes in the road that, as far as I am concerned, did not improve its appearance or the handling of traffic. For some reason, the City Council did not care what the residents said it seems:

"Roselawn bike lanes going in against residents' wishes

In a possible sign of things to come elsewhere in the city, residents of Roselawn Drive will lose on-street parking in favour of bike lanes.

Council was not moved Monday night by a citizen who spoke about the need for street parking, nor a 37-name petition asking for the same. Instead, council voted 8-3 to put in bike lanes. The project will cost $13,200 for paint and signs between Dougall Avenue and Longfellow Avenue."  (Craig Pearson, Windsor  Star, April 20, 2015) 

Oh well, I expect that there might have been other reasons why the changes were made to that road but I am not sure what they were. Who knows, maybe it had something to do with this, the expansion of Cabana Road into 4 lanes:

"Public Meeting Wednesday On Cabana Rd. Improvements

The road will be expanded to four lanes. All six phases between Walker Rd. and Huron Church Rd. should be complete by 2023.

Traffic along Cabana Rd. is expected to increase once the new acute care hospital is finished on County Rd. 42 near Windsor’s airport." (Adelle Loiselle, Blackburn News, May 22, 2017)  

Who knows, perhaps bicycles will now have to travel on Roselawn Drive because of the expanded traffic that will be seen on Cabana Road in the future.

NO NEW TRAIN FOR WINDSOR

Who really believes that we are going to see a high-speed train coming through to Windsor from Toronto. It is so much fun I am sure reporting that we are going to see it but it's not going to happen as far as I am concerned. 

If you will remember, when this project about high-speed trains first got started, initially, conversation talked only about a high-speed train between Toronto and London.  There were all kinds of problems about building a rail track for a high-speed train between London and Windsor that it made little sense to suggest one being built. Nevertheless, after all of the noise was created, the project was expanded to include Windsor.

In a recent Gord Henderson column in the Windsor Star on May 26, 2017, he wrote the following, something believe it or not with which I agree:

"The revelation that Premier Kathleen Wynne is determined to build a high-speed rail line between Toronto and Windsor should have taxpayers waking in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

The folks who doubled the provincial debt while bumbling from one billion-dollar bungle to the next, creating an electricity Frankenstein in the process, now want to try their hand at building a super railway and that, surely, is reason to be afraid, very afraid.

It is, conceptually, a great idea. Ontario is decades late in recognizing that high-speed rail — which would put Windsor within two hours of the booming Greater Toronto Area — would be a great leap forward, especially for easily overlooked regions like our border area.

But to have the Ontario Liberals, who’ve turned botching programs into an art form, at the throttle of the biggest infrastructure initiative in the province’s history, $21 billion and surely way more before the first train rolls, is beyond unnerving."

What did he say about the Liberals? It was pretty strong. One can decide how accurate it was:

"There was a time, way back, when Ontario, under the quiet but efficient management of premiers like Bill Davis and the late Leslie Frost, ran like a Swiss timepiece. It was a place you were proud to call home. But it’s been all downhill, all bumps and bruises, over the last couple of decades.

Cynics see no need to worry, because the Wynne rail announcement, even with its $15 million in funding for an environmental assessment and preliminary design work, is just a shiny bauble to be pitched in next spring’s election by a government headed for certain defeat. Yes. And that’s what we thought last time."

It will be exciting to read until just after the next provincial election about all of the news stories about the marvelous high-speed train that someone is planning to build in this area.

WILL MORTGAGE RATES INCREASE

There is some talk that the interest rates should increase shortly in the United States. That has been a plan there for some time I believe. If it happens in the US, should we expect it to happen in Canada shortly thereafter? It certainly will cause a problem here:

"Nearly three quarters of Canadian homeowners say they would have difficulty paying their mortgage if their payments were to increase by more than 10 per cent, says a new survey by Manulife Bank.

Thirty-eight per cent of those polled say their mortgage bills could rise between 1 to 5 per cent before they would have financial difficulty; 20 per cent say they could sustain an increase in payments between 6 to 10 per cent before having trouble; and 14 per cent say any hike would be a problem.

Twenty-two per cent said they could handle a payment increase of between 11 to 30 per cent, while the remaining 7 per cent didn’t know or were unsure.

“What these people don’t realize is that we’re at record low interest rates today,” said Rick Lunny, president and CEO of Manulife Bank, adding that a 10-per-cent increase in mortgage payments could be the result of as little as a 1-per-cent interest hike.

“When you put it into that context, they’re not really prepared for what is inevitable. Sooner or later, interest rates are going to rise.” (Linda Nguyen, Canadian Press, May 23, 2017)

I can remember many years ago, in the early 1980s, when I had a mortgage that had to be renewed with interest rates that had increased to close to 20%!  Not a rate increased by 20% but a rate close to 20% in a multi-year deal. Can you imagine what would happen if our interest rates today rose to say, 5%. That would be almost doubling them on mortgage amounts that are huge these days because of the cost of purchasing a home.

When one has read the news stories about homes in Canada over the past months, so many of them describe actions that might be taken with house prices going so crazily high. Clearly, that was done so that hopefully interest rates did not have to be increased dramatically to lower drastically the market price. It was a way I believe that there was thought that the market could be reduced without causing a financial tragedy that happened so many years before. I can remember also how lucky I was that I was able to sell my house in Toronto and move to Windsor before the house market crashed there a few months afterwards. 

Unlike very many people, because of my age I had the experience of the dramatic increase in mortgage rates so many years ago because I had a mortgage at that time. That possible financial situation is so very similar to what could happen today.  It would mean financial damage to so many people. 

I can only hope it does not happen again.