Time For Another Comments Article

This cold weather is good for one thing for me. It is a good reason why I should sit by my computer and do another News article for you, dear reader.

It must be the new location where I am located in my townhouse in Tecumseh. It just seems a lot colder here in this Town now than it did while I lived in Windsor. I don't know if it is because of geographical location or just the specific area where I now live. We used to live behind a golf course here so all of the land behind me would have been open spaced. As you know, dear reader, it seems, just after my wife and I moved in several years ago, that the land became redeveloped with huge, massive and expensive new homes. 

I would have thought that these new homes would block winds blowing so much on us. Unfortunately, they don't. The cold winds just keep on coming! Moreover, the speed of winds these days is so much higher for so much longer than I can remember in the past.

Oh well, it just means that I stay indoors more and have the opportunity to spend more time doing research so that I can write more articles. That's okay with me even though it means that I will have to exercise more inside as well. Here are some stories that I have researched. I hope that you enjoy them.

FORTUNATE WINDSORITES

How fortunate residents of Windsor are.  Here is some good news for Windsorites.

"New co-generation systems that generate electricity and also capture byproduct thermal energy to help with heating are projected to shave $1.1 million annually from the energy bills at three of the city’s biggest facilities.

Huron Lodge long-term care home, the WFCU Centre and the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre have either recently had the systems installed — each costing around $3 million — or are just about to." (Brian Cross, Windsor Star, December 8, 2017) 

I would have thought that this was a terrific opportunity for the Mayor and Councillors to give interviews to all of the media on this project for the interest of the public.  I wonder when they will start talking about it and taking some of the credit too.

The huge amount of savings that will last for years which will reduce taxes is certainly something about which to make citizens aware especially before the election campaign starts. It is pretty good publicity I think with all of that money saved.

"All of this lowers operating cost,” Sergio Grando, [manager of energy initiatives] said of the projects…

Anything we can do to wear our green hat to reduce energy consumption and hence create operational savings is essentially what we do,” Grando said."

Who knows, perhaps surprisingly, tax savings may not be considered that big a deal by politicians in Windsor.

THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE GORDIE HOWE BRIDGE THESE DAYS

Can it really be that it makes much sense for the Canadian Government to spend $4-$5 billion or more some time in the future to build, if it is at all legally allowable, a new bridge between Windsor and Detroit. This is long after the Ambassador Bridge Company built their bridge and after a multiyear lawsuit started by the Bridge Company to prevent the Government bridge being built was decided in the Government's favour.

Of course it does not make sense. Yet, here is an article that I saw recently:

"Federal officials have been on a months-long campaign to surreptitiously slip the name Gordie Howe into conversations with top-level American counterparts to promote the new border crossing that will bear the hockey player’s name." (Jordan Press, Canadian Press, December 9, 2017) 

Wow, it would seem initially that the Canadian Government wants to spend so much money to build a bridge even though traffic seems significantly lower and the likelihood of it getting its money back quickly, or even ever at all, seems quite poor.

Wait a minute, there might be another reason, the real one, why this story is coming out even though the Ambassador Bridge Company has started building its new bridge already. It might be that there is no real expectation that the competitive Gordie Howe Bridge will ever be built. There are some interesting comments at the end of the news story. It seems to me that one must always go to the end of key news articles to see if there are other factors involved. It seems that there is a hidden motive for talking about the Gordie Howe Bridge:

"The May presentation, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, suggests the Gordie Howe bridge project became part of Liberal efforts to keep NAFTA from falling apart. The presentation and accompanying briefing note for a meeting of deputy ministers repeatedly stresses that Trump sees the bridge as a strategic piece of cross-border infrastructure…

The constant reminders about the bridge are also likely part of efforts to get the U.S. to commit to providing enough border guards at the new and existing border crossings to avoid bottlenecks, said Lydia Miljan, associate professor of political science at the University of Windsor...

Stuart Soroka, a professor of communication studies and political science at the University of Michigan, said national governments regularly lobby neighbouring jurisdictions on large infrastructure projects to maintain support and avoid a counter-movement."

In other words, the Canadian Government needs to protect its key elements of border crossing and is merely using the thought that a Gordie Howe Bridge needs to be built to help it out.

YOU MUST SEE THESE PHOTOS

The photographs taken of Lake Erie 2 years ago by Dave Sandford are truly awe-inspiring. Please go here and take a look at them: 

"Liquid Mountains: I Captured Lake Erie On The Day It Came Alive And Showed Its True Power 2 years ago by Dave Sandford"

Here is just one of them that is so unbelievable so you will understand what I mean when I tell you to go there:

 BORDER TROUBLE

Oh, it has nothing to do with building another bridge in this area. Rather, it has to do with bridges all across Canada.

I just cannot believe that contract negotiations between the Canadian Government and the Union representing border officers is so ridiculous that negotiations have been going on for 3 years and nothing has been resolved. Does that make any sense to anyone!

It seems that the Union is finally upset, another absurdity to me. If I was a member of the Unit, I might wonder why the officers have been unable to achieve a resolution after so much time and why they have not taken action long before this.

The President of the Union seems to be concerned now and here is what he is saying:

"The union representing Canada’s border officers is promising “disturbances” and demonstrations at international crossings after bitter contract negotiations have dragged on more than three years.

Jean-Pierre Fortin, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, said officers will likely also stop collecting taxes as a tactic to pressure the government if the dispute isn’t settled by early 2018.

“The members are getting really angry,” said Fortin. “It’s to the point right now where there are some local initiatives that we’re trying to explain to our members that we’re not yet in a strike position. Until then we’re trying to calm them. But when we cross that bridge into legal strike action, rest assured there will be a lot of demonstrations.” (Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star, December 7, 2017) 

Oh, great. Make it horrific for citizens on both sides of the border in Windsor/Detroit, especially those that have jobs on the other side, to go across the river here. Nevermind that there are also problems at other border crossings in other regions across the country.

Here is what is going to happen:

"We will never compromise the safety of Canadians,” said Fortin. “But we will be making a lot of demonstrations. "

I wonder what that means. Hmmm, how about strictly enforcing the border law rules, all of them, so that it takes very much longer for a person to receive approval to cross. I wonder how long the backup time will become then considering that it can get very long for many people who are coming over before and after their work as just one example.

I am sure that the Government can figure out how much money they will lose if the Customs officers follow this technique:

"Border enforcement is considered an essential service so most officers can’t actually go on strike. But Fortin said they could stop doing some duties.

“One of the duties we will no longer be doing will be collecting taxes,” he said. “That duty is not part of ensuring national security.”

I wonder if that sum approaches the amount that the Government would pay to its workers in wage increases.  Just expect there to be discontent shown over the next little while even though there cannot be a strike vote until March or April.

This stoppage naturally will impact citizens who will be suffering rather than the Government.  All of this makes it seem quite absurd doesn't it. Why there cannot be a proper resolution of these type of employer/employee issues in a very short time period makes no sense to me.