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First it is unbelievably warm outside. Then everything changes quickly as the temperature drops and it appears as if it is going to rain all day long. Naturally, especially in summertime, the weather changes back again to the heat shortly thereafter.

I am sure that this kind of weather has happened in the past. However, based on what I was doing previously, I really never was all that knowledgeable about it. Sure, the weather changed all the time but I was either in my "professional" work office doing all of my office jobs or was working at home for myself in my office in my house. I just did not notice or really appreciate what was going on outside nor was I too concerned about it. I was too involved in my "work" experience.

Clearly, in my "new life" that was started a few years ago, I am appreciating what is going on around me a lot more and learning what I must do these days to deal with it. That may be something that you too, dear reader, should think about a lot more given the impact it can have on you.

After that introduction, let me tell you about some stories that I found interesting recently.

CASINO STRIKE

Oh my. That strike at Casino Windsor certainly has been very costly. And I do not mean just for the employees who lost so much money in wages.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation pays money to the City because it hosts the Casino. Apparently, in the last quarter when there was the strike at the Casino that lasted for quite some time, the amount of money granted to the City of Windsor was reduced dramatically:

“For the first quarter, April to June this year, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation paid the city $1,210,030 for hosting Caesars Windsor...

This year's first quarter payment was less than half of what the city received for the same period last year, which was about $3.5 million.” (CBC News, July 20, 2018) 

That is a drop of over 60%!

Of course the strike is now resolved and over so that, presumably, the Casino can start making lots of money all over again. That means that the amount to be given over to the City will be increased as well.

However, it will be interesting to see what that new quarterly amount will actually be. Have people picked new places to go out and gamble and therefore have no interest in coming back to the to the Casino in Windsor?

If that happens, then Windsor will have a very difficult time financially as will the Casino. What would happen then? We will just have to wait and see.

WINDSOR’S BMO ATTRACTIVENESS

Should it be, according to Dalson Chen in his Windsor Star story "Windsor places fifth on list of Canadian cities by economic attractiveness,” that everything is so positive in this City? 

If one just looks at what the Bank of Montréal story says, then people who reside in Windsor should be very positive, right! Somehow, I don't think so. Again, if things are so great here, then why are so many people, especially people like me, so concerned about the well-being of this area?

I have to say that reading his story makes things look pretty good for us in this area. However, looking at the attached table does not make it seem the same to me. Let me explain what I mean by that by giving my interpretation of some of the points set out by the Bank:

1) our median income is the third lowest in Canada

2) our jobless rate is relatively low except people have argued that the number should be higher because many people who have not been able to find a job for so long are no longer included in the rate. In other words, that rate is higher than is set out here

3) it is hardly a surprise that our year to date growth rate is better than our five year growth rate since the automobile industry is now doing so much better. However, with the problem that the industry is having with the USA, will the growth rate still remain so hot

4) our house price is right near the bottom of the list and has only grown rapidly in a very relatively recent, short period of time. As far as I am concerned, our house price has always been very low compared with others. I have been through that experience personally before

Our one-bedroom rental prices are very low as well but they are going up much higher these days. It is difficult for people with relatively low wages to be able to pay for rent that is getting bigger.

5) there are eight other cities, all Ontario ones, with the same tax rate as ours.

My conclusion is very simple: being fifth in line in that cities list does not look so good to me!

The big advantage for this region that I have always seen since I moved here is that it is quite attractive financially to be in residence here especially if one is paid a decent salary and there is great possibility for one's future growth.

Unfortunately, I just don't take what is said in the story to be all that positive for this area. I am very concerned still about the future of this region notwithstanding all of this positivity based on what I have lived through here for so many years. I will start feeling much better if the next group of people who are elected municipally all around here can start acting in a much better fashion to help this region grow dramatically higher sooner rather than what I have seen since moving down here.