More Local Stories

Every morning I get up fairly early to get my day started. It is something that I have done for so many years.

One of the obvious reasons that I do that even now is that my start time at my various employers was relatively early as well in the morning. In Toronto, my various houses were a fair distance from my employers' offices. Although I was allowed to drive there and even park there in a company site, usually, I took the TTC there and back. It just meant that I had to get up early, eat a breakfast and then catch a bus and streetcar to go to work on time. In Windsor, I had a car that I really had to drive to work since the auto company was my employer but again I started working early in the morning.

I am still used to do things early. I just like doing it to be honest. After all, these days I can look outside early in the morning and see what my day will be like. It means that I can get ready for an early morning walk around the neighbourhood if the weather is pleasant. Nothing is better than heading out early on the weekend to our grocery store to buy our weekly requirements and to pay our grocery costs before the mobs of other customers get there.

In the past, I used to go to bed quite late at night because I was doing so much work. The number of hours that I slept were not overly long but were quite sufficient for my needs at that time. Now, after my serious illness, I find that I go to sleep pretty early every evening. I sleep relatively well except that I get up very early in the morning but stay in bed until breakfast time. What I am doing now is trying to stay up a bit later so that I can sleep later.

I am very happy with my timetable these days. I am living my new life now. It will be interesting to see where it leads.

Now for some new stories to report to you, dear reader.

FORD CITY PROJECT

What a nice story:

“Ford City’s recent revival will be kicked into overdrive by a newly crafted incentive plan, say excited boosters of the long-downtrodden neighbourhood.

“This is the firepower, this is real dollars, the carrot to (attract) real changes, the brick-and-mortar changes the neighbourhood needs,” Ford City Neighbourhood Renewal co-ordinator Karlene Nielsen-Pretli says of the much-anticipated draft Ford City Community Improvement Plan. If approved by council, this recently completed CIP would spur new investors to start up businesses and existing property owners to rejuvenate dilapidated buildings and build on vacant lots that have been neglected for years, she said.” (Brian Cross, Windsor Star, September 9, 2018)

Now that is a very nice story isn't it! Well, maybe not if one looks at these additional lines in the story:

“Ward 5 Coun. Ed Sleiman, who made the original motion calling for a Ford City CIP several years ago, believes it will do a “fantastic job” sparking development.

“I can feel my heart fluttering, seriously. I’m very happy with it,” he said.”

Hmm, I wonder why it took so long to bring this forward. Oh, it is being presented right before the election isn't it. Now perhaps this is why it is not that much of a surprise and why a Councillor can be so pleased right now.

ANOTHER ISSUE

Here is an issue about which some of the Windsor election candidates are silent for some reason.

Anne Jarvis of the Windsor Star wrote an interesting column on September11, 2018:

"The issue the candidates aren't talking about”

The column is a very large article on the following topic:

“It’s the opioid crisis and the epidemic of homeless people overwhelming downtown and spreading across the city.”

I will let you, dear reader, read that column for yourself. The reason though that I am bringing it to your attention has to deal with this short comment by Ms. Jarvis right near the end of the column:

“So where are the candidates? Mayoral candidate Matt Marchand says his downtown platform “is coming.” Ward 1 candidate Fred Francis works downtown. But so far, his platform doesn’t mention homelessness.

City council’s first duty is to care for our citizens. Political will can solve this.”

Can you figure out why she mentioned the brother of the former Mayor at the end of the story? Probably few people will go down that far anyway to read this column so it may not impact Fred Francis personally too much. At least, not right now

Why just him (and also Matt Marchand) and not so many of the other people who run for Council? After all, there are:

"50 candidates for mayor and city council”

Could this be a warning to Eddie Francis to make sure that his brother's campaign smartens up a bit and deals with matters that she believes are important? If not, is this her warning that she would go after him otherwise?