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Wow, was it ever cold out on this morning. 

I started writing this article last Friday morning. To be direct, it was a lot easier to do this than to go outside for my usual stroll. When I started writing late in the morning, the temperature on The Weather Network was around -16°C with a feel-like temperature around -27°C.  Yet, on Monday the temperature is supposed to rise much higher to be +2°C and on Thursday it will go upwards to +5°C. Naturally, after that, the temperatures drop again into the minus range over the next several days. Oh well, what should one expect these days!

I must admit that I am disappointed about what is happening because it means that going out for a walk is much too difficult now. I am not going out to freeze! My recollection of the winter temperatures a few years ago is a lot different. I can remember going out for many walks during this period of time because, in that winter, the temperatures were higher. If only it was the same now, so that this could be done again to give me some extra outdoor exercising.

Naturally, in order to take up the time, what I plan to do is to write some more articles. Here is my next one which I hope that you enjoy.

IS WINDSOR PROGRESSIVE NOW

Should we all be pleased about some of the announcements that Windsor is making?

You might want to read the Anne Jarvis column where she starts off pretty positively I think:

"The course of downtown is turning in part because of one of city council’s biggest, best decisions in 2017: a new, aggressive core plan that offers grants and waives taxes to drive development.

There was also investment in Windsor’s distinctive neighbourhoods, its history and public art.

Slowly, despite hitches, the city is heading toward progressive.

The downtown plan is more than just incentives. It recognizes the importance of character, a sense of place, good design and little things that make the core striking and inviting." (Anne Jarvis,Windsor Star, December 29, 2017) 

I would suggest that you read the article yourself and make your decision on how important it is, or not, about the way in which the City is progressing. I have to admit that, in going through her list of items which point out how the City is spending money, I was not too impressed about what the City has accomplished. Moreover, once you read the last few paragraphs of the story, you will note that a lot of it seems to be quite negative.  The City did not accomplish very much in a number of areas. After all, Anne wrote:

"Given all these advances, there’s no explaining other decisions."

NEW UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS OPERATIONS

One has to be very excited in reading the article about the new University buildings operating in downtown Windsor. It is extremely positive seems to me:

"It’s unusual to see students this excited for the first day of school.

Thursday was the first day of class for University of Windsor’s creative arts students in the renovated Windsor Armouries. It wasn’t long before they were singing its praises.

“Being in a space that has a lot of history, it’s very beautiful, it’s very inspiring,” said Jude Abu Zaineh, a Master of Fine Arts student. “It just feels like it was a labour of love. They did a really great job incorporating a lot great materials that speak to one another, between the original brick and the metal and the exposed beams. It’s just a really nice melody of different materials that they’ve used so beautifully.” (Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star,  January 4, 2018) 

There will be a number of events that people can come to the University and watch. Go here to find out what they are and what the costs are to attend: http://www.uwindsor.ca/music/388/concerts-and-events 

I must say that the article is extremely positive about what has happened in the downtown. I am so glad that this has happened considering that about 500 people will be attending classes there.  However, I am not sure why it has taken so long to finish this project but it finally has been done:

"Work has been underway at the 100-year-old Windsor Armouries, the university’s second phase of its push into downtown, for four years."

Notwithstanding that sentence, in going through the article, it is a very positive one for the future of the University in this area of education. Expect quite a number of people to apply in the future for a student position there.

MORE JOBS

What a great headline in Bloomberg News! The story is pretty good too: "Canada’s unemployment rate plunges to lowest in 40 years" (Bloomberg News, January 5, 2018)

Canada's unemployment rate dropped to 5.7% in December although the rate in our area is 6.1%. That is still a significant number for us, a good one, given how bad things were a short time ago.

Of course, the growth in the economy that can be seen as well is not always as much fun to appreciate as can be seen in this part of the article:

“The books closed on a phenomenal year for Canadian employment with another spectacular result for December,” Nick Exarhos, an economist at CIBC Capital Markets, said in a note to investors. “In our judgement, that should be enough to see the Bank of Canada hike rates later this month.”

Never mind, so many more people with a job now will be able to pay a few dollars more per month if needed. Let us just hope that the unemployment drops a bit more and stays low for as long as possible.

ARE YOU A SKEPTIC

You must be one if you think that the Gordie Howe International Bridge will not be built.

Seriously, why should it be built at all if the cost to do so, if legally it is entitled to be built in the first place, will be outrageously high. Does it make sense to spend perhaps 10 times as much money now to build that bridge compared with the balance of the cost of building a 2nd Ambassador Bridge?

The senior special projects manager of Gov. Rick Snyder for the Howe Bridge wrote a very interesting article in Crains Detroit trying to justify the building of this bridge: "Skeptics are missing big picture in opposing Howe bridge"  

Of course, for the purpose of this article, he sets out a whole bunch of negative reasons why the Government Bridge should not be built. Naturally, he has answers for these negatives. In addition, he provides his "positives" which are supposed to make everyone so thrilled about this project moving forward.

Funny, he did not point out how much the Government bridge would cost compared with the cost of the private Ambassador Bridge expansion. There was no discussion about trying to partner with the Ambassador Bridge Company as if that is an impossible task. He did not let us know about the massive litigation that would take place if the Governments did try to build a 2nd bridge and the likelihood of them losing the lawsuit so that a Government bridge could not be built in any event.

All this Government stuff bothers me already. I know the reality is that they are waiting for the son of Matty Moroun to be in complete charge and to come to a deal with them. They are terrified in trying to negotiate a deal because they do not think they can do so.

I wish though they would stop playing their silly games and really do a deal now with the Moroun Family so that everything can be built even quicker. I am sure that it can be done now if done properly.

Have A Great 2018!

Whew!  I made it, at least so far this year. 

Yes, dear reader, I wasn't as worried now as I was previously but I still was concerned during the time period between Christmas and New Year's this year. If you recall, that was the time when I came down with an unknown at the time health problem that almost resulted in my death at the end of  December, 2014 and in the first few days in January, 2015. 

No, I am not going to go through again what happened other than to say that I was so fortunate in having medical action taken that resulted in me getting much better since that time. Of course, I am not able to function as completely as I did before. Nevertheless, I have recovered reasonably well from what I suffered with all the care that was given by various medical people and assistance given by family and friends. 

I am certain that you know now, after reading my articles, how dramatically my life has changed from the past. I believe that the life I am leading is an important one now although, to be direct about it, I am not sure exactly what it is supposed to be.  To be honest, that really does not bother me. I just live day to day with the role of carrying out whatever task I am supposed to undertake on that day. 

Yes, I agree with you, dear reader, it all seems rather strange. Nevertheless, I just have that sense that there is something going on that, hopefully, will cause some positive actions to take place. I believe that I have a role to play in achieving that result. 

Clearly, my writing of articles in my website, TecumsehCityBlog, may well be an important part. I hope so. I express my opinion as clearly as I can to give you, dear reader, a position that you might agree to support or even to oppose so that you can offer something even better. It is just my way of letting you know what is going on in our area that may well have an impact on us and giving you the opportunity to react in the best way that you think that you can. 

Let me talk to you about several matters that have happened recently. 

JANUARY 1: THE START OF OUR ELECTION/RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS 

For this article, I am just going to talk now about our local locations in this region. 

It should be interesting to see what happens between now and October, 2018 when the election takes place. Of course, no one really expects anything to happen until May 1 given the following that I just saw on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs website: 

"Changes to the election calendar reflect recommendations from the public, municipal councils and municipal staff to shorten the election campaign period. The first day that nominations can be filed for a regular election will be May 1st. Nomination day (the deadline to file a nomination) for a regular election will move to the fourth Friday in July (July 27, for the 2018 election)." 

Oh sure, it means we should have such a wonderful election and that those who are running for election have such a good opportunity to do so.  NOT in my opinion! 

Naturally, nothing that you are going to be learning about now or in the next few months introduced or commented on by elected politicians that are positive about your City or Town and what may happen has anything to do with the election coming up.  Of course, the reality is that politicians will be carrying on business but the business that they carry on will help them get re-elected. That's my opinion anyway. 

Anyway, I will be writing about various political matters as I have in the past and will comment on them. What should be interesting to see is what "non-elected politicians" who will run for office will do over the next few months to help them out but not break any political election rules. 

WHO WON OR LOST 

It was a very interesting article that I read in the Windsor Star. It was by Sharon Hill, and published on January 1, 2018. The title was "Windsor heritage winners and losers in 2017." 

It really would be interesting for you to read this article to find out who these winners and losers are. Just guess now and see if you are right or wrong in your assessment. I know that I was not correct in what I thought the story was all about. 

No, I am not going to go through all of the article because I want you to read it yourself. Here though is just one part of it that you may find interesting: 

"The year ended with promising heritage news. Windsor city council decided in December to renovate a 96-year-old fire hall in Sandwich to become a new library even though the estimated cost had more than doubled to $5.5 million. 

“If the city isn’t prepared to step up and save historic buildings, particularly in Sandwich Town, why would we expect others to do the same?” Mayor Drew Dilkens said Dec. 18 in a clear vote for local heritage buildings." 

Pshaw, spending money may no longer be a City problem.  Can you imagine the kind of deals, and their numbers, that you are going to see before the election! 

It just might become very difficult I would think for those who are going to cast a ballot to vote against presently elected people isn't it. 

DELAYED GARBAGE PICKUP 

I really don't understand why the Town of Tecumseh where I live had difficulty picking up garbage from houses in my area. Apparently, it was due to how much snow fell. I know that there was a fair bit but surely could it have been that horrific so that a big percentage of the population of Tecumseh, including my area, should not have the pickup: 

"WDS was also unable to complete its runs in LaSalle on Saturday, reporting that about 75 per cent of trash was collected." (Brian Cross, Windsor Star, December 31, 2017)  

This was originally posted by the Town: 

"Please be advised that due to high volumes and snow along the streets, garbage pickup is taking longer than usual this week.  Crews will be out again on Saturday to finish." 

Then the following was posted: 

"WDS was unable to complete their routes today for garbage collection.  Now, due to the holidays and  closure of the waste transfer station, garbage pickup will not resume until Tuesday January 2." 

It will be interesting if the Town advises us what happened after their meeting with the garbage collector "to find out where things went wrong and ensure the situation doesn’t happen again." (Mark Brown, Blackburn News, December 30, 2017) 

I expect it to be an interesting story but whether we find out about it or not, I do not know.

My Last Article This Year

It has been quite a year for me. I have spent a lot of time preparing and then writing an article for this Website. I hope that you, dear reader, have enjoyed reading the various pieces that I have written. I expect to keep on writing in the new year because I feel so happy doing so. I even enjoy the fact that many of my readers are on my side on many of the matters about which I have written. For those who are opposed, don't worry. I respect your opinions as well.

I hope that you will understand why I am going to write this particular article. To be direct, it is one of my personal ones. If it is not something that you would want to read, then I would not be upset if you chose to leave and come back in the future for a different type of article.

You see, dear reader, this time of the year is a very difficult one for me. Although I feel much better, mentally, I am still taken aback by what happened just about 3 years ago. Unfortunately for me, the thought is still there about what happened then and what it meant at the time. Even though everything has changed positively for the better, what still lingers are some horrible thoughts.

I am sure that you remember this Facebook post that I made on Christmas Day in 2014. When I checked it out again before posting this article, I noticed a couple of comments I made that were troubling. Here's what I mean:

It is exactly how I felt at the time. Nothing serious after all, just the usual kind of feeling that arose because of inclement weather.  I was certain wasn't I that I would get over this "flu" shortly because I was feeling better already.

You know well, dear reader, that I did not have the flu. Rather, it was probably the second day of the illness that could have resulted in my death in about 10 days in total unless immediate medical treatment was started. As you also know by now, that illness is virtually unknown by the medical practice in Windsor so that my recovery is amazing.

I was quite ill on December 31, 2014 and went to hospital but left after a number of hours because no one could figure out what was wrong with me, I was in the Emergency section in the hospital for quite some time already and I was positive that I felt better. Unfortunately, on New Year's day on January 1, 2015, I felt even more sick and my wife insisted that I go back to hospital immediately. I did and was admitted within 2 hours into the Emergency Section because I was in a horrific condition. I was completely sick and lost rather quickly a great part of my mind, between 90 to 95% of my mental ability.

Miraculously, I survived this horrific illness and started a process that lasted for over 2 years to get myself back as close to normal as possible. Many people who had my disease either died right away or had such an extremely poor recovery to eventually wind up in a nursing centre for the rest of their life.

If you want all the details about what I went through during this time-frame, then please just go back to my regular articles on the Website. I don't intend talking about them again in this article. There is no need to do so because you should know by now that I did so well.  Not completely, obviously, because I am still suffering from certain matters from which I will never recover. However I have done extremely well in getting back to my former normal life.

Notwithstanding how much time has passed since I first suffered this illness, how much I have learned and my great recovery, I am never going to be completely well again.  I have suffered certain losses that impact how my life is run. There is nothing I can do about it other than work around the negatives by picking up new functions to assist in trying to replace them. To be direct, that is what I am attempting to do now.

This reality does cause me concern and worries me. I know that I will suffer from some of these negatives no matter how hard I try to overcome them. I have learned that what I must do is try to put into their place whatever alternative options I can find and try to learn from them.  

Just to give you one example. Previously, I rarely put in writing the information I needed to remember in an issue in which I was dealing. My memory was that strong. Now, however, I have difficulty remembering some of the matters in which I participate. Accordingly, as required, I have to make notes of it and, more importantly, make sure that other members of my family are dealing with it as well so they can remember the facts involving the matter. I rely now upon my notes, their memory and their memos for which they are so good at writing to help me out as required.

My worry also has a role in my handling of issues in which I am involved. My role today is to solve a problem, whatever it is, in one day! I am serious: ONE DAY. I do not allow it to last any longer than that. It truly must be solved before I go to bed at the end of the day it first arises because I am afraid of what I might lose mentally if it lasts longer.

Yes, that may seem extreme or even absurd. However it is my reality, no matter what that issue is. Surprisingly, it has worked very well during this period of time from which I recovered from my illness. I had a number of very serious matters arise that I had to settle with outside parties quickly especially arising after our move to our new location in Tecumseh. And I did, all within the same day the problem arose in the first place! I was able to speak to the appropriate person on the other side and was able to resolve the situation virtually immediately in the best interest of both parties. It helped me stop worrying!

I do worry about how long I will be living. Could something happen right away now once again from what I suffered? That is a concern that I have that still gives me difficulty even if medically I am supposedly in a good condition now.  I always assumed before that I was going to live for a very long time. I don't rely upon that assumption today anymore.

I have no idea how long I am going to be alive but I now look at my life differently. I am just hopeful that I will wake up in the morning after I go to sleep the night before. I have made that my objective and hope that I can achieve it. I really am happy when I wake up and can turn on my recorder to listen to some of my favourite music. I know that I have survived for one more day.

To be honest about it, I do believe that I have a role to play although, not surprisingly, I am not sure what that role is. I do assume that one of my objectives is to make certain that each of the members of my family does very well while I am still around. I expect that my function is to help them out as best I can in what they are required to do.  

I do not know if I am also supposed to help others who may have a concern or even what my task might be.  However, I truly believe that I am to do so in return because of the great recovery that I have been given.  I believe that this duty has been "assigned" to me and I am to carry it out.  Yes, that may seem to be very peculiar to you, dear reader, but that is exactly how I feel today after what I have gone through.

Put together my personal concerns and what my duties may be with others and you will understand, dear reader, a little bit about how I am living today. Perhaps you may now understand how in this time period I still have worries as in the past even though I am very grateful that I have been recovered so well with the help of others.  But you also may understand as I do now the reason I  have been allowed to live!

Getting Closer To The End Of The Year

The temperature in this area is getting quite bizarre isn't it. When I looked recently at a 10 day forecast for our weather, I saw that it could go up to 7°C and then down to -8°C a few days later. I must admit that I wish that it stayed at 7°C or higher for a much longer time but unfortunately that doesn't happen. 

I understand that some of my readers don't mind this chilly weather. It doesn't seem to bother them too much probably because they have the proper clothes to wear that will keep them nice and warm. Regretfully, that is not something that I really have even though I have some clothing for this time of year. Oh well, I just will have to stay warm inside the house, do lots of exercising here to keep it and then wait for the spring to come back. 

Naturally, of course, I will have an interesting story to tell you, dear reader, before the end of the year.  I hope about doing that soon. In the meantime, let me tell you about some matters that I have read that I hope will interest you as well. 

A NEW BRIDGE AUTHORITY LEADER 

Well, a new one was appointed but I am not sure how long he is going to be around. Andre Juneau has become the interim Chief Executive Officer of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.  Here is what I saw: 

"In order to maintain progress on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, Mr. Juneau will be taking on the role of CEO on an interim basis until the position is permanently filled…," the government’s announcement stated.  

The government will appoint a permanent CEO. The selection will be “open, transparent and merit-based,” the statement said. Details about the position and the closing date for applications will be released “in the coming weeks,” bridge authority spokesman Mark Butler said." (Anne Jarvis,Windsor Star, December 15, 2017) 

I am sure that you will recall that Michael Cautillo, who was in the position of President and Chief Executive Officer previously, had a rather strange ending of his career there. 

Here is what the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, wrote: 

"As Minister responsible for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, I have accepted Michael Cautillo’s resignation from the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, effective December 8, 2017." 

He also added in: 

"[Mr. Cautillo] had been on a leave of absence since August 24, 2017 before tendering his resignation." 

I wonder how long Mr. Juneau will be around: 

"Mr. Juneau will be taking on the role of CEO on an interim basis until the position is permanently filled through an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process led by the Government of Canada." 

The whole thing just seems so strange that I just don't get it. Juneau apparently had his job for the last few months even though he didn't have his position:

"The Board of Directors delegated the equivalent responsibilities of the CEO to him as COO." 

What is even more peculiar as far as I am concerned is that the new appointee is only going to be an "interim" CEO. Nevertheless, here apparently is what he is supposed to do. It makes no sense to me given that he is not the new Head: 

"We look forward to working with Mr. Juneau during this critical stage of the procurement process to select a private-sector partner." 

Presumably they are looking for a new CEO but who knows when that person is going to be appointed. I must admit that I would have thought that everything should be in limbo for a while. Does it make any sense for the short-term leader to make long-term decisions and then have a new leader appointed who has no say? I have difficulty understanding the rationale for that. 

Oh well, let us just hope that the Ambassador Bridge Company can build its new bridge ASAP so we don't have to worry about this nonsense. 

MORE BORDER FILE STUFF 

I really should not be doing this article but I'm going to do so anyway. It is just so nice to see some writers effectively doing some smart research into why it makes no sense for the Government of Canada to spend billions on building a new bridge.  

I will just give you a reference to the articles that I have seen recently so that you can read them yourself. You will easily understand what I mean: 

"Do we really need a $4 billion bridge to Detroit?" by Alan Freeman" 

https://ipolitics.ca/2017/10/13/do-we-really-need-a-4-billion-bridge-to-detroit/

"Michael's essay — Do we really need to spend $4-billion to build a new bridge to Michigan?"  by Michael Enright 

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-december-17-2017-1.4448153/michael-s-essay-do-we-really-need-to-spend-4-billion-to-build-a-new-bridge-to-michigan-1.4450282

Sure, it means that the Ambassador Bridge will build the new bridge but what it means is that the Government should be negotiating with the Bridge Company right now to be involved in its new construction program.  Of course, there is a logical agreement that should be undertaken immediately between the parties. And I have talked all about that before.

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.

My New Life

Can you imagine, a man as old as I writing about his "new life" in this article.

That is exactly how I feel today almost 3 years from the day that I almost died on December 31, 2014/January 1, 2015. I truly believe that my life has completely changed since that time. Hopefully, into a much better one.

You might find my comment somewhat strange but to me it is not. My reason for making this remark is rather simple. Compared with what I was experiencing for so long before, my life is so different today.

As I am sure that you remember, if you have been reading my articles on here since I recovered, because of the horrific illness that I was suffering, I was being examined and treated by so many doctors and other medical and home care people who helped me get better.  I will always be grateful to them since they treated me so positively!

I am not going to go into great detail once again about what my treatments were and what they did to make me feel so good now. All you need to do, dear reader, if you want to know about that, is to do some searching on my articles which I published previously to gain that knowledge. Moreover, I just do not want to keep repeating it because part of what I am doing now is being so pleased to have recovered so well from this horrible illness. I have not recovered 100%, and never will, but I certainly have done a lot better than many of the people with this illness who have not been as fortunate as I.

I needed to write this article for other personal reasons.  No, I am not going to write now about matters going on in this geographic area or elsewhere as I do in my regular articles on here. Instead I felt a need to write an article about myself personally about how I am feeling about my life now and what I am hoping to do in the future. Again, this could help others who are living in a similar position to mine.

Sure, it is very close to 3 years from when this all started. However, from my perspective, my life only became better several months ago when effectively I took it back from near death.

What do I mean? Well, it is rather simple. I am not treated any longer by any of the medical specialists who made sure that my recovery went as well as it did nor by the people who came to my house so often to treat me and look after me. They did their jobs so well already in helping me come back to normalcy that there was no need for them to keep on seeing me after the middle of this year. Of course, if there ever is an issue in the future, they have let me know that all that I need to do is give them a quick phone call to set up a session to deal with my problem.  Since the summer this year, I have not had to have any care any longer from any of these people. While I was so pleased about that, I have to tell you that I was upset when it all came to an end even though I was so much better. I am forever grateful because of their efforts.

Everything that I do now has changed quite a bit from how I lived before. I cannot afford to live a poor life but must look after myself in the most positive manner I can to keep my health up. That means that I am very careful in what I eat and how much I eat. I have to make sure that I exercise properly and enough times to make sure that I am healthy. If I do have a problem as everyone does in life, I have to try and solve it as quickly as I possibly can and in a manner that is a positive one for me but does not cause significant difficulties for the person on the other side, if possible. In passing, I have been very successful in handling a number of very negative matters with solutions that are advantageous to me and my family and still deal now with those people on the other side who agreed with my solutions.

At least for myself, I am acting in a much different way compared with how I lived before. Perhaps all the number of years of my age are part of the reason for it but I think my illness caused a good part of how I am looking at life now. Believe it or not, I rarely look at what my "future" will be. The main reason clearly is because I do not know how many more years I will have on this Earth. I always feel so happy when I wake up in the morning after a good night's sleep.  It means that I will be going through another great day in the world.

I am hoping that I will be around for a good many years and looking for ways that I can do so. However, my prime purpose in living now is to make sure that each of my family members is experiencing a successful time today in dealing with their concerns and then being assisted in ensuring that his/her life will be fantastic in the future when I am no longer around.

Just to repeat the obvious, my years of "rebirth" have made my wife, Marsha, an even better person.  She looked after me then and is looking after me now so very well. The reality is that she is just a phenomenal woman who has improved her life unbelievably higher even more after I became so ill.  As for my children, well, I am not going to talk a lot now about them on here. There is no need for me to do that since you should know so much about them after reading my articles.

I really am a different person now.  I just do not have the same needs that I had in the past. I have new ones and, I believe, important ones and expect to achieve resolution of these matters as quickly as possible. I just feel that I do not have the alternative to wait around before reaching a satisfactory conclusion. Those people that I deal with understand that quite well I am certain because they are dealt with quite strongly if they do not act properly and in time.

Will I help others with their issues and if so how? I believe that I will. However there are still matters for which I need resolution if I am to do so. While I want to do so in the best possible way I can, I don't really have an answer for this. Again my view is that something significant will happen in an unexpected way. I will have a role to play in that matter whatever it happens to be. What I mean about "significant," does NOT mean that it is only an issue that is important for the community around me. Rather, it may well deal with an issue that is a concern of one person only whom I meet. My role will simply be for trying to help out to resolve a problem for which I become involved.

I do expect that I have a different life to lead now with a significant part of it to be involved more with others in helping them with what they are experiencing. That is why my life was saved so well. Not just for myself or my family with our issues, but for whatever else happens in the future for which I am to be chosen.