Mixed Signals

In October, when SDW went before council to fight against the two proposed Big Box expansions, one on the east side and one of the far west side, we were rebuffed by every councilor except Alan Halberstadt. In spite of mountains of evidence defending our position and attacking the economic promises of the CocoBox, we couldn't win over any councilors nor did we solicit so much as an honourable mention. Imagine my surprise when, the next morning, Eddie Francis tells AM800 that the city is going to have to reduce services or raise taxes. 'It's just the way things are now' Francis pined. While I've already written about that revelation imagine my surprise when, on Tuesday, Mayor Francis dropped another financial bombshell on Windsor. According to Francis it costs approximately $70 million a year to manage and maintain the infrastructure throughout Windsor. That's roads, sewers, water, etc. Here's the kicker -- Windsor doesn't have enough money to cover a budget that large. Hold on a second...SDW was founded to fight against unsustainable growth and to direct development to the currently built environment, focusing on pedestrian and human scale alternatives to the past projects. (Ed: This does not mean we are anti-car ... we just want to have the option to go carless, or less-car, if we choose!) So when SDW said to council that BigBox was going to cost us $0.44 a square foot (that's about $185,000 a year for the CocoBox), why didn't they listen? More importantly, why, only a few weeks later, are they telling us that we can't support the infrastructure that we have after they voted to BUILD MORE! City Council and Mayor Francis either have very short or very selective memories.

It was suggested by a spectator at council a couple of weeks back that Windsor have a Shadow Council, a sort of Official Opposition, to help keep council in check and accountable. I'm not sure that even a Shadow Council could keep up with the confusion being propogated by some members of our council, but there needs to be something done to encourage accountability of our city officials. I'd like to think that efforts like Scale Down Windsor, and other like venues of new media and information, are making a difference in the way that Windsor, collectively and individually, behaves. As Mahatma Ghandi said "We must become the change we want to see."