A Chance to Kill this Title

Finally, an opportunity to make a difference about the criticisms that downtown is all bars. Monday night a report by our administration goes to council and if we speak up we can make positive change and ask that bars not be allowed to operate between 3 and 5 am. We can put an end to destructive after hours bars like they did in Kitchener. Anyone who truly wants to make changes should register to speak at city council on Monday night or express your opinion to your councillor. Your councillors will listen if they see you there

I have been calling for an end to after hour’s bars and massage parlours to be zoned out of downtown for years. Our licensing department and our city leaders have not thought to date that these changes are warranted. Below is a letter that details the complaints about lack of transparency and being shut out of the process that Larry Horwitz and I faced when we tried to lobby for these changes. We were denied the input into this report that we were promised and we were individually told to leave the meeting. A meeting where the licencing committee comprised of Councillor Ron Jones and Jo anne Gignac became party to this flawed report.

First, we hear that downtown is dangerous, that is not the whole truth. The whole truth is that when we read and hear about shootings and knifings over 90% take place after 3am. The whole truth is that two of these shootings happened outside the same after hours club on the corner of Pelissier and Wyandotte. I am absolutely dumbfounded that the police have not called for these establishments to be closed down. We all know that policing costs are high downtown and this is one way to reduce them. If you claim to care about high taxes then here is another way to control city costs. I respectfully question the reasoning behind our police’s silence over this issue and whether there has been pressure to not rock the boat.

Secondly, if you want to lure retail downtown you need a buffer between the day time and a night time clientele. The term mixed use is not proper to describe the relationship between nightclubs, retail and office. The uses simply don’t mix. The more proper term would be “split use” and to make an effective “split use” district you need a buffer between the nightclubs and the retail/office. That buffer is needed for the Entertainment lounge owners to clean up before the retail/office opens.

There are many other reasons in addition to this that after hours clubs should be restricted, I’m sure many of you have your own valid reasons as well. You want to attract residents to downtown; these clubs are also an obstacle of that goal.
Now, other than the proprietors themselves, most people in the city will agree with me about after hours clubs. Where I disagree with many is the need to curtail the nightclub industry. We don’t need to stop them we need to manage them responsibly. That can be done by supporting the Hospitality Resource Panel that is inching its way forwards. More can be learned about this at www.responsiblehrp.org

The only controversy here is whether to close places that provide food between 3 and 5am. If you ask the president of the Responsible Hospitality Institute he will say that these places create lineups made up of intoxicated people put in closed quarters. Thats a fight waiting to happen. The Responsible Hospitality Institute advocates for practices that allow patrons to leave downtown in an orderly manner. It is a fallacious argument to think that if a drunk person has something to eat before he drives home he somehow becomes safer. Food doesn't sober you up, it only slows down how quickly alcohol enters the blood. It will not make a person that is over the legal limit go under. Even if you disagree with this point call your councillor and ask them to close entertainment lounges, public halls between 3 and 5am

It also is the source of much of downtowns garbage. Other cities like Kitchener have done that and zoned any new massage parlours out of downtown. When asked how they got the existing ones to move out of downtown they simply responded, we told them to go that they were not wanted downtown. action can happen if the citizens of our city demand it. Please register to speak or show your support Monday Night at council, write, email or call your councillor. This is the type of positive change that we can make that I’ve been talking about. Here’s a chance for the naysayer to put their money where their mouths are.

Below are excerpts from Kitchener's municipal code which prevent after hour bars to open. After that is a description of how our city's administration is behaving on this issue. P.S. this will only be announced on Friday which gives the public virtually no notice or time to prepare. If it moves from Monday, I would question whether this post which I am making very public has caused a change that results in no public debate on the issue.

Public Hall

583.1.1 Public hall - defined
“public hall” means a building, including a portable building or tent with a seating capacity for over 100 persons that is offered for use or used as a place of public assembly, but does not include a theatre within the meaning of the Theatres Act, or a building, except a tent, used solely for religious purposes.

583.2.6 Operation - hours prohibited
No person shall operate a public hall between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. each day except the first day of January in each year.

583.3.1 Fine - for contravention - person
Every person other than a corporationwho contravenes any provision of this Chapter and every director or officer of a corporation who concurs in such contravention by the corporation is guilty of an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000).

583.3.2 Fine - for contravention - corporation
Every corporation that contravenes any provision of this Chapter is guilty of an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000)

Place of refreshment

584.1.2 Place of refreshment - defined
“place of refreshment” includes a restaurant, ice cream parlour, dairy bar, tea room, sandwich shop, lunch counter, hot dog and hamburger stand, peanut stand, fish and chip shop, refreshment booth, refreshment stand and a place where refreshments are sold from a vendingmachine, but does not include a refreshment vehicle

584.2.7 Class A licence - hours of operation
Every premises for which a ClassAplace of refreshment licence has been issued under this Chapter shall be closed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. each day except the first day of January in each year.

584.3.1 Fine - for contravention - person
Every person who contravenes any provision of this Chapter and every director or officer of a corporation who concurs in such contravention by the corporation is guilty of an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000).

584.3.2 Fine - for contravention - corporation
Notwithstanding Section 584.3.1, every corporation that contravenes any provision of this Chapter is guilty of an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000).

Good Morning Councillors:
I have reviewed the Council Report 13049 regarding After Hours Clubs. As this is a “Note and File” recommendation, we were informed by the City Clerk’s Office that delegations will not be heard on the issue.

As such, the DWBIA requests that Council direct Administration to work closely with the DWBIA in researching this issue and that the DWBIA be included in the discussion from the beginning through to the end of the study.

As an FYI – the Licensing Commission met on October 9th, 2007. I was informed by a person in the Licensing Department that this meeting was open to the public, however when two of my Board Members tried to enter the meeting, they were told to leave. I was assured by Licensing that we would be involved in this process, yet this Council Report has come forward without consultation with the DWBIA.

Judith C. Veresuk
Executive Director
Downtown Windsor Business Improvement

ED: The Windsor Star doing it's part at publicizing this issue today (Friday, Dec 7)

Is Windsor Daring to Dream?

Is it just me, or has there been a slight shift in attitudes towards our downtown as of late?

Windsorites have always been a somewhat pessimistic bunch, but there seems to be a desire, scratch that - a need - to believe that we are capable of something more than simply our Sin City reputation of Rub 'N Tugs and the Windsor Ballet. You hear reference to "change" a lot in the media and from our politicians lips, but this is different. It seems as though the citizens of Windsor, tired of waiting for our benevolent dictator to swoop in and rescue us, are picking up the torch ourselves and collectively determining our own future.

That sentiment was palpable at the Windsor Armouries last night, as hundreds of citizens clamoured for chairs in the hopes that what they were going to hear was more than just wishful thinking on the part of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (WSO). This was obviously not a City of Windsor presentation, as the notable lack of thousand dollar artist renderings and high-priced consultants allowed room for the sense of hope and sincere desire for progressive change of the residents. This wasn't a snow job meant to dupe people into swallowing a mystery pill that would give them heartburn for years. This was the real deal.

And a real opportunity for Windsor to define itself as a true cultural destination. The DWBIA's ever-optimistic president, Larry Horwitz, was on hand to outline how a revitalized Armouries building would strengthen the fabric of a rejuvenated core. Maestro John Morris Russell outlined the strengths this fabulous building possesses which would put this city in the North American big leagues. And WSO board president Vicky Kyriaco-Wilson went into the business case that proved it was within Windsorites best interest to throw their support behind this project. (click here for the power point presentation she delivered at the open house) From today's Windsor Star...

Kyriaco-Wilson announced in a presentation that the WSO will be asking the City of Windsor for $60,000 to partially fund an economic feasibility study on the renovation project.

According to Kyriaco-Wilson, the money the WSO is requesting from council could come from the city's "Culture Capital Projects Budget," which set aside $125,000 of taxpayer money (ed: which, according to Kyriaco-Wilson, is left over from last years budget) for arts and culture projects in Windsor.

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association has already committed $10,000 to the study. Kyriaco-Wilson said the WSO has raised an additional $10,000 from donors, and is seeking provincial and federal grants to cover another $20,000, bringing the total cost of the feasibility study to $100,000.

I just wish that I had the audio capabilities to let you hear how amazing the sound is in this hall, with the Windsor Community Orchestra and a quintet of WSO brass players demonstrating the aural capabilities of this heritage building - as it sits in all of it's original splendour. If there was ever a need for the people of the city of Windsor to voice their support, now is the time.

It is evident that contrary to popular belief, Windsorites have not given up on their city. They are actively working at bringing about positive change. Take SDW reader James Coulter's vision (inset picture) of what our core could accomplish with some visionary leadership and the testicular fortitude to do what they know is right. The 200 - 300 people who came out to the Armouries last night is a testament to the desire to reclaim our downtown. We just need to bring more people into the fold, and as Maestro John Morris Russell asked us to do last night - talk to your friends, family and relatives about the possibilities and get in touch with our municipal decision makers.

Mayor Eddie Francis, 350 City Hall Square West, Windsor, Ontario, N9A 6S1, 519-255-6315, mayoro@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 1 - Dave Brister, 847 Lounsborough, Windsor, Ontario, N9G 1G3, 519-250-7960, dbrister@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 1 - Drew Dilkens, 3125 Massey Court, Windsor, Ontario, N9E 2Z6, 519-250-5607, ddilkens@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 2 - Ron Jones, 390 Randolph Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 2T6, 519-252-1005, rjoones@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 2 - Caroline Postma, 841 Bruce Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, 519-971-0728, cpostma@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 3 - Alan Halberstadt, 2517 Gail Road, Windsor, Ontario, N8W 2Z7, 519-973-8323, ahalberstadt@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 3 - Fulvio Valentinis, 2173 Victoria Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N8X 1P8, 519-977-5067, fvalentinis@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 4 - Ken Lewenza Jr., 1741 Tourangeau Road, Windsor, Ontario, N8Y 4J9, 519-948-9328, klewenza@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 4 - Bill Marra, 2475 Buckingham Drive, Windsor, Ontario, N8T 2B4, 519-948-0900, bmarra@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 5 - Jo-Anne gignac, 246 St. Rose Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N8S 1X2, 519-945-4434, joagignac@city.windsor.on.ca

Ward 5 - Percy Hatfield, 3025 Claxton Court, Windsor, Ontario, N8R 1P9, 519-739-9575, phatfield@city.windsor.on.ca

Feel free to call 311 to verify your Ward representation. You can make a difference!

ED (12/06/07): From today's Windsor Star, Gord Henderson with these words of wisdom...

"We could, if the community desire is there, make this happen and demonstrate that Windsor is more than a sports-loving, blue-collar burg that's down on its luck"

Rare Opportunity

In today's Windsor Star Windsor found itself in the company of some of greatest cities in the world. According to John Russell Morris, Windsor Symphony Orchestra conductor, the Windsor Armouries has the potential to be transformed into one of the greatest concert halls in the world. For most Windsorites, that might be a hard position to take. Sure, we want to think of ourselves as world-class, but to actually think that we could be world class, that is a little daunting, even for the most optimistic among us.

While I don't subscribe to some of hype in the article (remember, no single development will fix downtown Windsor), I do believe that an investment in a heritage property, in addition to an upscale arts establishment, will return dividends for decades to come. Alas, though the thought of a downtown symphonic forum is tainted by two stumbling blocks.

First, according to the DWBIA plans to reinvigorate the downtown with the Downtown Mosaic, and the proposed changes by the WSO, are we missing the opportunity for some symbiotic relationships? Alas, it is far more than a missed opportunity, but a necessity to accomplish the grandiose goals that we envision for our collective future. In order for Windsor to get past itself, we need to build unity into the process, all pushing for a common future, each within our own realm. I hope that the WSO and DWBIA are working in concert (no pun intended!) for the success of our urban core.

Second, and this seems to be a recurring theme, we have city council, certainly not all of them, but consistently the same councillors, who cannot seem to see beyond the confines of our small-town origins. This time around it is Percy Hatfield, who thinks this idea would be great, but not if Windsor taxpayers are going to foot the bill. Hatfield didn't have a problem voting to drop $65 million on an arena that will have questionable ancilliary benefits for Windsor. That is not to say that I favour tax dollars going to support every whim of development that appears to be left leaning, but a favourable allocation of resources that feeds the needs of all citizens. Hell, I'd settle for a comprehensive plan that Windsor actually put some real time, effort and resources behind. Windsor already has reams and reams of plans that could have, would have, transformed our cityscape. Instead we have been frozen by indecision, compelled to act only out of spite, hoping that one more study is going to provide the silver bullet.

It is time to live up to the namesake of SDW and scale down, focus on building the infrastructure to support a community and, with it, a sustainable economy. We must scale our community to prepare ourselves for the future. Just like Mayor Francis and his pay-as-you-go economic philosophy, we need to trim back the wide-ranging expansion plans, the insatiable need to consume, and focus on creating a quality life experience for all citizens.

It's going to be one heck of a journey...

AM800's Jason Moore "Hearts" bloggers

Do you think AM 800's Jason Moore was talking about us? Nah, couldn't be. Who do you think he was talking about when his on-air commentary today derided certain "bloggers" as being too negative?

I'll let you listen and make up your own mind.

In the meantime, let's get back to work, shall we? There's so few people in this city willing to speak up and put their necks on the line, we don't have time to just lay around complaining about everything.

What was Dennis DesRosiers saying when he accused the local media of keeping their heads in the sand? For some reason, I can't remember. Maybe it was the lack of news coverage.

Clipping the Snowbird's Wings

In the coming month, we Canucks observe an annual ritual that will put many millions of dollars into the hands of our neighbours to the south. Thousands observe this tradition, packing up their SUV’s and their passports, kissing their grandchildren goodbye and head for the border.

Montreal Gazette columnist Andy Nulman captured, tongue-in-cheek, the downside of the snowbird migrations: "It's mid-November. Listen closely. It's starting once again. That distinct sucking sound you hear is the whoosh of hundreds of thousands of Canadians--"snowbirds" they're called - making their annual southward migration for the winter... While we're stuck here pulling on woolies and putting on snow tires to navigate sand-strewn sidewalks and salted roads, snowbirds are squeezing spare tires into Speedos to navigate sandy beaches and saltwater waves down south. More than mere objects of ridicule, they've become extreme Enemies of the State."

While I don’t particularly believe snowbirds are “Enemies of the State”, (seeing how my parents are one of them, that may be incredibly unwise on my part) I do believe that Windsor is missing out on a big opportunity.

The Canadian Snowbird Association, a lobby group established to represent migrants' interests to provincial and federal governments, claims that some 800,000 Canadians spend at least one month a year in the South. That’s a lot of people and their quid leaving us to fight the cold weather on their behalf. I don’t begrudge these folks for seeking something they’re missing in their golden years. Most of these people led hard working lives and really deserve to enjoy their golden years how they want to. I just want to find out what Windsor could do to keep some of these folks at home in their community.

I know what you’re saying – it’s the weather, stupid! Granted, if Florida (or Texas, Mexico, etc.) didn’t have that hot, sunny weather they wouldn’t be getting the retirees flocking to their doorsteps every year. I agree with you. Yet, there’s a part of me that believes that there’s another reason. A reason that if absent from the equation would make their annual pilgrimage a lot less desirable.

Like I mentioned, my parents are part of the “Snowbird” phenomenon, so I have access to first-hand accounts of what goes on during the winter months at these retirement Shangri las. My parents, Jerry and Helen, are incredibly social people. Rarely do you ever catch them at home – ever! They are always out with friends and family, enjoying dining, boating, walking and biking and just plain lazing around socializing. It’s a good life, and I am very thankful that they are able to do just that. They’ve earned it. When they pack up their vehicle to head south, dozens of their friends are doing the exact same thing. In fact, their whole circle of friends packs at the same time, takes the same roads to land in the same communities in Florida, to unpack and continue the exact same life they led back home in Canada – uninterrupted.

Yes, the weather is one of the prime motivators for this trek. But I would like to add another reason to the mix. Winter isolation. The winter comes to town and we all put on the storm windows and lock down for the season, only to re-emerge with the robins in the spring. Windsor cannot change this. We’re a Canadian city and we get cold. That’s what makes us Canadian. However, I believe that if we took the social environment out of the Snowbirds winter plans, they would seriously re-evaluate their desire to flee south. If these Snowbirds, who generally live in segregated, affluent suburban developments that are relatively easy to navigate in the summer months, were offered a choice to live in vibrant, walkable, pedestrian-friendly communities where their social lives continued unhampered throughout the year, many would choose not to uproot and instead stay home with their family and friends who are just as easily accessible as they are in the summer months.

This isn’t just a gut-feeling on my part. I look at some of the most-visited vacation destinations in the world and the thing they all offer is a socially rich environment where most of life’s conveniences are within an easy walk from their doorsteps. The people who live in these communities – mostly in older, established European countries – do not feel the need to run away to the sunny south every winter. Their lives are equally rich in the winter months as there are in the summer – only with a few extra layers of clothes on.

This is something that we can compete with here in Windsor. And in building a community that people don’t want to run away from every year, we not only keep the snowbirds in their communities where they belong, but we also enrich the lives of those who may not be able to afford to head south for the winters. True, the travel agents wouldn’t like it very much. They make a pretty good living off of the fact that we’ve built up an inhospitable daily environment and come to them to save our sanity by whisking us away somewhere nice. Well, I want Windsor to be that “somewhere nice” place that not only do we not want to flee, but maybe others will want to flee to.

Yes, it’s a dream, but a dream that’s completely within our control. The weather, on the other hand, is not.

Two Hikers in the Woods

Let me preface this post with a story you probably have heard about two hikers in the woods
Two hikers, hiking in the woods stumble upon a ferocious Grizzly Bear, the first hiker turns around and methodically takes off his back pack and changes his hiking boots for running shoes. The second hiker looks in sheer horror and shrieks “what the hell are you doing, there’s no way that you’re going to be able to outrun a Grizzly Bear”. The first hiker turns to him and says, “ I don’t have to outrun a Grizzly Bear to live, I just have to outrun you!”

Every day I have been coming across some article or blogger that chastises our leaders for not acknowledging Grizzly Bear type problems Windsor Faces. Meanwhile I think they miss the point that the city needs to collectively start running faster than its competitors. They want to see grizzly bears everywhere they look, remaining paralyzed. Look, I am not defending our leadership, I just want those who solely bitch and whine to get off their asses and start contributing.

Take downtown for instance; of course I realize the challenges downtown faces with border security, exchange rates, lack of dedicated nexus lanes on both border crossings, leadership that continues to support urban sprawl. Why on earth would I want to keep focusing and speaking about these problems . Once they are acknowledged, you develop a plan that recognizes them and then DON’T LOOK BACK.

Downtown has a plan that includes advice from a panel of experts from the International Downtown Association, Peter Bellmio, and the examination of highly successful comparable downtowns. It is a multi year plan that is in progress. It focuses on fundamentals such as Clean and Safe, and now Infrastructure and Beautification, next it moves into Business, Secondary Education and Residential Recruitment and eventually going into marketing and events in the future. Is this plan sexy? Probably not, then again neither are roads and sewers. The point is that this plan has been proven to work in every other Downtown that has adhered to it.

If someone came up with a better plan or even elements that furthered our goals, then we would review and adapt. That's not the case with downtown critics. They continue whining about nonsensical items such as not building an arena on insufficient lands (as if a single pad on 6 acres could have ever worked) that many damn well know would have lost money on an annual basis. Pointing out and discussing the Grizzly Bear may motivate some through fear, but I am motivated by envisioning the potential of what I am working on. Unless you have some new information to offer, talking about the Grizzly Bear becomes like drinking toxin that causes paralysis. There is no new problem downtown faces which would warrant a change in the current action plan.

I understand and appreciate those ridiculous statements and comments such as about Windsor’s problems being cyclical should be corrected. In my case, I’m not focusing on or talking about the problems because I see no value in doing that after they’ve been acknowledged. I believe the bloggers doing it think that it makes them somehow intellectually superior than those they criticize, seeing something they believe has been overlooked. Abraham Lincoln once said “he has the right to criticise, who has the heart to help” In Mr. DeRosiers case, he’s earned it and we should listen. However, there are many other critics (I would single out a certain blogger), have done nothing but poison our city. To think that bitching and whining about what others should do is some type of contribution is twisted. It's one thing to offer an opinion, it's another to claim to know what is in the hearts and minds of others. I would end with this; that it's not only about how much you love Windsor, it's about what kind of person you are, what kind of example you set for your children. Roll up your sleeves and find a way to contribute.

An Open Invitation

Dennis DesRosiers' annual, though unofficial, State of the City address brought cries for a change in city management, policy and the need to "think outside the box" from members of the Greater Windsor Home Builders Association. According to a Star article on the meeting, attendees agreed with DesRosiers' blistering critique of all things Windsor, blaming the majority of the woes of the city on "divisive leadership, fear of the unknown and overly-political media." (Ed: I wonder if DesRosiers would consider a guest column for SDW?!? )

While I missed the presentation last night (probably due to the fact that I can't swing a hammer to save my life), I have to say that, despite the reported fear-mongering, DesRosiers is on to something here. Dennis' love/hate relationship with Windsor is long recognized, but, as Joe Rauti stated (as quoted by the Star) "His speech was right on, but we've got to get leaders listening to him.", though I only half-agree with his statement.

For years builders have built sprawl-divisions, scraping fertile topsoil from farmers fields to plant a crop of raised ranch, back-split, two-car garages with attached 3-bedroom houses. While the economy was growing so fast it was almost tripping over itself builders couldn't churn the homes out fast enough as low interest rates enticed even moderate income earners to abandon the core of Windsor and seek refuge in suburban McMansions. Now that interest rates have climbed, sub-prime mortgages are defaulting at a record pace, and the local economy is tanking faster than the Titanic, builders are blaming council for bad policy decisions and 'not listening'.

The problem, as I see it, is that council DID listen. They listened to builders who wanted to rezone lands to build homes, wanted council to hold the line on building fees to prolong a softening construction market and support new subdivisions with sewers, roads, and emergency services. Now the homebuilders are calling on council to take on a leadership role in the hopes that Windsor will turn-around and save the industry.

There is a solution to this problem, and is has nothing to do with city council. Let the Greater Windsor Home Builders Association has to put their talent and money where their mouths are by assuming the leadership role that they are demanding of city council. Come together with urban advocates, cutting edge architects, 'green' technology professionals and other industry experts and build, within the city of Windsor, an example of Windsor's innovation in every aspect development. This can't be a cheap publicity stint, but rather an exercise in co-operation and innovation, a marquee development for a properous future. Dive into the core area (the lands to the west of the casino come to mind) and show that re-development can be just as lucrative as building new, not to mention mutually beneficial to the consumer, community and construction industry.

I extend an open invitation to any builders, or builder representatives, to contact Scale Down Windsor. We will assist you in bringing together the ideas, innovators and talent to make this project work for everyone involved. Let's show DesRosier, and ourselves, that Windsor not just a fading speed-bump on the 401, but a city of the future. This isn't about city council (trust me, they will be falling over themselves to support this one), this is about Windsor, who we are and, most importantly, who we want to be!

BTW: Here are the links to the DesRosier mp3 files that Chris Holt was promising, (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3) along with the powerpoint presentation that accompanies the first part of DesRosier's keynote address. (Thanks to Chris Schnurr for the link to the powerpoint!)

Renegade Blogger Alert!

Man, I hope the Windsor Star reels in Monica Wolfson. She is - oh my god! - questioning the leadership of City Hall! Watch her blog get pulled very shortly.

Only this time, I'm not backing her up. She's talking out of her butt on this issue, advocating the Engineering school move out to the suburbs. Thanks a lot, Sprawlica!

So why be shortsighted? And why fold to local political pressure that isn't exactly putting the students, university or industry first in its demands. I see some of the best land opportunities out by the airport or in other industrial areas off Malden Road - but what do I know?

Yes, Sprawlica, what do you know? You don't think the residents of this community should have some say as to how the University develops. Funny, they didn't mind taking a weekly withdrawal (for 5 years, BTW) from my Ford/CAW paycheque for their new CAW Student Centre? Plus, you are arguing out of both sides of your mouth, saying a 3 km hike is too far for these students to trek, and then advocating for a much longer commute out to the airport.

I hope they listen to the people who know something about building technical facilities and not people who have lots to say with little to no substance backing them up.

Just ask, Sprawlica. We can back up every word we say.

P.S. SDW backs a different campus for the downtown location - say a relocated Lebel building or law school. However, we definitely don't want to perpetuate a sprawling, exurban land use cancer.

Trending towards Windsor?

If we see these national trends making their way down the 401 towards Windsor, do you think that we will be ready to capitalize on them?

Green and dense
Changing demographics, economics will make cities the crowded choice for the 21st century

When it comes to where Canadians choose to live, 65 per cent prefer to house themselves in suburbia and the balance in medium and large-size cities.

This ratio is about to change.

The past two decades show a steady decline in the population of small towns in many provinces and growth in cities.

Pricey single-family detached dwellings and job opportunities are the two key factors drawing the young to cities.

Lower-cost urban condos are fast becoming homes to many first-time buyers. On this front, we are fast closing ranks with our European counterparts who have lived in high-density settings for centuries and where apartment living is common.

With the mounting popularity of Canadian urban centres, the built product is bound to change. We are likely to see more tall towers in the heart of cities and their periphery.

These are the issues we are preparing our city council to address. These are the trends that successful urban areas are embracing as they contend with their eroding traditional economic base's and moving forward in a progressive manner. They are also the issues that our mayor and councillor pay lip-service to but don't really seem to understand the implications of their procrastination.

We are also seeing an emphasis on the public realm and the resulting rise of our quality of life when we design and build a quality product. The current debate about our downtown's revitalization is elevated when we learn from the experiences of other communities;

"Streetscapes are for me the rivers of life in a city, revealing in the passing flow the character and culture of the residents and what makes them and their surroundings so special."

"For the last several years, the city's Planning Department and the Community Redevelopment Agency and its prime landscape consultant, Pat Smith, have published and promoted an ambitious set of urban design standards and guidelines laying out a streetscaping strategy. Critical to the effort has been the tacit support of the Department of Transportation, which until recently had considered its prime objective to move cars and trucks fast and efficiently through Downtown. Making streets attractive for pedestrians at best has been an afterthought."

So, we can see where we want to go when it comes to pedestrianizing our landscape. We can see the importance of human-scaled development both to our quality of life and to developing our local economy. Other municipalities have acknowledged the relationship between their departments of transportation and land use planning. So what priorities does Windsor seem focused on currently. Our recent decisions to accomodate suburban sprawl and big-box development are major hints. From the Washington Post:

"And all of this is a shame, given that Kiev has historically been considered the most pleasant of the former Soviet Union's capitals -- a walkable alternative to Moscow. In his book "Imperium," about his travels through the declining Soviet Union, the late Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski described Kiev as "the only large city of the former USSR whose streets serve not merely for hurrying home but for walking, for strolling." Kiev's main boulevard, Khreschatyk, he wrote, is something like a local Champs-Elys¿es, and he was impressed by Kiev's downtown "crowds of people" out "to get some fresh air."

A decade and a half later, the city that Kapuscinski liked no longer exists. Walking here can be dangerous because the sidewalks are covered with cars, both parked and moving. That ritual of city life -- the promenade -- has become an adventure in the sort of defensive, serpentine ambulation with which the pedestrian makes his way through a strip mall parking lot."

So the carrot-and-stick approach to an urbane lifestyle that community activists are attempting to employ here in Windsor is backed by the experience of numerous other cities. Curb sprawl while enriching the urban experience. The recipe for success.

Full plate at the loony bin...

Those of you looking for fun-in-the-sun this week have a full plate before you.

Tonight's council meeting is full of all-out craziness. Well, maybe not all-out, but certifiably interesting to say the least. We have yet another well-intentioned Community Improvement Plan to occupy city hall's dusty shelves. It's too bad, because it looks like an excellent plan that the community of Little River Acres would benefit from tremendously. Then, we head on over to the alternative transportation department and their plans to increase bus fares while keeping their level of service at sub-standard. And then to top the night off, a nice little reminder to everyone exactly what sprawling development actually costs our city. Take a look at those astronomical numbers that we're paying out and then tell me that you support all these infrastructure improvements to the 'burbs that we cannot afford.

Then, if your Monday night extravaganza hasn't worn you out, head on over to the Fogolar Furlan Club on Wednesday to hear our favourite union-basher speak at the conference on the Housing & Automotive Perspective for Windsor & Essex County, hosted by the Greater Windsor Home Builders’ Association. Now, when the GWHBA says "Housing" - they means sprawl. So they are finally coming out of the sustainable development closet and hosting a conference on the automobile and sprawl-development with keynote speaker Dennis DesRosiers. From DesRosiers mouth...

"I have agreed to speak again this year to The Greater Windsor Home Builders’ Association Viewpoint 2008 conference on the Housing & Automotive Perspective for Windsor & Essex County. It is scheduled for Wednesday November 28, 2007. I will be updating the City of Windsor on the current state of the auto sector in the area and discussing the implications for auto workers in Windsor of the recently negotiated contracts in the US. Needless to say it is going to be a difficult labour year for Canada. I also plan on a deep dive into the "Windsor Issue" and will provide an outside perspective on some of the problems facing Windsor and their root causes and offering some thoughts as to what I think needs to be done to 'rescue' this region."

Goodie! Hang up your hat, Mayor Francis. Dennis DesRosiers to the rescue! The circus at the Fogolar starts at 1:00 pm. Don't worry, he promises "not to hold back anything"!

Time's a Tickin'

It was almost a month ago that our beloved city council granted a zoning change "paving" the way to a west-end Big Box nirvana. The rules state that opponents have a month to file an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board. Well, that month window closes on Monday. The big question is; Has LaSalle filed an appeal? Any other residents or organizations filed yet? I guess we'll find out Monday.

But, in the meantime I thought I would pass along an article harvested from the London Free Press about some scrappy little Ontario town who apparently had the nerve to question Sprawl-Mart's motives and actually - GASP - turned down their application to build.

Yes, they are also going to the OMB, but this time it is Arkansas' Walton family who is on the offensive.

Because, what right does a piddly old municipality have to determine it's own future?

Stratford's plan to nix Wal-Mart bound for OMB

SmartCentres has launched itself once more into the breech as it tries to reverse Stratford's rejection of an east-end Wal-Mart store.

An appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board was filed this week to challenge Stratford city council's decision three weeks ago against rezoning industrial land into commercial land for a cluster of stores that would include a Wal-Mart.

"I don't think it's a big surprise" that the mall developer believes councillors erred in not heeding even their own consultants' studies, Alan Scully, lawyer for SmartCentres/Avonwood Shopping Centres, said yesterday.

The appeal is yet another act in the ongoing drama over the 22-acre site owned by Avonwood, near C.H. Meier Boulevard and Douro Street.

Council's decision came after years of debate and months of lobbying by groups for and against the development in the hometown of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Mainly, the public debate buzzed around the impact of Wal-Mart, which would be an 111,000-square-foot centrepiece of the development.

Traffic and retail-viability studies were conducted. Among them was a report that suggested the Festival City's downtown was healthy enough to survive and thrive with a big-box store in east Stratford.

"We had expected the zoning process in Stratford would take some time, that it is a very unique market and that the opening of Wal-Mart would be contentious," Scully said yesterday. But he said he was "somewhat surprised" by council's negative vote. "I'm not going to say I'm frustrated, but I am surprised."

Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson said the appeal was expected.

"Stratford has rendered a planning decision which we feel has represented the best public interests of the community," (ed: can we get this guy to move to Windsor?) he said. Mathieson said he has heard a month might have to be set aside for the hearing. He said money is set aside in each year's budget for planning processes, including possible OMB appeals.

Scully said he expects an OMB pre-hearing will take place within six months, with a full hearing "within the year." Stratford Mall has also appealed the same council decision, Mathieson said.

The lawyer representing that mall was not immediately available for comment.

SmartCentres, one of Canada's biggest retail developers, operates more than 185 shopping centres, including many big-box and national-brand stores.

Scully said "it certainly is an option" for SmartCentres to look at building just outside the city's easternmost boundaries.

That's nice, eh? We finish off the article with a threat from the Sprawl-Mart lawyer basically saying that if you don't want to play with us, we'll skim all your retail bucks over your municipal border.

Here's a word of advice to Windsor's city council: when the residents of the city of Guelph lost their 10 year old battle to keep Wal-Mart out of their community, their council paid the price at the next municipal election. One week after the Wal-Mart opened, Guelph voted in its civic election. Every candidate who supported Wal-Mart, including the mayor, was defeated.

Here's hoping that Stratford prevails and keeps this monstrosity from setting up shop. Apparently, they still have a town worth caring about.

Business Recruitment Downtown

I thought that a discussion in a previous thread warranted a new post.

The DWBIA made business recruitment the #1 priority for 2008. This was after creating a plan to move forward. Previously, we all wanted this but had no plan of action. This still follows the International Downtown Association's advised plan for Windsor's downtown. Its based on a heirarchy of needs. I don't think much of the public, (or even our membership) is aware that we are following a plan laid out by recognized international experts

First Clean and Safe - accomplished with streetcleaners, gum and graffitti removal security cameras and the establishment of a Hospitality Resource Panel to work with the bar owners

Second - Infrastructure - "take 3-4 blocks of your downtown and make them the nicest in the world". Streetscape will soon be complete on Ouellette from Riverside to Park. Decoration of that streetscape includes: led "wave" lights in the streetlights, led lights on all large trees, flower planters ordered for spring, directional signage manual waiting approval at planning (held up to ensure consistency with convention center) New directional signage will eliminate sign clutter and create sense of place.

Third - Business and Residential Recruitment. - with work in progress on items that follow, resources can now be allocated to this. Districting and facade incentives were the first two items

Fourth - Marketing - branding begun on the Downtown Mosaic, most marketing efforts tied in with business recruitment efforts

Fifth - Events - decision to minimize expenses on this until further ahead on the first four. Will facilitate events by businesses through contribution to street closure.

The DWBIA has a long term plan for downtown and so far we are not being swayed off course by reactive measures.

The DWBIA did a merchandising study by one of North America's leading consultants that said Districting would be the first and best way to lure retailers. Visit the DWBIA website to learn about the districts at http://www.downtownwindsor.ca/ . I am extremely proud of the video that was produced to get our message across. click on the bottom left to view it.

Clustering like minded Retailers is what needs to be done and districting can help that. I can't help but think that American Apparal could have easily been a success had it located near similar type stores (next to capish bling bling, or on Avenue South near more younger bars)

Districting will help direct retailers to cluster in areas that are more appropriate. Galleries in the Arts or on the Avenue. retailers marketing to youth on avenue south. Residential support businesses such as food, specialty wine on the West Village or the Square

Second, and more tangeable, the DWBIA is offering $10,000 facade grants ($15,000 if you're on a corner) to fix up the outside of your bldg. That is an incentive that is not offered anywhere else in the city other than downtown. This grant can be used for business retention as well as business recruitment. Check out the fresh fronts campaign

http://downtownwindsor.ca/freshfronts.asp

After that it's just getting the word out

I hate to say "I told you so" but...

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities, in a report released this week , warned that municipal infrastructure is facing imminent collapse. (Check out the press release, the report and the powerpoint presentation) According to the report municipalities need $123 billion to replace infrastructure that is rapidly approaching the end of its' projected life expectancy. AM800 reported that Mayor Francis is pushing to establish a National Framework to address the issue of reduced funding levels from the federal level and make the sharing of gas tax revenues permanent in a desperate attempt to avert the catastrophe that has been decades in the making.

While the future prospects are ominous, but the question begs to be asked -- Why do we continue to support sprawling infrastructure? It's like the smoker who has lung cancer, yet continues to chain smoke -- we know that we are dying, yet the addiction to sprawling development continues. Alas, city administration tends to speak out of both sides of their mouth on this issue. It appears that Mayor Francis knows that changes need to be made, hence his push for the national framework, yet we expect that, in the 21st century, our pattern of consumption will continue to be sustained by ever increasing transfers of federal funds, spiralling taxes, or a combination of the two. While Francis is plotting his future path (he has already stated that this is his last term as mayor) on a national scale by pushing Windsor's chronic problems into the federal limelight, he still supports decisions that, on a micro-scale, compromise the sustainability of our community. Developments on Walker Road, which has ballooned from a couple of Big Box developments to a full-blown shopping-lot, complete with its' very own 6 lane road, were once heralded by the mayor as "smart development".

Chris Holt, one of the contributing editors as ScaleDownWindsor, put together a 12 part series on the myths of growth called Debunking the Growth Myth. (Ed: Here are all twelve parts, for easy reference -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12) The fantastic series addresses the many falacies and ideas of how to develop a strong city; and Windsor has been going about it all wrong. Instead of promoting sprawling sub-divisions and big box development, we should be concentrating on reinvigorating our core communities. Mayor Francis loves to tout his fiscal record and his "pay-as-you-go" policies for city hall. While I applaud the concept, it is nothing more than window dressing as the failed development policies, truncated community improvement plans, and a penchant for all things big, bright and sprawling mortgage our future prosperity for short-term fiscal and political gains.

The solution is simple -- stop sprawling infrastructure and invest in the currently built environment. We could take it a step further and start charging sprawl-divisions the real costs of establishing and supporting new developments. Once the real costs of building on the city periphery were passed on to the consumer, coupled with tax incentives for living and investing in our core communities, we would see an reversal of the exodus that has devastated both the residential and commercial landscape in Windsor proper and a real change in the face of Windsor. Our perpetually falling tax base would be bouyed up by new investments and reinvestments and, as the city coffers filled, a balance of decreased taxes and increased services would perpetuate a pattern of growth instead of the pattern of failure that plagues us.

Alas, council has, at least in my recent memory, continued to support the myth that we need to grow to be sustainable. Until council and administration take the initiative to be innovative and courageous in the redevelopment plan for Windsor we will continue to defer the payments of our current lifestyle for future generations to pay in full.

Curing the Doubting Thomas

The downtown campus debate has become quite the divisive issue in our community. Though I want to say that I get the other side of the debate -- I really don't. I, for the life of me, can't understand why there is such rabid opposition to building the new engineering campus in our downtown core. Call me hopelessly optimistic, but I believe that we can achieve great things in our community, of which the University of Windsor is a integral component, if we stop saying we can't and starting asking, how do we succeed.

I know that we all need a little inspiration so, to get everyone started, check out The Project for Public Spaces - Campuses page and see what makes a truly innovate and successful campus. Spend some time reading and dreaming with the folks at PPS (don't feel ashamed if you catch yourself exploring the other program areas). After spending a couple of hours (and that's being conservative!) digging through the pages of inspiration at PPS I think you'll find that it's not a matter of if we support a downtown campus, but a when will we suport a downtown campus.

AltTrans Philanthropy

Just when you think that we have a perpetual uphill battle before us pertaining to the notion of alternative transportation in this - the automotive capital of Canada, you get word of news like this.

Philanthropy is usually geared towards high-profile needs such the need for a new MRI or cancer clinic. Rarely do you see the proceeds going towards preventive measures such as bicycling infrastructure. That is why I wanted to spotlight some anonymous donations made to the City of Windsor for the purpose of undertaking bikeway initiatives.

A number of generous donations have been received by the City of Windsor since 2000 from an anonymous donor within the community who has been liaising with the Manager of Council/Community Services & Deputy Clerk for the purpose of undertaking bikeway related initiatives within the city. Since 2000, the city has received donations totaling $282,288.65 with the most recent donation of approzimately $97,000 having been contributed in November of this year.

Whom ever you are Mr/s Anonymous Donor, on behalf of every resident in this fair city, THANK YOU very much for your incredible generosity. Future generations of Windsorites will be healthier both physically and economically because of your investment in this cities transportation infrastructure.

Something good out of DRTP?

Quick post -- check out the article in today's Star. Apparently the DRTP is dropping the truck component of its' plan and going with the full-height rail tunnel plan.

Two comments on that -- 1) It's about time! and 2) Hey, isn't that part of the Schwartz proposal?

Of course, with all things DRTP, only time will tell the real story. (That or some industrious blogger with the inside scoop! )

Windsor 20/20 on CBC

I was tuning into the webcast of last nights CBC news to catch Windsor independant film maker Gavin Booth being interviewed regarding the Windsor International Film Festival's 48 Hour Flick Fest, when I stumbled across this series the CBC is doing. From their website...

Windsor is an enigma. It should be an overwhelming success story.

It has great weather, hot humid summers and fairly mild winters. It sits in a geographic pocket that puts it four hours from Toronto and five hours from Chicago. It has the busiest international border crossing in North America with one-third of all trade between the US and Canada passing over the Ambassador Bridge. It has affordable housing within the city limits and a skilled workforce. It's a boater's dream with quick access to Lakes Erie and St.Clair from dozens of marinas. It is home to Chrysler Canada and Hiram Walker Distilleries and has turned its once shameful waterfront into a garden oasis and outdoor sculpture park. It has a multi-million dollar casino-hotel-entertainment complex. And it is also the fourth most ethnically diverse community in Canada behind Toronto, Vancouver and Hamilton.

Windsor should be an overwhelming success story... but it isn't. And in part what is missing is vision. The grand plan. The path that takes us to a brighter future. Windsor has the people to make things work. Windsor has a sense of itself as a community. What Windsor doesn't have is a sense of its own future.

Every Thursday, over the next 15 weeks, CBC and Radio-Canada Windsor will examine Windsor's potential and its future.

We're calling the series Windsor 20/20 because it's all about the vision.

Join us. Be part of Windsor's future.

What we've been saying all along.

The segment last night was on the University's possible move to a downtown campus and the impact that move would have on the city as a whole. After seeing Professor Rick Haldenby, who the DWBIA brought into town for a speaking engagement, the reporter traveled to Cambridge, Ontario, to check out the University of Waterloo's school of architecture and what the students and residents thought of their move. With over 90% of the core businesses reporting an increase in business, the overwhelming response was positive.

A big thumbs-up to the CBC for producing the Windsor 20/20 series. We need more progressive visions to guide our city through our current economic doldrums.

Check out the CBC's local website to watch last nights episode before they yank it down to post tonights.

Who's leading who here?

I don't subscribe to the Windsor Star, but an associate suggested that I check out Tuesday's column from Gord Henderson. Apparently Gord and I are on the same creative wavelength when it comes to opinions about the downtown Engineering School. In case you missed them, here are the two articles : Innovate or Die!, by yours truly and Engineering Excuses by Gord Henderson.

Maybe there really is something to this whole blogging thing after all!

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."

Debunking the Growth Myth, Part 12

Myth Number 12
Environmentalists are just another special interest. There is no such thing as the public interest.

Reality Check: Environmentalism is both a general interest and a public interest.

It seems that the idea of a public interest has fallen on hard times. Nobody can put their finger on a precise definition of the concept. As a result, environmentalists (and civic activists) tend to be labeled as just another special interest. This labeling marginalizes the environmentalists' viewpoint and makes it seem that they are no different than special interest business groups. For example, a city council might appoint two chemical company representatives and two environmentalists to a committee and assume that these "special interests" would balance out to represent the "public interest".

Business groups typically represents the narrow, private, profit-making interests of a relatively small segment of the community. The focus of such groups is on maximizing short-term economic gain for their particular industry, and they are undoubtedly a special interest in the political sense. Other issues are only important as they relate to this focus. The person who represents a business group on a civic committee is usually financially compensated for representing the group and may receive direct business benefits from committee participation, such as policies and decisions favourable to his or her business.

On the other hand, an environmentalist typically represents a broad range of interests and multiple values that are oriented toward protecting the current and future quality of our environmental support system. The outcome of the environmentalist's interest is the long-term welfare of all citizens and the natural habitat we ultimately depend upon. There is rarely any personal financial reward associated with the environmentalist's positions and more often, this representation comes at a personal cost.

Read the rest of the argument against Myth 12 here.

$120 million for Montreal Arts District

See what is possible when a city has defined a vision, established a plan and co-operation between the different levels of government as well as the community itself?

Quebec Premier Jean Charest said the parties involved have "an out of the ordinary will to do something that is going to be significant for Montreal and really leave a profound mark."

Do you feel that the secret behind Montreal's success as a municipality stems from the fact that they have this high level of government/citizen cooperation? Imagine what Windsor could accomplish if we possessed that out of the ordinary will to do something significant and leave a profound mark? We already have established the need, now we just need to rally community support behind a cohesive plan for a rejuvenated downtown. Then, will we be the next municipality getting media coverage of our huge windfall?

From CBC's website (thanks AC);

"An area of Montreal is earmarked for a major facelift after all three levels of government pledged $120 million toward the revamp as an attractive arts and entertainment hub.

Representatives from the federal, provincial and municipal governments vowed on Monday to participate and contribute $40 million each toward the redevelopment of a downtown area of approximately one square kilometre that includes the city's Place des Arts complex.

The revitalized entertainment district will be known as Le Quartier des Spectacles.

The goal is to improve the area that already plays host to a number of prominent events, including the popular Montreal International Jazz Festival and the annual Just for Laughs Comedy Festival."

Read the rest of the article here.

Rumours confirmed

It looks like Alan Halberstadt is somewhat of a clairvoyant. When we presented to council about the evils of the CoCoBox development on the border of Windsor, Alan launched into a pretty good speech about how the west side WalMart and the Huron Church/Tecumseh Canadian Tire store would like close and leave us with more empty Big Box stores to deal with. I guess he is right!

On a good source, I've been told that in addition to Loblaw's (which we already knew was putting a superstore sort of bigbox store out there) WalMart and Canadian Tire will be opening stores at the periphery of our city. Three stores filled, one to go.

I wonder what Windsor will do with all the empty Big Box stores in the city interior.

Oh yeah, one more psuedo rumour. The Home Depot store, which is moving out the SilverCity complex area in the 1st quarter next year, has already been sold to a new owner. Not sure who it is, but the rumour mill says Ikea has purchased it. We'll have to wait and see who buys that BigBox site -- but the papers are signed, sealed and delivered. Now it's just a matter of time.

Tonight, on the idiot box

I don't normally suggest that you spend valuable time out of the grave in front of that life-draining box in your recroom, but this CBC documentary seems like it may be the exception to the rule. I just wish it came out sooner so we could have driven people to watch it prior to our own little WalMart battle here in Windsor. From the CBC Newsworld website...

WAL-MART NATION
Tuesday November 13 at 10pm ET/PT and Saturday November 17 at 11pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld.

Wal-Mart Nation is an hour long, documentary journey through the complex and fascinating world of the international anti-Wal-Mart movement.

Wal-Mart's emergence as a global corporate force has triggered an unprecedented political backlash. Wal-Mart has single-handedly galvanized a progressive, grass roots and labour coalition of activists determined to roll back the tide of corporate power and domination. This is a generation baptized by the anti-globalization protests. This is the Wal-Mart Nation. These are their stories.

Carolyn is an unlikely anti-Wal-Mart activist. The former Miss America (1992) is a beauty queen turned feminist activist. She's also a Reagan Republican and anti-abortion crusader. Sapp founded Wal-Mart Versus Women as a vehicle to pu blicize the largest civil rights class action suit in US history.

Anna Liu is a 23 year old, Chinese Canadian union activist determined to unionize Canadian Wal-Mart workers. Despite her militancy, Anna tells us that before attending university she scarcely knew what a union was. We follow Anna and her cadres as they "gate crash" Wal-Mart stores in a desperate attempt to sign up members.

Forbes magazine calls Al Norman, Wal-Mart's number one enemy. Norman, also known as the "Sprawlbuster" is the dean of anti-Wal-Mart activists. Ten years ago the well-connected Democratic Party activist successfully prevented Wal-Mart from building a store in his Massachusetts hometown. His surprising victory spawned the anti-Wal-Mart movement.

Environmentalist Ben Bennett is the leader of a ten-year long battle to keep Wal-Mart out of Guelph, Ontario. But Bennett is now facing his final battle in this decade long war.

Chris Kofinis is a political science professor from Kingston, Ontario. But Kofinis has found himself on the front lines of the anti-Wal-Mart battle, along with presidential hopefuls John Edwards and Barack Obama. As Communications Director for the Washington D.C. based Wake-Up Wal-Mart, Kofinis is spending millions of dollars for on a sophisticated media campaign against America's biggest employer.

These stories are set against the colourful backdrop of the Wal-Mart annual general meeting. Here, Wal-Mart executives, employees, and shareholders gather for a weeklong celebration of the world's most successful company.

Through interviews, animation and actuality sequences, the filmmakers explore the Wal-Mart Effect and how the company has transformed the economy of the United States and the world.

Wal-Mart Nation is a first person journey through a year in life of the anti-Wal-Mart movement. The filmmakers blend actuality footage, interviews, archival film and photos, text and graphics in a provocative, engaging and often-humourous point of view documentary.

Wal-Mart Nation was produced by Ultramagnetic Productions and directed by Andrew Munger in association with CBC Newsworld.

Thinking Outside the Box Store

Hey - isn't there a Canadian Tire planned for the CocoBox development in Ojibway? Remember, just because they've got a reference to "Canada" in their name, doesn't make them the benign store that many think they are.

Many thanks to The Tyee for publishing this article and to Gord for sending it to me. (By the way, the author of this article is Ned Jacobs, son of the late and great urbanist Jane Jacobs. Man, I miss that woman!)

Thinking Outside the Box Store
By Ned Jacobs
TheTyee.ca

The stated object of Mayor Sullivan's EcoDensity initiative is to reduce Vancouver's "eco-footprint" by cutting energy use and waste, while improving livability and housing affordability.

These goals are laudable, but will EcoDensity actually live up to its billing?

The apparent willingness of the mayor and some councillors to significantly expand big box development in South Vancouver is clearly at odds with EcoDensity.

The environmental and social benefits of density are due to economies of location, mainly achieved through growth of neighbourhood centres with diverse functions.

In sharp contrast, big box retail exploits economies of scale, relying on a widely dispersed customer base, public subsidies for car owners, and plenty of cheap parking.

"Green" building design of a box store does not alter its fundamental dependency on cars and fossil fuels.

And while multi-chain big box plantations can be cost-effective and convenient for car-owning consumers, it's always at the expense of commercial diversity and stability in central and neighbourhood business districts. Retailers in our pedestrian-oriented centres pay premium rents for their location, often with limited or pricey parking. Big box retailers compete unfairly by converting lower-cost industrial land to retail use, while asking us all to suffer the consequences of car dependency.

The question before Vancouver City Council is an application by Canadian Tire for a 255,000 square-foot "big box" retail development that is expected to generate up to 11,000 car trips per day on heavily congested Marine Drive."

255,000 square feet is dwarfed when compared to the 420,000 of CocoBox that Windsor's city council just approved a zoning change for. I hope SouthVan does a better job at protecting it's local economy than Windsor.

Read the rest of this article at The Tyee's website here.

Impassioned plea for Ojibway

While I may disagree with this letter writer on some of his smaller points, I must give him accolades for writing such an impassioned letter to the Windsor Star. I am publishing it here, for the fact that if our daily paper prints it at all, it will be in a much neutred form.

Congrats, Gerry. We need more letter writers like you.

Letter to the Editor: Regarding “GreenLink/ Big Box”

Amid great fanfare and theatrics, the City of Windsor rolled out its new "GreenLink" border initiative. Within hours of its release, the spindoctors at the Windsor Star, official mouthpiece of City Hall, revved up its PR engines to full throttle.

Experience the rapture, they proclaimed! Call 311 and give us the thumbs up, they exclaimed! This is your final chance, they shrieked! The messiah has arrived, save yourselves! "Gridlock Sam" and his "Garden of Eden" caravan have just pulled up to Huron Church bearing gifts: 300 acres of parkland!

To a weary population beaten down by years of record smog, pollution and the endless rumble of trucks, the promise seemed enticing. To a city over-run by urban sprawl and cancerous growth, a city whose lack of trees and greenspace is a point of pride amongst members of the local conservation authority, to a sick, bloated worn-out shell of a city mired in its own waste, the second coming of "Gridlock Sam" appeared like a godsend.

I too wanted to be a believer. I picked up the phone to dial 311 and register my approval, when my eye caught a glimpse of an almost imperceptible headline on the front page of the Windsor Star, "Lure of Big Box Jobs Sways Council". I put down the phone and read…..

No! This can't be true I thought. Who in their right mind would propose such a ludicrous plan, a big box sprawlmart supercenter, complete with 48 acres of asphalt right at the gates of the internationally acclaimed, federally and locally funded, provincially protected, Ojibway Prairie Complex.

Imagine taking the family for a nice Sunday drive out to Point Pelee and upon arrival finding a Walmart Supercenter right outside the gate. As you enter, a Walmart greeter hands you a cart and proclaims, "Welcome to Point Pelee". Have they all gone mad?

There are numerous sites throughout this city more suitable for this type of predatory development, than the "Garden of Eden" that is Ojibway. The Lou Romano Sewage Lagoon comes to mind…or how about the Central Avenue Transfer Station? For a highly visible site that could act as a Big Box Beacon, I recommend building it atop of one of the city's numerous reclaimed landfills.

The well oiled, snake oil salesmen at city hall claim this big box monstrosity is a compatible development for this site. "There will be no negative impacts to the surrounding Ojibway corridor" they spout. To further allay our fears, they point out that E.R.C.A. (the protector of our conservation lands) has given its approval of the project. I can't recall a development in the history of Essex County in which E.R.C.A. has denied approval. This should come as no surprise, for like a fox guarding the henhouse the E.R.C.A. board is entirely stacked with politicians from representative municipalities who know nothing of conservation and whose primary interests are to ensure that development in their respective turfs aren’t impeded.

Equally not surprising, although very disheartening is the fact that the city's own (neutered) Environmental Planning Advisory Committee (EPAC) “reluctantly” supports the project. According to their sad logic, “a commercial development is preferable to a residential development”. They don’t realize that either option is like a Trojan horse that will open up the entire area to further encroachment and fragmentation, thus destroying the very fabric and connectivity of this sacred “GreenLink”. The EPAC naively believes they can somehow lessen the impact of this “Boxing In” as long as they “get a seat at the table”, apparently when the feeding frenzy begins. Thus "E-Pack" unknowingly plays pawn to the city puppet masters, who exploit the PR potential that an “Environmental Group” provides by lending an air of credibility and justification to the city's sordid scheme. Why create a costly PR department when the City can exploit these various volunteer committees?

Most self respecting environmental groups, citizens, the MNR, the racetrack, the Windsor Business Association Advisory Committee (WBAAC} and the Town of LaSalle are outraged and opposed to this project. In fact, the Town of LaSalle’s planning department issued the following statement from its commissioned peer review of the Applicant’s Market Impact Assessment and Planning Justification Report which concludes….. “….It is difficult to imagine a more inappropriate location to plan a major big box commercial centre such as that proposed on the subject lands….”

The one hope for the “Ojibway Complex” is that the progressive and farsighted Town of LaSalle take up the fight to the Ontario Municipal Board. LaSalle has already publicly stated that it does not support this Big Box commercial development. The project “does not represent good planning, is contrary to both the Town of LaSalle and the City of Windsor’s Official Plan and does not meet the requirements of the Cabinet Approved Provincial Policy Statement” and most certainly is in conflict with the Endangered Species Act. There are many citizens in both LaSalle and Windsor who would stand up and fight if LaSalle would take the lead.

The renown conservationist Robert Marshall stated, “It is exigent that all friends of the wilderness ideal should unite. If they do not present the urgency of their view-point the other side will certainly capture popular support. Then it will be only a few years until the last escape from society will be barricaded. If that day arrives there will be countless souls born to live in strangulation, countless human beings who will be crushed under the artificial edifice raised by man. There is just one hope of repulsing the tyrannical ambition of civilization to conquer every niche on the whole earth. That hope is the organization of spirited people who will fight for the freedom of wilderness”.

It is glaringly obvious that the Mayor and City Council, with the exception of Councilor Halberstadt lack both the vision and intent to safeguard the natural habitats that so many citizens, many of them children, have fought so hard over the years to protect. All the rhetoric and public relations propaganda in the world can not hide the fact that this council has no regard for its citizens or the earth. This council makes a sham out of the city’s motto: “The River and the Land Sustain Us”. Just look at the area of the “Little River Enhancement Group”. Children spent years of toil rehabilitating this site, only to witness the city’s encroachment with roadways and bridges, urban sprawl housing projects, and the soon to be $100 million dollar future “white elephant” arena and 2400 car parking lot.

The City has truckloads of taxpayer dollars for lavish projects that primarily benefit the wealthy few; the developers, lawyers, planners, consultants and so called hired experts. This is the real “Green-$-Link” of which the city refers to in the new improved Schwartz Plan 2. A green-$-link that has already cost Windsor taxpayers upwards of $5,000,000! Lost in the public memory hole is the fact that the current “1500 Jobs?/ Big Box Beacon” is almost the same location of the original “Schwartz Plan Ring Road” proposed by our enlightened council. For this same council to now advocate a disneyscaped 300 acre parkland Greenlink border plan while aiding and abetting the destruction of the real green-link, the Ojibway Provincial Prairie Nature Reserve, is hypocrisy at its finest.

I urge everyone who still cares about the natural world, who still values community and integrity, who still envisions a world worthy of leaving for our children, to stand up and fight against the City of Windsor’s betrayal of its citizenry, its neighbors and the natural world. Call or Write LaSalle and encourage Council to oppose this sordid plan at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Call Windsor’s 311 or write/e-mail Windsor City Councilors to object to this Big Box Boondoggle!

Gerry Kaiser

Innovate or Die!

I've been reading the rhetoric that the proposed, and now likely defunct, University of Windsor School of EngineeringDowntown Campus has been generating both online and tranditional media outlets. The blogging community has come alive withall sorts of opinions and gyrations on both sides of the issue. Reading Gord Henderson's column from November 8th made me green with envy, and then it made me mad.

What really turns me up about this whole process is the very name of the new engineering school -- Centre for Engineering Innovation. In fact, to be completely honest, I am extremely disappointed in the sheer number of engineering students and faculty who have come out in opposition to moving downtown. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but aren't they supposed to be engineers? Aren't they going to spend the rest of their careers coming up with innovate and new solutions to meet, and exceed, business objectives? It seems to me that, when trying to build an engineering school downtown, that the very best ideas, the most brilliant solutions, should be springing from the collective intelligence of the resident faculty and their students. Instead, what we are getting is a glimpse into the product that the engineering school at the University of Windsor will be delivering over the coming decades -- a giant helping of the same old thing.

Innovate or die, that oft repeated, though completely accurate, mantra of the business world, should be the new slogan for Windsor. We've tried 50 years of doing things, or more accurately, undoing things, without so much as a hint of success in staunching the flow of jobs, money and people out Windsor. Clayton M. Christensen, a professor at the Harvard Business School, established the critical need for businesses to innovate or risk losing both customers and profit to the competition. In fact, Christensen, in his 2003 book The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, found that the odds of creating successful growth, albeit in a business environment, jumped from 6% to 37% when a distruptive strategy is implemented versus the tread-worn path of incremental growth.

Mayor Francis, to his credit, is finally running the city like a family-business -- sort of. He abhors debt and is working to set the city, at least on paper, on firm financial footing. To Mayor Francis I say, "If you want to run Windsor like a business, you need to do what good businesses do!". We have to pull out all of the stops to find new and innovative ways to engage the citizenry, whether residents or businesses, in building a more diverse and sustainable Windsor. We are building the image of Windsor, much like Chrysler builds minivans, and trying to sell our product to the highest, and hopefully most sustainable, bidder. It is time to stop hashing out the same old plans, in the same old ways, just with different councilors at the table. It is time to take up the position being suggested by Larry Horowitz of the DWBIA, Gord Henderson of the Windsor Star and, of course, the editors of Scale Down Windsor and transform Windsor into a land of milk and honey. I think that if we look deep enough we'll discover that we have the talent, the desire and, if we look in the right places, the money to make the changes that need to be made. Just don't look to the University of Windsor School of Engineering -- apparently the talent and desire to innovate are in short supply in Essex Hall.