MUNIBlogs growing

MUNIBlogs.com continues to grow. We now have 2 Mayors, 20 Councillors, 3 Public Libraries and the Red Deer Election forum.

To give a sense of balance to the site, a new section, Related Blogs has been added. The Related Blogs section is comprised of blogs from across the country that are mainly concerned with Municipal affairs in their area, much like the Shadow and others are for Windsor. To date, the Related blogs section contains 18 local blogs and we're always on the lookout for more. (for inclusion in this section, a blog must post mainly on Municipal affairs. )

For the 2007 Alberta Municipal Election we've added an Election aggregator to monitor the various candidate's RSS enabled blogs and websites.

If you know of any blogs or websites that fit any of the categories, please feel free to email paul@muniblogs.com with the details.

Cross posted to MUNIBlogs.com

DRIC Public Information Open House

(click on image for full size)

If you missed the first DRIC Public Meeting yesterday, here's the info for today's meeting along with all the links to the information that is being presented.

August 14, 2007 – 2pm to 8pm
Holiday Inn Select Hotel – Ballroom
1855 Huron Church Road, Windsor

August 15, 2007 – 2pm to 8pm
Ciociaro Club – Salons A & B
3745 North Talbot Road, Tecumseh

At the fifth round of Public Information Open Houses (PIOHs) the enhance below-grade alternative will be presented along with the analysis of the previously identified alternatives, and information on the evaluation process to be undertaking in selecting a technically and environmentally preferred alternative for the crossing, plaza and access road. Your ideas and comments will help the study team evaluate all of the alternatives and develop the single preferred alternative.

Click here to read more about the PIOH meetings: [high res - 10MB] [low res - 500KB]

To view/download the display material and handout package for these meetings, please click on the links below:

Presentation Boards Handout Package [10.3MB]

Individual Package Contents:

Questions & Answers
Parkway Plates
Parkway Sketches
01_Information Kit Introduction
02_The Environmental Study Process
03_Analysis of 7 Evaluation Factors – Practical Alternatives
04_Analysis of 7 Evaluation Factors – Plaza and Crossing Alternatives
05_Changes to Air Quality
06_Improvements to Regional Mobility
07_Protection of Community & Neighbourhood Characteristics – Noise Impact Assessment
08_Context Sensitive Solutions
09_Property Acquisition
10_The Parkway – A New Option
11_Expertise
Ambient Air Monitoring
Consistency with Existing & Planned Land Use
Cost & Constructability – Construction Staging of Access Road Alternatives
Cost & Constructability – Foundations Investigations
Cost & Constructability
Protection of Community & Neighbourhood Characteristics – Economic Impact Assessment
Protection of Community & Neighbourhood Characteristics – Social Impact Assessment
Protection of Community & Neighbourhood Characteristics – Vibration Impact Assessment
Protection of Cultural Resources – Archaeology
Protection of Cultural Resources – Built Heritage Features Impact Assessment
Protection of the Natural Environment – Natural Heritage Investigation
Tunnelling

Branding Windsor

Dave Gordon on Hezbollah's ad campaign in Windsor, Ont.

Where was Windsor mayor Eddie Francis? One would think his office, in an attempt to avert the negative publicity, would have had an official statement of condemnation at the ready.

If something like that happened in Toronto, you could bet David Miller would have been apoplectic.

Instead, Alan Halberstadt, city councillor for Ward 3 in Windsor, where the billboard went up, was on the fence whether the sign was appropriate, the Windsor Star reports.

“Perhaps it is a good thing it is down, because it caused such a discord in Windsor,” said Halberstadt to the Star. “We don’t need that kind of discord.”

Mr. Halberstadt might have said instead that support for a terrorists group in any form was unwelcome in his riding, his city, and Canada. If the Jewish and Christian groups hadn’t complained, would he have cared at all?

This small incident may serve as a sign of things to come. How soon before we see Iran placing ads in Western newspapers, the Saudi Princes buying TV commercials during the SuperBowl, or Syria’s Bashar Assad paying for radio ads?

Time to move on, for now

Much of last night's meeting regarding the WUC rate hike isn't even worth commenting on at this point. Interesting to note, now the 1000 homes has gone to 156. Last week the official word from the WUC, as quoted in the Star, was that it might even exceed 1000. Nothing like consistency.

I will note one thing. If the Mayor and Councillor Lewenza want to continually accuse people of "misrepresentation of the facts" they need to join hands, walk to the biggest mirror they can find and take a good hard long look.

Since this issue began one of the biggest reasons for the so called "misrepresentations" is the complete and utter failure on the part of the Mayor, Councillor Lewenza and the WUC to present information in a clear and consistent manner. I won't bother linking to all the posts, you can search through the blog, but hardly a day has gone buy when some information related to the WUC rate hike has not changed. That 22 page information brochure from WUC is as clear as mud. The average citizen reading that wouldn't know up from down.

I'm looking forward to the release of the J.N. Watson report in hard copy. The presentation went by rather quickly when watching on TV (and working at the same time). There are several questions I have related to that report, one of them regarding the development charges.

I remain absolutely unconvinced that we can't move most if not all of the costs included in the "water rate" portion of the bill from the fixed charge to the actual water rate. I realize that this would not be accomplished overnight, but it should be possible to phase in over a 5 to 10 year period. The system should become User Pay. There would certainly be adjustments in the beginning but eventually the rate of conservation would plateau. I find it extremely difficult to believe so many other municipalities in Ontario have it wrong, and Windsor is the only one that has it right.

If we are conducting long term planning it only makes sense to encourage conservation. As growth continues, it would be far cheaper to manage our supply through conservation instead of building new plants. If, for example, we have sufficient capacity for the next 20 years, aggressive conservation could likely extend that capacity another 5 or 10 years.

I think it would also be interesting to find other municipalities that sell water to their neighbouring municipalities and what the prices are.

Councillor Dilkens made an excellent point when discussing the motion to call in the Auditor-General - " “When was information available that the system needed to be upgraded? Who acted or didn’t act?" Certainly important questions. How many people would have approved of the $65 million dollar arena in October if they had of known what we were facing this year? I suspect we would either be building at the raceway right now, or re-examining the downtown site. How about the over $2 million spent for a city owned restaurant on the Riverfront? How many Councillors would still be sitting in their seats today if this discussion was occurring last October and November - you know - right before everyone voted.

Lots of questions remain and I look forward to the Auditor-General's report.

PS - for Councillor Lewenza - here's a link to the Walkerton Report. I tried to find an example of someone watering their lawn with bottled water but apparently Paris Hilton doesn't do yard work.

Update: seems I misunderstood the Mayor's motion last night. I thought he was moving the motion simply to grab the spotlight. Apparently the Auditor General is not investigating, it the auditors from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. More on this at Windsor City Blog and Alan Halberstadt.com

Windsor Kennel Club

Otherwise known as Windsor City Council Dog and Pony show.

(I just finished watching the J.N. Watson water presentation and Q and A period).

Quick Hits - Monday August 13th

Urban Art in Action - take a walk downtown and check it out! Better yet, stop in. Best live act joint in Windsor that many (most?) don't realize is there.

Hopefully tonights meeting of the Council Striking Committee is to add the Bridge Company to the Olde Sandwich Towne Citizen Advisory Group. At some point, we need to find a venue to open discussions with the Bridge Company - this would seem to be a good starting point. Failure to act will only continue enriching the local legal community.

211 operating agreement - the fall start of this new city uploaded service is fast approaching. Where is the operating agreement? If I've missed it, could someone send me a copy or link.

Ever wondered what your Ward Councillor is working on? Are they doing anything about that issue you spoke with them about? Council Questions provide a glimpse into some of the issues individual Councillors are working on. This document is a summary of outstanding Council Questions. (.pdf)

Help create an independent Windsor Auditor General to look after your interests. Sign the Petition.

Update: one I forgot to add for today. Check out a new Windsor blog I came across recently, Blog Windsor.

"If you have a picture you’d like to see featured at BlogWindsor, upload it to a free Flickr account and tag it with the keywords Windsor and Ontario. Check back often and be sure to share this site with your friends. Let’s show the world the great things to see in our community. Cheers ~"

Who knows, you may just be featured some morning. I've always enjoyed stopping by Blog Guelph to see their pics of my old hometown so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone in Windsor can put forward.

We Speak changes

Regular readers of WE Speak will notice a slightly bare front page today. I've completed some upgrades and improvements to the backend of the site, unfortunately this necessitated flushing out the front page content. As new posts are published, the front pape will re-populate itself. Things should be back to normal by mid-day Monday.

Fiscal Imbalance Version 2 - The Cities

Great article on the fiscal imbalance suffered by Canadian cities, especially when compared to US and European cities. Some good points by Thomas Courchene.

When Dwight or Sandra come knocking at your door for the upcoming Provincial election, this would be a good article to have handy to give to them. Instead of pushing millions out the door at the end of the fiscal year to their favourite multicultural groups, how about some real relief for cities? Instead of a "green license" plate program that will only add to the bureaucracy, send the money to the cities. Surplus at the end of the year? - 1/3 debt payment, 2/3 to the cities.

The only way we're ever going to halt the steady march of tax/fee/levy increases at the local level is if they are funded appropriately by the Provincial government.

Cities the real victims of fiscal imbalance
Peter Hadekel, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, August 11, 2007

But Courchene argues that urban tax reform has to be broad-based. Cities are creatures of provincial governments, and it's from that level of government that solutions must come.

Cities should be able to share in provincial income tax receipts the way provinces piggy-back on federal revenues, he argues.

There are other issues to consider. As cities gain in economic power, citizens will demand a greater political voice and more democratic accountability for decisions that affect them.

That suggests that the voting power in urban areas will have to rise to reflect their economic weight.

In Canada, we've heard a lot of talk about the fiscal imbalance between the provinces and the federal government.

But the most striking imbalance may be at the urban level, where the cities expected to carry the economic load don't have the tools for the job.

PS. - I almost forgot one of the biggest ones - upload social services costs back to the Province. It should be easy for them to do, they just have to stop the never ending spending increases above inflation and new program creation. Let's pay for what we have now instead of inventing new things to pay for.

H/T Langley Politics dot com

RALLY FOR THE CAPITOL THEATRE & ARTS CENTRE!

THE CITIZENS FOR THE CAPITOL THEATRE (CCT) PRESENT:

RALLY FOR THE CAPITOL THEATRE & ARTS CENTRE!

When: Thursday, August 23, between 6:30 & 9:00 PM

Where: In front of the Capitol Theatre & Arts Centre, on the
corner of Pelissier and University. Petitions and other information
available at Artcite Inc.,109 University W. (Capitol complex)

Why: To keep the community voice in the public eye. Share your
stories about the Capitol Theatre's history, and bring
your ideas for the future!

For more information please visit: www.citizensforthecapitol.org

or contact

Deb Stanson, CCT
Tel: (519) 564-4285
Email: dstanson@easyrest.us

Oona Mosna, CCT
Tel: (519) 977­6564
Email: mediacity@artcite.ca

Theme: What the Capitol Theatre means to us

A full list of speakers & performers will follow shortly in our official press release. Interested delegates or volunteers should contact CCT at one of the email address' provided above.

Out of principle the CCT welcomes everyone in the greater Windsor area to participate in this event. We want to hear what you have to say. We want you to be a part of the theatre's future! So come down, bring your stories, and as Citizens help us write the next chapter in the theatre's history.

---

The Citizens for the Capitol Theatre (CCT) is a community based organization formed to help facilitate the re­opening and ongoing usage of the Capitol Theatre and Arts Centre in a sustainable capacity as an established public trust.

CCT recognizes the interests of the artistic, entertainment, educational and business communities by adopting strategies to maintain this historical theatre and helping to establish the future cultural well-being of Windsor and region through diversity of programming, artistic excellence and ongoing dialogue with the community.

Job protection for Reservists

John Turley-Ewart: Canada's shameful treatment of its soldiers

Federally regulated industries offer no formal job protection for reservists who volunteer to serve overseas. And most provinces allow employers under their jurisdiction to dismiss employees who need a leave of absence to serve in the military. Only three of Canada’s provinces have passed legislation making such action illegal — Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made a special effort to raise this issue with provincial governments, most recently asking P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz to pass legislation in his province.

The Prime Minister should not have to ask. There is no reason why the smalll number of reservists who serve Canada abroad (in Afghanistan there are roughly 300 reservists) should have to come home to the unemployment line.

Why they do is a question Parliament and the premiers of Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, B.C., and New Brunswick should be made to answer the next time they declare how much they appreciate the sacrifice our soldiers make on behalf of all of us.

With an election pending in Ontario, a Federal election liable to be triggered at any time and Newfoundland and Alberta running out the clock on their respective governments, there's an opportunity to knock three more Provinces and the Feds off the list. It's becoming fairly obvious that the voluntary approach just isn't working.

We have job protection for Family Leaves, Maternity Leaves, Jury Duty, running for Political Office, but when it comes to serving your country in a combat zone? You're just plain S.O.L!

Our Reservists deserve better.

PS - here's hoping Chrysler and GM vehicle sales experience an upsurge in Stephenville over the next year or so.

Cross posted from The Torch

Momentum grows for Windsor Auditor General

Provincial auditor open to WUC probe
Dave Battagello, Windsor Star
Published: Thursday, August 09, 2007

...The financial mess surrounding the Windsor Utilities Commission and planned water rate hike has some city officials and residents calling for creation of Windsor's own independent auditor general.

Changes to the Municipal Act at the start of this year has allowed Ontario cities to create an auditor general position. Toronto and Ottawa are among the few that have.

"An independent review of municipal affairs will go a long way to giving the public confidence," said Coun. Bill Marra, who earlier this year requested a report from administration on the issue.

"The federal and provincial governments are subject to it, so it makes no sense that it doesn't exist at the municipal level in Windsor."

City auditor Mike Dunbar, who reports to council and senior administrators, is among those who agree the city needs an auditor general, citing the previous MFP scandal and the current concerns around WUC's finances.

"We always believe there should be an independent set of eyes," said Dunbar.

"If there was an auditor general here, they would be empowered to conduct an inquiry, something we can't do. It has certain powers that are advantageous."

Use of an auditor general role is prominent in municipalities across Quebec, but has been slow to catch on in Ontario, Dunbar said. But he sees that changing thanks to the Municipal Act being reworked.

In Toronto, the city's auditor general is empowered to conduct audits in the areas of compliance, finances, value-for-money and the environment, and can undertake investigations around suspected fraudulent activities.

Windsor blogger Paul Synnott has included a petition calling for creation of a local auditor general position on his website.

He could not be reached Thursday, but his blog petition states: "We, the undersigned, call on Windsor city council to create the independent office of Windsor auditor general and fund said office as appropriate."

Make sure your voice is heard. Let's not leave any doubt in Council's mind about whether or not they should create this position.

Download the petition (.pdf format)

Sign the Petition online (Names and addresses will NOT be displayed in the online petition, only the total number of signatures)

The Eddie Flush

Original Creation by Frostbyte.ca

Like a dog with a bone...

Now is not the time to give up on the issue of an independent Audit for the WUC. Although the Mayor has stated he's willing to make the request, there's a lot of road to be travelled between that statement and Council actually acting next Monday night.

The only way to ensure that Council acts it to maintain the pressure. Continue calling and emailing the Mayor and your Councillors.

We may be in the home stretch, but by no means is this race over yet.

While you're at it - ask them why the huge increase in Fixed Rate charges instead of increasing the 26.6 cents per cubic metre we pay for water usage.

I wonder how much it has to do with those long term deals we've signed with Tecumseh and LaSalle for the provision of water? Although I'm sure the deals have reasonable cost escalators built in, I don't think they would allow for huge increases. To encourage conservation and reduce usage, Windsor's rate should be somewhere between $0.90 to $1.10 per cubic metre with little or no fixed charge at all. I'm looking forward to the release of the C.N. Watson rate study.

I'm continuing to study the pros and cons of a User Pay system. Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to pull all the research I have together and present it in an easy to understand format. I've also received several emails with questions that I will attempt to answer as part of my series on User Pay versus Fixed Charge systems.

One thing to note - I have yet to find a municipality in Canada, let alone Ontario, that has a rate that is even close to Windsor's. The closest so far is Durham region at $0.56 cents per cubic metre. More than twice Windsor's rate.

We may have access to an abundant supply of water, but don't forget that, on average, it costs twice as much to treat water as it does to provide it.

PS - take a minute and sign the petition to create an independent Windsor Auditor General. We shouldn't have to go cap in hand to the Province asking for assistance. The Municipal Act allows municipalities to create this position. If Windsor truly wants to be a leader in the Province, this would be a good place to start.

Petition to create Windsor Auditor General

Paper or Electronic - choose your method of signing the petition. For the electronic version, full name, address and email are required for verification of your signature. None of your information will be displayed or shared other than with Windsor City Council on submission of the petition.

Download a copy of the petition to create a Windsor Auditor General.

Sign the Online Petition.

Flush to Vote! - the results

Well we certainly didn't overwhelm the sewer system yesterday, but we did achieve the goal of continuing to raise the awareness of this issue. From a story that might have died out last week, the Flush to Vote! campaign, other blogs, letter writers and radio callers have worked hard to keep this issue alive.

Today's Windsor Star editorial - WUC mess ( I thought the Star was being rather generous with that title)

Flush to Vote! article in the Star. The Mayor may think a "discussion" of an independent audit will get him off the hook but I suspect residents will now settle for nothing less that a full fledged audit. Anything less is simply not acceptable. The Virtual Flush was more popular than I thought it would be - 324 flushes. (about 20 of them were mine as I checked the totals and filmed the CBC spot)

More letters to the Editor - for the two who weren't pleased with the Flush to Vote! - you helped us achieve our goal by writing a letter to the Editor and continuing to discuss the issue. To the charge of the exercise being environmentally harmful, I would argue that a water usage rate of 26.6 cents per cm is far more harmful than anything our small protest consumed. Try something for fun - investigate the average water usage in Windsor versus any other municipality. Shocking doesn't begin to describe it.

Make sure you tune in to next Monday night's Council meeting (Aug 13th). Nothing less than a motion of Council calling for an unrestricted independent audit by the Ontario Auditor General should be accepted by Windsor residents.

Many thanks to all who have called, emailed, posted blogs, wrote letters, called the Mayor, called your Councillor and anything else I've missed. Your efforts have Council listening for a change. Don't let them stick their fingers in their ears again. Keep it up!

Flush to Vote! - update

Great response today to the Flush to Vote! campaign.

Peter from the Mayor of Monmouth, the man who got the ball rolling on this, started off this morning with an interview on the Lynn Martin show - guest hosted by Al Pervin today. If you missed the show this morning, you can listen again at 9:00 pm this evening for a re-broadcast.
P.S - to AM800 - please hire Al on a regular basis. Find the man a show! That was the best show I've listened to in ages. Al pulls no punches. How refreshing to hear in Windsor.

The Windsor Star stopped by my place at noon for a quick interview and a few pics, followed by CBC news. I think it was a unique experience for all of us. You don't see too many interviews conducted in a bathroom.

Just because the actual event is over doesn't mean we have to stop. When the first bills start arriving at the end of August, beginning of September I think it will really sink in for a lot of people who haven't been paying attention.

Email the Mayor and your Councillors, write a letter to the Editor, sign a petition - keep the heat on!

Speaking of petitions - I just happen to have one available:

1. Whereas the Municipal Act allows for the creation of a Municipal Auditor General;

2. Whereas taxpayers deserve accountability at all levels of government;

We, the undersigned, call on Windsor City Council to create the independent office of "Windsor Auditor General" and fund said office as appropriate

Download the Windsor Auditor General Petition (pdf).

Thanks to the Mayor of Monmouth for a great idea and letting me take part in this with him and all of you.

Quick Hits - Tuesday, August 7th.

Special Tuesday Quick Hits - All Water, All Day today!

For those that missed them, Graston captures the moment in his own unique style: Bada Bing, Junior practices "duck and cover".


Don't forget - Flush to Vote! Noon to 1pm today.


Special VIRTUAL FLUSH for those who wish to participate in spirit if not in action. (P.S. - if you're at City Hall, turn your speakers down really low so no one knows that you're voting!)


Replace Windsor wherever you see Ottawa. Notice that Ottawa is at 86.8 cents per cubic meter as opposed to Windsor's paltry 26.6 cents per cubic meter.


Listen to the Lynn Martin show today - Al Pervin filling in.

"It's a REVOLT!! Water rates, the bridge, no street lighting, few railroad underpasses..Are you getting your tax dollars worth? Don't you deserve better?"

After you vote today - download the Petition(.pdf) to create a Windsor Auditor General. Sign it. Copy it. Distribute it.

Help ensure accountability and transparency for the future of Windsor

Make your voice heard!

Coming Soon

Happy Civic Holiday. - any day off work has got to be a good day.

07 Aug - Flush to Vote!

13 Aug - next City Council meeting

23 Aug - Capitol Theatre Rally - organized by the Citizens for the Capitol Theatre

Donner Award Finalists

A worthwhile competition for Windsor non-profits to participate in. There's a $5000.00 first prize in each category, $20,000 Award of Excellence and another $5000.00 for excellence in management and delivery of services. Each participant receives a comprehensive confidential report ranking them in 10 areas including management, governance, volunteers, innovation and program cost. Along with that, program participants receive profiles of the successful finalists and resources to improve their own perfomance.

Canada’s best-run non-profit agencies announced as finalists for Donner Awards and $70,000 prize money

Release Date: August 2, 2007

Vancouver, BC - Twenty-eight non-profit agencies from across Canada have been identified as being the best run in the country and are in the running for $70,000 in prize money as finalists for the 10th annual Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services.

The Donner Awards are Canada’s largest non-profit recognition program, established in 1998 to recognize and encourage best practices in non-profit management and to increase public confidence and support for Canada’s non-profit sector. The awards will be presented October 19th at a special 10th anniversary celebration of the Donner Awards in Toronto. Additional information is available at www.donnerawards.org.

“People across Canada rely on non-profit social service agencies for a huge array of programs and services. That reliance means the agencies have to ensure they manage their resources in a fiscally sound manner so they can provide for their clients’ needs,” said Sylvia LeRoy, program manager for the Donner Awards and Director of The Fraser Institute’s Centre for Social Policy Studies.

“Programs like the Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services give non-profit agencies a chance to share ideas and identify best practices in non-profit management and social service delivery while offering them a chance to win cash awards and recognition.”

This year, more than 600 non-profit programs from across Canada applied for the awards. Participating organizations are ranked on their performance in 10 key areas, including management and governance, the use of staff and volunteers, innovation, program cost, and outcome monitoring.

The top organization in each of nine categories of social service delivery will win $5,000 awards while the $20,000 William H. Donner Award for Excellence will be presented to the highest performer overall.

The Donner Awards newest honour, the $5,000 Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-Profit Management, will be presented to a non-profit organization with a consistent record of excellence and innovation in management and delivery of services.

Listing of 2007 Donner Award Finalists (by category)

Alternative Education
• Continuing On In Education (Belleville, ON)
• Sarnia Lambton Rebound (Sarnia, ON)
• Teen-Aid Southwest Inc (Swift Current, SK)

Child Care Services
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Of Peterborough (Peterborough, ON)
• Educational Program Innovations Charity Society (North Sydney, NS)
• The Children's Garden Nursery School (Pembroke, ON)

Counselling Services
• Community Living Campbellford/Brighton (Campbellford, ON)
• Hospice Of Waterloo Region (Kitchener, ON)
• Sudbury Action Centre For Youth (Sudbury, ON)
• Youth Services Of Lambton County Inc. - Huron House Boys' Home (Bright's Grove, ON)

Crisis Intervention
• Calgary Pregnancy Care Centre (Calgary, AB)
• Canadian Mental Health Association For The Kootenays (Cranbrook, BC)
• Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre Of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC)

Services for People with Disabilities
• British Columbia Association of People Who Stutter (White Rock, BC)
• Multiple Sclerosis Society Of Canada - Calgary Chapter (Calgary, AB)
• Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (Burnaby, BC)

Services for Seniors
• Alzheimer Society Of Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay, ON)
• Calgary Meals On Wheels (Calgary, AB)
• Community & Primary Health Care - Lanark, Leeds & Grenville (Brockville, ON)

Prevention & Treatment of Substance Abuse
• Fresh Start Recovery Centre (Calgary, AB)
• InnerVisions Recovery Society Of BC (Port Coquitlam, BC)
• Simon House Residence Society (Calgary, AB)
• Sudbury Action Centre For Youth (Sudbury, ON)

Provision of Basic Necessities
• Alice Housing (Dartmouth, NS)
• Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank (Calgary, AB)
• Inner City Home of Sudbury (Sudbury, ON)

Traditional Education
• Cornwall Alternative School (Regina, SK)
• John Knox Christian School (Oakville, ON)
• Trenton Christian School Society (Trenton, ON)

Contact(s):
Sylvia LeRoy, Policy Analyst
The Fraser Institute, Tel (604) 688-0221, ext 523
Email: sylvial@fraserinstitute.ca

Gmail and Windsor

Can Windsor make the final cut in Google's Gmail: A Behind the Scenes Video?

It's up to you!

Coming off the line at Chrysler?

Handoff at the Detroit/Windsor tunnel?

10 seconds of branding that won't cost taxpayers anything. Bonus!

The 3 D's of City/WUC communications

Divert, deflect and distract.

Yesterday was the first chance I had to look at the brochure that was distributed at the WUC open house last week. The brochure is now posted on the WUC website under the heading Public Information - August 1/07 Water Rates.

It's certainly packed with plenty of information, most of it confusing, disingenuous and bordering on deception. Here's a summary of the relevant facts that can be found in the document:

1. A typical family home uses 294 m3 of water each year.
2. The average residential bill for all of 2007 will be $298.05
3. The cost of Windsor Water is $0.266
4. The total annual bill impact on water and waste water is 25%
5. Old Rates = $635.10 New Rates=$796.23 Difference =$161.13 or 25%
6. Monthly Rate increase based on 25 m3: $15.81 for water $18.81 for waste water Total =$34.62
7. The projected capital investment required to maintain the integrity of our system is estimated at $750 million over the next 30 years. To meet this need the annual watermain replacement levy will go from approximately $25.20 in 2006 to $67.55 in 2007.
8. The average residential bill will see an increase from $219 in 2006 to $298.05 in 2007
9. Watermain Replacement Levy - 45% charge of fixed charges and water consumption charge
10. Summer Levy - The summer levy is an additional charge of 0.249 cents per cubic metre applied to all consumption between May 1st and October 31 in excess of average consumption between November 1st and April 30th

It took 22 pages to impart all that information. Now that you have it - can you tell me what your water bill is going to be next month or next year?

One thing to remember when looking at this brochure, the City wants to spend $250,000 of your tax dollars next year to implement this type of "communication" citywide.

The worst thing in the whole document is a nice graphic touting how low the water rates are in comparison to municipalities in Essex County and the rest of Ontario.

The graphic seems to show that Windsor isn't that bad off compared to other municipalities, but what are we actually comparing? There is no legend or scale in the graphic.

I suspect we are comparing "Water Rates", which in Windsor is comprised of the usage charge of $0.266 per cm and the Fixed Charge of $16.84, but even that I'm not sure. I think they might be further blending the 2007 rates, as the new increase didn't kick in until this past August 1st. Most other municipalities' rate increases were in effect sometime between January and May.

I've attempted to demonstrate in other posts that while we may have the lowest water usage rate ($0.266 ) in Ontario, if not all of Canada, that's not necessarily a good thing. Combined with the much higher fixed charges, the low usage rate is a disincentive to conservation. I will be continuing on that theme later on this week with further posts on moving to a User Pay system that will allow people to actually save money while conserving water.

That aside, let's take a look at what the "average" family in Windsor (25 cm per month) would be paying for water and sewer services in Windsor versus some of the cities shown in the comparison.

Windsor - $71.64 per month, $859.73 per year (doesn't include summer levy) (Note: a 5 cm per month reduction in Windsor would save $4.05 per month, $48.60 per year)

Hamilton - $40.49 per month, $485.88 per year

Sarnia - $50.52 per month, $606.24 per year

Kitchener - $59.37 per month, $712.44 per year (Note: a 5 cm per month reduction in Kitchener would save $11.87 per month, $142.44 per year)

Peterborough - $50.67 per month, $608.04 per year. (Note: Peterborough has a flat rate system. I calculated this amount based on a 6 room house, with the maximum billable lot square footage of 1500 sq m, no swimming pool. Metered service is available by request, but it was difficult to figure out the price for this as they didn't publish their sewer rate charge, simply a statement that the sewer charge was a proportion of the water usage. A rough guess using 150% as a sewer charge would equal $61.03 per month or $732.36 per year).

Barrie - $59.37 per month, $712.44 per year (Note: a 5 cm per month reduction in Barrie would save $9.60 per month, $115.20 per year)

Waterloo - $53.17 per month, $638.04 per year

Aren't you glad that Windsor has such favourable water rates when compared to these other municipalities?

The reason for the notes after Windsor, Kitchener and Barrie is to demonstrate the difference between Fixed Charges with low Usage rates (Windsor), User Pay with low Fixed Charges (Barrie) and complete User Pay (Kitchener).

For all the "you're comparing apples and oranges" people, the WUC picked these cities to compare, not me. I'm simply demonstrating how ridiculous and misleading their comparison is.

Divert, deflect and distract. It only works if we let them get away with it.

3,2,1 Flush... Coming soon!

Business is interfering with blogging right now so just a quick round up of Water Stories today:

Mayor of Monmouth - City Hall Protest during Flush to Vote! ?

Alan Halberstadt.com - Think before you dig.

Windsor City Blog - Is WUC Windsor's WATER-gate?

Sound Off - Breaking News: The WUC Agenda Submission and Is City Facing Danger

Letter to the Editor - Utilities commission open house a surreal experience

Letter to the Editor - Water rate hike nothing more than tax increase

Letter to the Editor - Outside source should investigate fund diversion

Letter to the Editor - WUC fiasco symptomatic of typical political malaise

I recorded the Lynn Martin show Wednesday morning and will be presenting some of the questions and answers tomorrow, specifically revolving around the issue of "reducing" the water usage portion of the bill and moving towards a user pay system.

I'm beginning to wonder if one of the reasons we're raising the Fixed Rates instead of the usage charges is because of the water deals with Tecumseh and LaSalle. These are long term contracts with increases built in, but nothing I'm sure that would cover the rate tripling.

In order to allow people to save money and conserve water, we should be immediately begin moving to a complete user pay rate system with no fixed charges. Under user pay, a 20% reduction in your water usage will also result in a 20% reduction in your bill. Under the current system, a 20% reduction would garner you a whopping 4% savings.

Keep checking Flush to Vote! for further updates. I'm hoping to get a copy of Al Nelman's petition for an audit to post and distribute. Al stated on A Channel that his goal for signatures was 10,000 (50 signatures are required to request an audit).

Flush to Vote!

I was inspired by the Mayor last night. No not that Mayor - Windsor's other Mayor - The Mayor of Monmouth. While catching up on some local blogs last night I came across M.O.M.'s unique idea on how to vote your displeasure on the 60% Windsor Utilities rate hike effective today.

Flush to Vote!

Are you unhappy with the 60% Windsor Utilities Commission (W.U.C) rate hike and how City Council has handled it?

Between noon and 1pm Tuesday, wherever you are in Windsor, whatever you’re doing - find a toilet and flush 3 times.

Send the W.U.C and City Council your message in a unique way!

P.S. Content optional. Protest open to residents of Windsor and people visiting/working in Windsor on Tuesday August 7th, 2007

Website: http://flushtovote.googlepages.com/

Email: flushthevote@gmail.com

FaceBook members can RSVP for this event and invite their Friends.

Email your friends, family and co-workers.

In related news, it seems like the information given out is changing yet again. Up till now we've been told that the approximately $3.5 million in lost water charges was probably not going to be collected. Also, the Mayor had said nobody had contacted W.U.C to try to have themselves connected to the billing system.

Utility slow to correct billing

It took months and three calls for customer to rectify

Months went by and no bill arrived. Finally, in June 2006, after three phone calls to the Windsor Utilities Commission, and 11 months after the Prieurs moved into their home, Prieur got WUC to rectify the error.

... On Friday it appeared the utility lost millions in unpaid bills. Francis and acting general manager Max Zalev said the utility couldn't recoup the lost money.

But now it seems the utility is collecting the unpaid revenue and hasn't lost any money.

"The residents have been paying back the bills," said Patricia Devin-Doan, director of customer service.

"We would calculate the amount billed (without interest) based on the meter reading and give them an appropriate amount of time (to pay it back)."

Those 1000 homes mentioned:

It appears the utility has still not identified all the homes that weren't paying -- it's still conducting an audit to find them, according to a spokeswoman.

"This is an ongoing audit process," said Sylvia deVries.

"We did an audit subdivision by subdivision. The audit is still ongoing as we speak. It may not have been a thousand. It could be higher."

Has there been a day yet when some facts or information hasn't changed?

Obviously WUC and the Mayor were not prepared to deal with this situation and have been scrambling every day. Were they waiting for the end of August or beginning of September, when people begin receiving there first bills under the new rates, before they were going to explain this to the public?

Update: AM800 Lynn Martin show - Wednesday August 1st
Listen to more information from the Windsor Utilities Commission on why water and sewer rates will increase. Lynn will welcome General Manager Max Zalev as well as Ken Lewenza Jr., Chair, and Mayor Eddie Francis to answer your questions & take your calls.

Sending the wrong message

(click on image for full size)



Councillor Postma's motion on "Blockbusting" passed with one minor amendment (adding persons or people I think it was, after corporations) and little or no debate or discussion.

Thankfully the motion has no legal effect, being nothing more than a plea to the Province to enact a law that would do little more than stifle development through yet more layers of red tape and bureaucracy.

While I'm sure the average resident isn't paying much attention to this issue, the average developer certainly is. The message they're hearing from Windsor certainly isn't encouraging.

The "squalor through neglect" described in Councillor Postma's motion is a direct result of Council's interim demolition by-law covering the West End.




Far from being a battle between just the City and Bridge company, this by-law is affecting other developers.

Councillor Alan Halberstadt blogged about one such developer - Innocent Bystander.

Matt Buschante has dropped by Alan's blog to provide an update:

Since my orginal presentation to council I have experienced major vandalism which I made very clear to council I was in fear of. I will be forwarding pictures along with police report in hopes of council to reconsider and create a motion to bring back to council. We are not bridge corp., we are a corporation with a diversified student development sector that is committed to supply students with much needed development. At the same time, I would like to think that we are cleaning up the area and maintaining or increasing not only surrounding home value but a sense of security that the area needs desperately. We have 2-3yr plan that would address major "hazardous properties", you would think council would be thanking us for taking the risk and money to do something that they won't. Allowing this to happen, with all hidden politics aside, would be common sense and is seen that way to vast majority of surrounding residents and students. Whats the problem?
To this day, only response that I have been getting is from Mr. Halberstadt whom shows genuine concern and direction on the matter. Councilor Dilkens did support at council as well, 2/9 is a start!
Pictures and further thoughts to follow!

Mr. Buschante's development would rid Windsor of a dilapidated house, increase density and create further student housing. The location is near a bus route, within walking and biking distance from the University. The developer has even indicated a willingness to work with the City in designing buildings that reflect Old Sandwich architecture.

For a city that says they want to encourage urban redevelopment, they're certainly going about things in a funny way.

Communication

It's interesting to hear Councillor Lewenza discuss the "misrepresentation" that has been going on surrounding the Windsor Utilities Commission rate hike. The sad fact is, it was Councillor Lewenza, the Mayor and various WUC officials who were the source of the misrepresentation.

Between the quotes in the Windsor Star the day before the WUC Open House, the press conference, the Open House and the follow-up story in the Star, you need a roadmap to follow along. I won't even get into how this rate increase was placed on the agenda and passed at Council. Blaming it on the media or others misrepresenting what was being put out there is ridiculous. I don't see a press release outlining their message on either the City of Windsor site or the Windsor Utilities site. The May 10th press release on the WUC cites 600 million over 30 years while the latest figures put out this month are now citing 750 million over 30 years. That's a hell of a lot of inflation in two months. There was mention of a 50% increase during budget ratification, which has become 36%. There have been several mentions of a further rate hike before next year, but when and how much is another topic you don't hear too many politicians being clear about.

Councillor Lewenza congratulated the Mayor on what a good presentation he did last night. He's right, it was a good presentation, it's just a shame it wasn't done six months or a year ago. Even three or four months ago might have been a better time for this information to come forward, you know, right about the time all the budget deliberations were going on.

If you'd like to see a good example of open and public disclosure, debate and consultation, take a look at Guelph's 2007 User Pay budget. This budget encompasses their Parking, Water and Wastewater services. Public notice and meetings were held PRIOR to the budget (and it's rate increases) being approved in December of 2006.

As far as Windsor being the first municipality to deal with their water infrastructure replacement, go have a look at Guelph's 2004 User Pay Budget. For those that don't want to wade through the whole thing, let me give you one quick highlight:




Maybe this issue is nothing more than a justification exercise on why we need a $250,000 dollar communications department. If this whole evolution is any indication, that much money won't even begin to address what's wrong with "communications" in this city.

BTW, nice to see Gord and the Windsor Star are onboard with messaging.

Quick Hits - Monday July 30th

Adding insult to injury - the Windsor Star publishes a big article on saving water, while admitting it will do little or nothing to your bill. Looks like the Star is already adopting the City Hall line - shut up and pay your bill.

After 2 years and lord knows how much in legal bills, now the City is ready to talk to owners. That "talking" thing - maybe it's an idea who's time has come on a number of pressing City files.

Speaking of legal bills, next up- Boardwalk Reit Properties Holdings Ltd vs City of Windsor?

What's up doc?


Is Windsor City Council feeling the heat yet? I doubt it.

There's only one way to make your voice heard - contact your own Ward Councillor or the Mayor's Office.

Mayor's Office

City Councillors






Try out the Windsor Water Bill Calculator

Picture included to save the Mayor and Council the trouble of removing their shoes and socks.

Ontario Auditor General to investigate Windsor Utilities

Hopefully that will be a headline we read very shortly in the Windsor Star. Without an investigation by an independent authority into exactly what has been going on at WUC for the last three years, this current council has lost virtually any credibility it has.

Six out of ten Councillors are on one or more of the various boards and commissions that makeup the Enwin/WUC organization. They are there as the taxpayers representatives. At present it's not evident that we are getting very much in the way of representation. Lots of buck passing, spinning, justifications and misdirection, but little or no information.

There remain far too many unanswered questions:

Why is the information only becoming public AFTER the rate increases were passed at Council?

Why was it put on the supplementary agenda and then passed as a consent item?

In the years where we weren't spending enough on watermain replacement, as claimed, how much money was being transferred to the City for operating or other capital uses?

A $3.2 million dollar billing error was discovered in 2005 but not reported and explained to the public until last week - Why?

Were any attempts made to collect this lost revenue or was it simply written off?

Why was this information not released prior to the last Municipal Election?

How many Councillors would have been re-elected had this information been released prior to the election?

Is this the reason for several resignations and departures from Enwin/WUC over the last year?

Was the water usage rate kept at it's currently ridiculously low level in order to sign deals with Tecumseh and LaSalle?

What are the implications for Tecumseh and LaSalle if we double or triple our water usage rates? Are they locked in at the current price?

Are Windsor water users subsidizing Tecumseh and LaSalle residents with higher Fixed Meter Charges?

Those are a few questions that come to mind. I'm sure there are many more. Please feel free to add to this list in the comments.

The last question to ask is whether or not we have one or more Councillors willing to step forward and begin demanding an audit or public inquiry?

Is it "all for one and one for all" on this Council or do we have a leader amongst them?

We'll all know shortly.

Calculate your water bill

For anyone who's interested, I whipped up a little form so that you can see what your new water bill will look like after August. Feel free to email the link to your friends, family and co-workers.

Windsor Water Bill Calculator

Make sure you try the form out with the "Water Usage" set at zero as well as your normal usage figure. It's an eye opener.

When I get a chance on Monday, I'll find out exactly what the Fixed Charges are for the various large users and add them into the spreadsheet as another variable.

Edit: if anyone notices any errors in the form's calculations, please email me or drop a note in the comments.

If you're interested in voicing your opinion, here are the appropriate Councillors:

Windsor Canada Utilities

1. Eddie Francis, Mayor, City of Windsor
2. Dave Brister, City Councillor, Ward 1
3. Jo-Anne Gignac, City Councillor, Ward 5
4. Ron Jones, City Councillor, Ward 2

EnWin Utilities Board

1. Eddie Francis, Mayor, City of Windsor
2. Fulvio Valentinis, City Councillor, Ward 3

Windsor Utilities Commissioners

1. Eddie Francis, Mayor, City of Windsor
2. Ron Jones, City Councillor, Ward 2
3. Ken Lewenza Jr., City Councillor, Ward 4
4. Bill Marra, City Councillor, Ward 4

Citizens for the Capitol Theatre - Online Petition

CCT Online Petition

The Citizens for the Capitol Theatre (CCT) has started a petition. Windsor and Essex County residents (both current and former) are invited to sign this petition to support our efforts to see the Capitol Theatre re-opened with community input. Criteria of signing are:

• I SUPPORT the mission and objectives of the Citizens for the Capitol Theatre,
• I SUPPORT the re-opening and operation of the Capitol Theatre as a community organization, and
• I SUPPORT arts and culture in Windsor and Essex County!

You can sign the petition here. You must have a valid email address in order to verify your e-signature.

Oakville City Hall - embracing the internet

Congratulations to the Town of Oakville, Ontario. They're the first municipal site that I've come across with RSS feeds - autodiscover even!

News Releases

Public Notices

They also feature TownTV - live streaming and archive of Oakville Council meetings and special events.


Cross-posted from MUNIBlogs.ca

Moving towards user pay

Some people seem to have gotten the wrong impression of my previous post comparing water rates across municipalities. You can read the comments and I've received numerous emails to go with, both for and against.

I acknowledge that there is some degree of comparing apples and oranges, but quite frankly I'm not ready to accept the various WUC officials and politicians when they say the reason for the dramatic rate increase is that Windsor is the first to face their Municipal Water/Sewer infrastructure deficit.

Read today's Windsor Star article - they can't even get their stories straight two days in a row. Now we're being told that there was no diversion, we were just underspending to the tune of $10 million per year. How many "dividends" did we receive from Enwin/WUC in those years of underspending? Have we really been running a "Pay as you Go" budget or a slightly modified version, buttressed by transfers and reserve shuffling.

Today's Star article reveals that 1000 homes were not being billed for 5 years for their water service. This was discovered in 2005. Why are we only finding out about this loss of $3.5 million in July of 2007?

There is no doubt a lot of hard work has gone into fixing what ails at the utilities. Enwin/WUC paid out over $150,000 to Councillors for their attendance at meetings. The problem, as with many other issues in Windsor, is that all this has been happening behind closed doors for the last two years. Now that there is no other choice but to drastically hike rates, we're simply expected to accept the explanation given and pay.

Sorry, but that's not good enough, especially when over a three day period those responsible for delivering the news can't even deliver consistent and clear information.

User Pay

The single biggest issue with our water system as it currently stands is that revenue is mainly based on fixed charges. There is absolutely no incentive to conserve.

This is an example of the rates as they will be on August 1st, and what I could save if I reduced 3 cm per month:

Windsor 2007	21cm	18cm	Savings
1. Meter Fixed Charge	$16.84	$16.84	$0.00
2. Water Usage @ $0.266/cm	$5.59	$4.79	$0.80
Water Main Replacement Levy (45% of 1 and 2)	$10.09	$9.73	$0.36
Lou Romano Plant Upgrade and Expansion Levy (10 % of 1 and 2)	$2.24	$2.16	$0.08
Sewer Surcharge (150% of 1 and 2)	$33.64	$32.44	$1.20
Total Per Month	$68.40	$65.97	$2.43
Total Per Year	$820.79	$791.58	$29.21

Reducing my water usage by 3 cm (14.3%) produces a savings of $2.43 (3.6%).

Next, lets look what happens if we leave the Fixed Charge where it is now - at $9.56 per month and raise the Water Usage rate to $0.613 from $0.266.

Windsor 2007 User Pay 1	21cm	18cm	Savings
1. Meter Fixed Charge	$9.56	$9.56	$0.00
2. Water Usage @ $0.613/cm	$12.87	$11.03	$1.84
Water Main Replacement Levy (45% of 1 and 2)	$10.09	$9.27	$0.83
Lou Romano Plant Upgrade and Expansion Levy (10 % of 1 and 2)	$2.24	$2.06	$0.18
Sewer Surcharge (150% of 1 and 2)	$33.65	$30.89	$2.76
Total Per Month	$68.42	$62.81	$5.61
Total Per Year	$821.05	$753.74	$67.31

The bill is virtually the same, I've simply shifted the money from the Fixed Charge to Water Use. Now that same 14.3% decrease in usage saves me 8.2% or $5.61 per month. Things are getting better.

Next let's take a look at what happens when you make the Sewer Surcharge user pay:

Windsor 2007 User Pay 2	21cm	18cm	Savings
1. Meter Fixed Charge	$9.56	$9.56	$0.00
2. Water Usage @ $0.613/cm	$12.87	$11.03	$1.84
Water Main Replacement Levy (45% of 1 and 2)	$10.09	$9.27	$0.83
Lou Romano Plant Upgrade and Expansion Levy (10 % of 1 and 2)	$2.24	$2.06	$0.18
Sewer Usage @ $1.602	$33.64	$28.84	$4.81
Total Per Month	$68.41	$60.76	$7.66
Total Per Year	$820.96	$729.08	$91.88

The same 14.2% reduction is now worth 11.2% a month. We're making progress.

Let's get rid of the Fixed Meter Charge:

Windsor 2007 User Pay 3	21cm	18cm	Savings
1. Water Usage @ $1.068/cm	$22.43	$19.22	$3.20
Water Main Replacement Levy (45% of 1)	$10.09	$8.65	$1.44
Lou Romano Plant Upgrade and Expansion Levy (10 % of 1)	$2.24	$1.92	$0.32
Sewer Surcharge @ $1.602	$33.64	$28.84	$4.81
Total Per Month	$68.41	$58.63	$9.77
Total Per Year	$820.86	$703.60	$117.27

Wow! A 14.3 % reduction in water usage now gives me a 14.3% reduction in my bill. The special levies now work properly. They are also based on your usage. Once the reason for the levy no longer exists, your bill can be further reduced.

(Note: the various rates I used are not exact to the last penny, I did this really quick in a spreadsheet simply to demonstrate the value of user pay).

Under the current system my bill at 18 cm is $65.97. Under a User Pay system it would be $58.63.

Why should people be forced to subsidize someone elses higher use? Use more pay more, use less, pay less.

Now people will be motivated to disconnect that downspout from the storm drain and collect water for their garden and flowers. Low flow faucets and toilets will become very popular. Do you really need to do that 1/4 load of laundry or can you wait until you have a full load? Better yet - what will happen to sales of front end loader washers, which use far less water than top loaders. Same goes for dishwashers.

Suffice it to say, there are numerous ways to reduce our water usage and save money. We simply have no incentive to do it.