Retention Basin VS Canal

I found the choice of a prop interesting this week when Mayor Eddie Francis posed for photo ops with Sandra Pupatello and Jeff Watson to regurgitate the benefits of infrastructure stimulus funding for Windsor.

The prop was the $67-million storm water retention basin, under construction on the riverfront. I did not attend the event since I have many other balls in the air these days, but I now regret it since I missed a great irony.

It was May 1, 2009 when I spilled out the words – “Your Arrogance Knows No Bounds” at Malden Centre after the mayor called a third meeting of Council in about a week to once again try to pressure Councillors into supporting his $40-million plus downtown canal project.

After my outburst, triggered by Jeff Watson’s admission that the mayor had sent him plans for the canal months earlier, while withholding same from Councillors, I am proud to say that I moved the successful motion to apply for the retention basin funding instead of the canal funding.

Here is what Mayor Francis said in the wake of that decision: “Other cities are putting forward massive projects with vision. Today, here, instead of such vision, we have a receptor sewer project … how does that diversify our economy? All we’ve done is remove the opportunity for federal government funding.”

A year and a half later, with an election looming, Mayor Francis seems to have discovered the great merit of the retention basin, which will end sewage overflows into the Detroit River.

The canal, however, has not been forgotten. Mayor Francis has promised to make it an election issue. To that end, I will be asking residents of the new Ward 4 if that project should be one of Council’s priorities among 11 others I will be listing on a survey soon to be delivered door to door.

I invite readers of this site to start weighing in on this issue in the comments section: “Should tax money be spent on a downtown canal project?”