Urban Blight. No Sense Talking About it

There are as many definitions out there of urban blight as there are examples.  So much so that political dialogue about it has become nothing more than cheap talk.  It is all in front of us if we choose to see it.  This kind of decay always starts with symptoms which are very recognizable.  It could be as simple as missing paint, long standing graffiti, makeshift repairs, broken windows, missing shingles and accumulating junk.  It starts, it grows, and it spreads until it renders a part or whole of a city dysfunctional.  We tend to blame it on abstract concepts like deindustrialization, depopulation, unemployment, fractured families, lack of manpower and political disenfranchisement.  Perhaps partially true but even if that is the case why don't we do anything about it?  The answer may be at the end of our arms.  That is to say, to take charge, to pitch in and to nip urban decay in the bud before it starts to take off.  And if it is already out of control then we not only have a right but also an obligation to fix it.  By whatever means.  That is what our Property Standards Department is for.  For that matter, chipping in with sweat equity is also a real pretty and cheap solution.

Controlling urban decay has a real payback for any community.  A fresh coat of paint and clean yard goes a long way to improving the overall optic of a city.  When we look good, we feel good and when we feel good about ourselves we go out of our way to promote continuous improvement.

So where do we start?  The first and most obvious place is at the top.  Our local politicians have to take inventory of their respective wards and they have to put an action plan into place.  Property Standards are set for a reason so there is no excuse for not enforcing them.  Citizens are an amazing resource.  A little bit of organization and good will goes a long way and in these parts we have proven that over and over.

So how do we start?  Once again we have to start at the top.  Our Mayor has to take ownership of his city.  Together with his council they can set the agenda and put some pretty quick wheels on such a project.  It's funny in one respect.  We voted these politicians in to serve us and our community in the best possible way.  That means that if we ask loud enough they should respond accordingly.  It also means that if they ask us in return to give them a helping hand with such a project then we can easily be there to help out.  So who's asking?

Here are but a few examples of Made in Windsor blight:

Click on images to enlarge.

Condemned and waiting for what?  Repairs?  Arson?

It starts here and it has to be ended here A.S.A.P.

Art in ownership.  Really?

Historical gem just sitting, rotting, doing nothing.

A whole row of decay.  It's been sitting in this condition for years.

Government planned blight.

Blight from an obvious source.

A closer look

Blight as a lifestyle?  Probably not.

The dish farm.  Easily controlled through Property Standards.

Some paint, flowers and tenants.  Why is this place sitting totally vacant?

Why is this allowed?

Planned blight in progress? 

Dish farm, decay, zero lot line. 

No rules in this place?  Dishes could go on the roof too.

The Dish farm.  They can all go on the roof.

A burned out Pita factory.  Its been sitting in this condition for years.  Why?

Pick a siding.  asbestos, bitumen, aluminum or corrugated steel?

Could this kind of Civic improvement be another municipal election platform?

 

Thinking About Wind Factories in our Lakes

The real and whole debate about wind turbines in our lakes is about to unfurl. The emotions about the technology and about alternative resources is thick. On one side we all want to live on a safer, cleaner, greener planet. It's easy for us, especially in lieu of all of the hype and promotion that is hurled our way from anxious politicians and profit hungry equipment manufacturers. We all want to believe. And we should. The real difficulty though in bringing this technology on is going to depend upon our own objectivity and clear judgement when it comes to deciding on the most viable and conscientious way to deliver and implement it. As always we have to do our own research in order to make the most responsible and future reaching choices. One thing that we do not want to do is to destroy one good thing to bring about another. Whats the sense in that.

Before us is a very important choice and we only get one shot at it so we have to get it right. We can continue to build land based wind farms that help stimulate local economies and do not draw the ire that the lake based factories do or we can buy into the Provincial governments hype to plant over 700 of them into Pigeon Bay and Lake St. Clair. There are only two reasons that the government wants to put them in these great lakes: This will be the first fresh water installation in the world that will create a large optic for Dalton McGuinty's government (do we really want to be their guinea pigs) and they do not have to pay royalties to land owners because they can plant them in crown based lake beds for free. If Southpoint wind and the provincial government are allowed to get away with this we will all have to live with the legacy for many years to come. It will be at the expense of our local ecology and our economic well being. Here are a couple of clips to start us along that path. Please review them very carefully:

Please take some extra time to learn about the pros and cons of offshore wind farming.

The WUC/Enwin Experiment Continues

Ken Lewenza Jr.  WUC Board, City Councillor

Click on images to enlarge

A few posts ago we examined a local billing experiment about Windsor's ever so compassionate and caring hydro and water  provider.  For several months a local resident usurped zero hydro electricity and zero water.  Consistently the bill from Enwin was over $50.00 per month despite this miserly consumption.  The bills were packed with penalties, strange fees and even sewer charges which is odd because if no water was consumed then none would leave in the drain pipes.  Well...The experiment continues.  Still no water is being consumed and still no hydro is being consumed and still no sewage leaves the premise.  Here is the latest hydro bill juxtaposed against the one we examined earlier: 

This is the bill we examined a few weeks ago.

This is the most current bill

Notice that the consumption is still exactly the same on both billings.  ZERO!  Now take a look at the total billing. 
In the span of one month we have gone from  $50 some odd dollars to $89.83!  One would think
that after Councillor Lewenza's admission that the billing practices of Enwin might need a bit of  re-jigging that this kind of "power pricing" would be at least kept in check.  There continues to be no rhyme or
reason to the WUC's billing practices.  Once again the bill is spiked with all kinds of curious surcharges
and fees.  It makes one totally anxious for the HST to kick in doesn't it? 

So here dear readers is another very real election issue that has to be dealt with.  Any politician; incumbent or not has to embrace it or he/she is not worth their salt.  What say you?