Chris Schnurr
Carol Kosowan LL.B., B.A. (Law), B.A. (Policy)
Update: Councillor Percy Hatfield claims that Windsor is “leading the way” with the request to purchase hybrid buses and cited an email he received from an Ottawa high school student who hopes Ottawa will follow Windsor’s steps.
Except it is obvious that Councillor Hatfield doesn’t do his homework before speaking on an issue.
According to this press release dated January 3, 2008, the City of Ottawa ordered 202 diesel hybrid buses following an extensive four phase feasibility study (discussed below):
OC Transpo-which provides public transit services in the city of Ottawa, Canada -has ordered 202 buses to be delivered by 2009. The delivery will make OC Transpo the third-largest hybrid bus fleet in Canada, Daimler reported.
Interesting, I emailed councillor Hatfield questions regarding the hybrid buses, but he opts to discuss an email from a non-resident of Windsor.
Councillor Drew Dilkens asked for deferral of the notice of motion because councillors only received the 10 page report today (which I still can’t find on the city website, unlike the City of Ottawa) which a majority of councillors defeated – so much for having all the information in order to make wise decisions.
Then, Mayor Francis was informed that indeed, council did not receive the report which violated the procedural bylaw’s requirements for Notice of Motion. Council then passed the request for deferral.
Ottawa conducts hybrid feasibility study
As I wrote yesterday, I found it interesting to say the least, that Transit Windsor will conduct a study of routes and efficiency after the potential purchase of 18 hybrid buses.
So I was curious as to what other municipalities have done before considering such an investment.
The City of Ottawa took 3 years to study the issue:
As part of the City’s Fleet Emission Reduction Strategy approved by Council in 2002, a four-phase program to acquire diesel-electric technology was recommended as the next significant step towards a zero-emission fleet. Phase 1 of the Hybrid Bus Implementation project (the Hybrid Bus Feasibility Study) has now been completed.
The city was hoping to receive a provincial subsidy for the purchase:
Under the existing Ontario Transit Vehicle Program, two thirds of the incremental cost of hybrid buses is eligible for provincial subsidy. This provincial funding has been announced annually since it was initiated in 2002. This funding, if continued at present level, would amount to $2.7 million, leaving an unfunded residual of $1.8 million in 2006; and in subsequent years, residuals of $2.1 million in 2007 and $1.6 million in 2008.
As well, route analysis was conducted before authorization given to purchase the buses:
Route testing showed that the bus industry common Central Business District (CBD) drive-cycle (maximum speed of 32 km/h, 14 stops in 10 minutes) closely approximates inter city, stop-and-go routes in Ottawa.
The report also found that:
Neither of the hybrid systems evaluated in this study provided significant fuel savings on low-stop frequency and high-speed routes, such as test routes #95, 96 or rural express route 232…
…Both systems will achieve fuel economy improvements estimated at between 17% to 26%, if deployed in high-stop frequency and low-speed routes, such as routes 1, 2, 7, 14, 85 and peak service routes. Comparable percentage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be achieved on these same kinds of routes.
In looking over the City of Windsor website, I could find no such analysis of our own city routes nor any feasibility study, or references to applications for provincial and/or federal subsidies.
Tonight’s council meeting ought to be quite revealing as to what information is shared – particularly the sudden appearance of over $1-million in additional funds for the purchase in 2008.
What study has been conducted to determine which routes could achieve the maximum efficiencies that could be achieved with a hybrid system? Which routes do not?
No business case for tunnel: Residents could be liable
I missed this little piece on A-Channel News regarding the Tunnel Deal. Despite being consumed with the tunnel negotiations in Detroit, Mayor Francis appeared to be quite uninformed as to what is transpiring regarding the negotiations.
WeACT has filed a Freedom of Information requesting all records of communication between Detroit and Windsor; consultants and lawyers; as well as the Province of Ontario.
However, what was revealed was a draft letter of intent received by the City of Windsor on July 17, 2008, that was sent to Mayor Francis from Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
According to Darryl Newcombe – tunnel tolls could be increased to guarantee the loan from Ontario.
Interesting – were there problems with the loan? Was the business case not sound? Did the Province of Ontario reject Windsor’s application? Because Mayor Kilpatrick’s statement was very curious indeed:
Tunnel tolls shall be maintained or increased…as may be required to obtain financing from Ontario.
But most importantly was this alarming statement absolving Detroit of any financial liability for the loan:
Detroit shall have no liability to Windsor or the Windsor/Detroit Tunnel Corporation with respect to the loan or the Detroit tunnel.
Interesting. So what happens to the ownership of the tunnel if the border authority defaults on the payment? Does Windsor take full control/ownership or does the Province of Ontario?
Almost as if in response to my question (which I also sent to some Detroit City Councillors) I posed on this blog, the Detroit Mayor refuses to pay any interest exceeding 5.05%.
That is very interesting considering that for a 40 year loan from Infrastructure Ontario, the lending rate is 5.72% I wonder how the Province of Ontario would feel about that?
The Mayor did respond to the letter, however:
We will not recommend a deal to the City of Windsor unless there is a solid business case for it and unless it meets and protects the objectives that we set out from day one. Those have been our guiding principles and that’s what guides us through these discussions and will continue to guide us through these discussions.
I do have a question arising from the Mayor’s statement, “We will not recommend a deal with the City of Windsor unless there is a solid business case for it.”
Does this mean that the Mayor is claiming, even though we’ve spent over $1.2 million on negotiating a deal, that there is NO business case? Is the Mayor suggesting that an application for a $75-million Infrastructure Loan to the Province has no business case justifying the loan request?
Recall, the Mayor stated on May 22, 2008:
Francis also is unsure as to the status of negotiations, stating that they have been on again, off again, on again.
But both Sutts and Francis cautioned Wednesday no definitive conclusions should be made until negotiations with Detroit are complete and terms of the provincial loan are clearly defined.
“I don’t think Windsor city council will do anything that’s reckless in that respect,” Sutts said.
“It’s my intention to keep them fully informed every step of the way, (that) there are no traps or risks they will assume unless they are fully aware and then are assumed.”
One further question regarding these mysterious negotiations is that if Detroit is not liable; and the Mayor has inferred that the City of Windsor is not liable, who is liable for the loan should there be a default – considering that there seems to be no business plan justifying the deal.
And finally, who assumes control of the tunnel asset should there be a default on the payments?
Sarnia Mayor meets with John Tory
According to the Sarnia Observer:
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley supports the Progressive Conservative Party’s call on the province to convene an economic summit to address Ontario’s slumping economy — a call Bradley himself made in the beginning of June.
“Given the present economic difficulties Ontario is in . . . we need to start planning before we slide any further,” he said.
Recall, on July 11, 2008, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis cancelled the meeting, apparently at the last minute, to meet with Ontario Progressive Conservative leader, John Tory.
He was scheduled to meet with Mayor Eddie Francis, but the meeting was called off because the mayor informed Tory he was too busy dealing with the tunnel deal situation with Detroit.
“He seems fully consumed with the tunnel matter which I guess has taken a turn,” Tory said. “I understand. We had a good chat on the phone.”
The Sarnia Mayor did warn that the summit would only be successful if it had a nonpartisan approach. “This should not be to score political points,” he said. “. . . It’s an excellent chance to engage the province, not just Queen’s Park, but the industries, the First Nations and the farmers in finding a solution.”
Funny how the Tunnel deal, in which there is a lead negotiator, supercedes the importance of finding solutions to deal with rising unemployment in Windsor.
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I find the arrogance of Eddie very disturbing.
He cancelled a meeting with John Tory over the tunnel, however he was completely oblivious to the letter directed to him, personally, from Kwame.
If that letter was a culmination of 1.2 million dollars in legal fees, I think Windsor should ask for a refund.
The money doesn’t make any sense, the interest rates don’t make any sense and since the loan from Ontario shows only 40 years, how will Windsor contend witht the next 35?
Something isn’t right with this attempted deal. Even Cliff Sutts mentioned getting “sued”.
There is no business case, so far, for the bus purchase.
There is no business case, so far, for the tunnel deal.
It is very interesting that King Eddie would cancel a meeting with John Tory for any reason whatsoever; here is a man that could help him a lot more than any mayor of Detroit.
Council will do whatever King Eddy wants, it seems; Drew Dilkens seems to be the odd man out, along with Halberstat on most items.
We have wasted enough money on lawyers; let’s spend some on accountants who will at least tell us where we are wasting money.
It just gets worse by the month. How much has King Francis spent on outside legal representation? Between Sutts and Estrin, the figure must be nearing $5 million. And this in a City that is struggling.
Funny how the lawyers always make out in good and bad times – and that includes the lawyer that is the supposed leader of our community.
Meanwhile I enjoyed my bumpy ride on Tecumseh Road East between Jefferson and Lauzon Parkway, you know the portion that has seen millions of dollars of development but no improvement to the road. What happened to development charges? What happened to the increase in property tax revenue?
A high school student in Ottawa wrote Hatfield…Give me a break! It probably was anonymously and sarcastically written by an ex-Windsorite playing with Percy’s head! Even without hybrid buses, Ottawa has a far more efficient and wide ranging public transit than Windsor and the county in which they are just now thinking of. Ottawa is the works of putting together a Light Rail Transit plan, like Hamiliton, and Kithchener/Waterloo (I think that region just got a huge infrastructure boost for regional public transportation!) And as an aside, Ottawa city council just approved a ten year, 20 million upgrade and investment in building bike lanes to the already existing system they have!!!!!
In todays Windsor Star story; Mayor halts bus purchase; “Coun. Ken Lewenza Jr. said he supports the move, indicating there is a need for a rushed decision so the city can get quickly in line ahead of the swarm of other municipalities making the diesel-to-hybrid switch…” What rushed decision? Windsor is Johnny Come Lately to the scene, other cities in Ontario are already receiving money for public transportation upgrades and or new systems WITH new buses et al!
And I greatly suspect that none of the mayors of those cities had to go to Chicago to do it!
“We must change the Conversation!” said Thee Voice! How can you change the conversation when first you don’t engage the people of this city in that conversation, let alone listen to them, return their calls or emails, refuse to converse with those in power, don’t practice due diligence and make rush decisions based on spiritual conversions on the road to Chicago! As bloggers in this city have pointed out yesterday and today hybrid buses might not be the way to go and unlike Ottawa, Windsor hasn’t done any studies (let alone like three years as Ottawa has) on why we should purchase 18 buses, ah, Ottawa is purchasing 202 buses. Eighteen buses aren’t going to make a big difference in this city!
I would like our mayor to write a letter of personal intent to the people of Windsor, that he, Eddie Francis and his family for seven generations and that includes all the city councillors and their families at this time, will be held solely accountable for all monies and interest if the tunnel deal falls apart making this city accountable and liable for the 75 million loan default and will repay every last penny for seven generations! Ya! Right! No guts, No glory!
If it is such a good deal, go ahead make our day! But remember (learn?) as Macbeth and Brutus learned, a sword is a double edge weapon!
The mayor of Sarnia in conversation with John Tory,, Drew Dilkens in a quiet conversation with the mayor of Amherstburg (photo Windsor Star) but nowhere is there a photo of Eddie having a conversation with anybody! His ego can’t stand it. I would now like to nominate Drew Dilkens for mayor based on one lonely photograph, at least he talking and listening!
Disagree with both Chris Schnurr and Kdduck again on this one. Their analysis only take into account the gas savings business case. What is absent is the noise pollution.
I have a cafe patio next to a bus stop, buses do not add to that atmosphere. Same for Chatham street grill, beer market and Pause cafe.
The hybrid busses tout themselves to produce 50% less noise. While that is assuredly hype, even in the most skeptical study I found
http://staianoengineering.com/images/NC07_Ross_Staiano_-_A_comparison_of_green_and_conv.pdf
, the amounts were 2 decibals at idle, 3 decibals under 25 MPH and 7 decibals at Wide open Throttle. Listening to Windsor’s older diesel I assume the improvement will be somewhere in the middle.
From 3 to 7 decibals less at a minimum to 50% less decibals at a maximum is worth it if we want to keep our neighborhoods (especially downtown) walkable. Even though I am a huge supporter of transit, it comes at a cost of noise, this mitigates that cost.
Of course you do Mark. This has nothing to do with Mayor Francis or any council member in particular, but everything to do with proper processes and “having all the information” to make “wise decisions.” Afterall, it was the Mayor who was touting the fuel efficiencies and cost-savings – question is how was this determined in the Windsor infrastructure environment?
As I wrote:
I also wrote yesterday:
I’ll put it very simply – due diligence, by all appearances has NOT been conducted. Thank goodness Councillor Dilkens has got the right idea. Let’s see the report how they arrived at their decision and how these buses will be utilized – and whether or not these buses will used efficiently and to their fullest potential.
References to studies in other cities demonstrate that cities took an extensive study to determine which routes first, the number of buses required etc. The cart before the horse.
Transit Windsor has said that this will happen – but only AFTER they purchase the buses.
Surely, as a successful businessperson, you would agree that determining those factors first would be prudent use of taxpayer dollars to ensure maximum return on our investment?
Yes Mark they do make less noise, however council is trying to convince people about the cash savings when they are NOT THERE.
I would much rather see more bike lanes and bike friendly areas to lessen the noise.
Less noise is fine.
Less cost is a misdirection.
I want greener vehicles(check my blog on taxi cabs) but I want an informed council who does not give in to a whim because Eddie travelled to Chicago. Remember Germany?
Better yet, why not an electric people mover? Get rid of traffic altogether down Ouellette?
It was too good to be true. I guess then he disagres with King Francis.
Vincent – I know for a fact that the construction plans to reconstruct and widen Tecumseh Road, between Jefferson and Lauzon have been finished for two years now, and have been shelved by the city for lack of construction funds. Sadly, that is not an isolated case. But you probably know that as well as any of us in the consulting community.
This mayor and council have lost the plot me thinks. Local government is supposed to be about roads, sewers, garbage collection, parks etc. Too bad that all seems to be an after thought to grander schemes.
blackhelicoptersarecoming: Your last paragraph is perfect. Local government is supposed to be about the things that people care (or at least pay for through their taxes).
Look at the east-end arena. We went from a replacement of Windsor Arena to an arena, three pads, community centre and seniors centre with little justification. I didn’t know we needed a new community centre or a new seniors centre? We kept hearing how Riverside and Adstoll Arenas had to be replaced, but there is no reuse or redevelopment plan for those facilities. They will sit empty when the new complex opens.
I also don’t understand the maintenance on the EC Row this year. We keep hearing and reading that the EC Row is at capacity, which suggests that it need to be widened (and improved). A few years back the Province threw a wad of money at us and Council rejected it because of an unfounded fear of truck traffic.
But now we are spending money fixing bridges, when we should be spending money to build new bridges at Howard and Dougall as a prelude to widening the EC Row. MTO did that between Kitchener and Woodstock. They widened all the bridges first, then they began widening the highway.
We spend money on consultants (I’m not attacking consultants) to produce reports and studies only to ignore those reports and studies. Administration identified that Cabana Road has to be improved, but because some residents didn’t like the plan, it was shelved. Just imagine what Cabana will be like when DRIC gets underway.
It’s frustrating being a City employee. I can’t watch Council meetings because I end up screaming at the screen, usually at senior administration who will not stand up for the City and who are unable to respond with simple straightforward answers. If the answer is no, how hard is it to say “No”?
Vincent Clement for city councillor! :) But then again, I think you’d become hoarse.
I have a bit of a theory why City of Windsor administration is so limp when it comes to standing up to Council and the Mayor and trying harder to educate these fools who know so little on what they are making profound decisions on… Windsor is suffering from its geography.
If you’re in Administration and you stand up to Council, and crap the bed you’re lying in – where do you go? At least in say Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Hamilton, Guelph, Misssauga, Milton et al you can find any number of jobs within a 30-45 minute drive. And they do. And so you find stronger willed administration, and councils that are better educated in their decisions. You don’t want to listen to me? Fine. I will go somewhere else where they will or leave the public sector all together.
In Windsor where do you go? I know one City staffer who feels almost held hostage – he would love to leave, but would lose his shirt on his house because of current real estate prices, and there are no other job opportunities in the area.
Sucks really because there’s no good solution for it, other than hoping for a culture change at the political level. Don’t hold your breath.
Why do we need to widen EC Row? The vast majority of commuters on EC Row are from Tecumseh and LaSalle so why should my tax dollars support their efficiencies (inefficient sprawl raises it’s ugle head again).
I would rather they rebuild roads in areas such as Lauzon or Howard than the “quick route thru Windsor” artery.
Cityajoke –
This highlights the desperate need for regional government. While I agree, Tecumseh and LaSalle should contribute to EC ROW – the whole urban sprawl argument really does not address the now.
While we can talk about what should have been done; that doesn’t address the very real idea that EC ROW is at capacity and presents a risk to users.
Unless of course, EC ROW is NOT at capacity as the Mayor claims…
Tecumseh and LaSalle will continue to grow, unless of course you’re advocating that the province and/or the towns tell people they can no longer live in Tecumseh or LaSalle, there really, unfortunately is no other alternative save for a light rail system connecting the communities – but given the complete lack of a regional transit authority or the funds, this is many many years away. In the meantime people will continue to use EC ROW.
Furthermore, if we are to develop Windsor airport, connections MUST be made and/or improved to facilitate the transfer of goods interprovincially as well as internationally.
You’ve commented several times about how high taxes are in this city. Curbing urban sprawl and making the necessary investments to do so while at the same time dealing with issues that present themselves now, require substantial investments.
I’m all for the ideas you present – but also within the realm of the here and now.
Failure to upgrade EC ROW will only result in increased congestion on residential street and major roads – those 30,000 commuters have to go somewhere.
I think it was best said that widening your roads to deal with the effects of sprawl is like loosening your belt to deal with the effects of a weight problem.
$300 million to widen the expressway for what? to accomodate another 20,000 residents in Tecumseh and Lakeshore?
How about spending 10% (or less) of that on increasing density of the core by 20,000 people that don’t need to drive on an expressway.
Until the province gets Windsor/Essex’s uniquely bad antiregionalism and sprawl, we’re in trouble
$300 million to widen the expressway for what? to accomodate another 20,000 residents in Tecumseh and Lakeshore?
Well for starters, if we’re going to develop the airport lands for manufacturing/cargo/etc., EC ROW expansion will have to occur – sprawl or not.
Where else are those trucks going to go?
And interesting statistic – where is the reference that EC ROW would cost $300 million to expand?