The Detroit News today had an article entitled “Woe is Windsor”
Maybe this will open some eyes:
Hello Eddie Francis? Hello Larry Horowitz? Look at the results above. Do you see that? Can we plase now stop trying to make our city into a playground for Americans? How about we work on making it a destination for actual residents of this city? A little retail would be nice, how about making business taxes a little more reasonable? Maybe if they were Anne’s would still be “On The Avenue” instead of in a strip mall in Tecumseh.
P.S. – STOP FUNDING EVENTS LIKE THE GRAND PRIX! Instead of pissing away my tax dollars across the river on events that bring NO benefit to Windsor, why don’t you put that money into our Libraries, I think they need funding too… Too bad you’ve rammed through a few more years of funding huh?
Take a gander at a few of the comments on the Detroit News Cyber Survey:
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No, I don’t go to Canada anymore period. Two years ago, while trying to cross the bridge with my family to attend a yearly family picnic, despite the fact that my spouse and I had plenty of ID, we were pulled over at gun point, and our vehicle searched. We had our four young (all under the age of 8 at the time, including a newborn) children with us.
It was one of worst experiences of my life. I won’t be going back.
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I used to go to Windsor a couple of times a month prior to the smoking ban. Why would they think that we are going to spend our money in their bars but then they are going to make us go outside for a smoke? Yeah right, I can stay on this side of the border, go to American Casinos with American Workers, go to bars over here and I can smoke if I so choose. I doubt I will ever go back to Windsor.
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I use to take at least one camping trip to Canada every year, and an occasional shopping trip when the exchange rate was good. They were like a friendly younger brother. But in recent years their attitude toward the US has gone sour, and their open display of animosity in their political dealings with the US, as well as hits on our culture from their entertainment industry, has turned me off. Add to that the strengthening Loonie, border hassles and expenses, and what reason is there to make the trip?
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Canada is completely two-faced. They forget that we can receive Canadian television in southeastern Michigan, so we know what they’re saying about us. They try so very, very hard at being unlike Americans, and then they whine when we don’t go over there. In fact, the most insulting thing you can do to a Canadian is look at them thoughtfully and say “you know, you’re just like Americans.” Try it, it makes them livid.
All they have to offer anyway is gambling, which is available here, and the sight of their womens’ bodies, which (thank god) is not available here.
Our current governor is a Canadian, to boot. Isn’t that enough? With an export track record like that, who can blame us for avoiding them?
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I don’t go over there anymore. I use to when I was 19-20, but everything I can do there, I can do in the states. Maybe when they stop bullying people to get accross the borders, especially the younger generation, people will start going back.
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Nope, I won’t spend a dime in Canada and have no desire to ever go back there. I’ll keep my money in the United States, thank you.
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I always loved Windsor, the cleanliness, the frendly people, nice restaurants and casino, although the Detroit casinos pay better, but with the hassles at the border it’s just not worth it anymore. It’s too bad, I can’t see myself going back anytime soon.
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I do not want too waste my time waiting in line to get into Canada and now I have too wait longer to get back into the USA! I will just stay home! Not worth the hassel with it!!!
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We used to go alot, but since Sept.11 happened and the border became a hassle we have stopped going over.
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Interesting to see the "border hassles" come up over and over as a common theme. I'd like to know the circumstances under which that family was "pulled over at gunpoint" when they tried to cross. I love how people come up with stories like that conveniently leave out whatever mitigating factors led up to the incident. Two years ago, Canada Customs didn't even carry guns. So did the driver 'run the port' and get pulled over by Windsor police down the road, or what? What's the rest of the story?? Who knows.
But your point stands, Andrew! If that's how the yanks feel - and I couldn't care less if they do - then that's all the better reason to focus on making our city a better place for Windsorites first. If they're just going to abuse and piss all over our downtown while they are 19-20 then after they turn 21 suddenly develop this high and mighty "if they aren't going to support the war in Iraq in their media then we ain't goin' there no more" attitude, then yeah... it's time to take stock of what their "patrongage" really amounts to and how much it should influence decision making at City Hall.
Keep checking in at this link: http://info.detnews.com/redesign/forums/feedback/lettersindex.cfm?topic=Border_crossing_blues
The venom and contempt doesn't cease...
Mainstream newspaper comments contain some of the worst viewpoints and writing around. Just check the Globe and Mail and seem the venom!
It's one area that the more thought blog-readership (on many civic minded blogs) make blog comments great (as has been our experience at Spacing) but it doesn't work as well in the mass market because the noisy LCD always wins.
Er, "it's one area the more thoughtFUL readership....."
Shawn, true, but on a topic like this, it is information from the horses mouth. These are the people who don't come over anymore. It doesn't matter if the concerns are valid or not, it only matters that they're not coming.
The comments are always to the extreme but the poll numbers above speak very loud volumes to me.
John Stefani, you could still could have made your argument clear without having to refer to Americans as 'yanks'.
Interesting to see that the anti-smoking law by our illustrious liberals seem to be a consistent message. But we know those anti-smoking laws weren't going to hurt T.O. just the border cities. So I must ask. Why haven't the border cities either received funds to mitigate this disasterous effect or had exemptions put forth?
Also of interest is the shopping was only 0.6%. Why? Because there isn't any shopping downtown!
I am in agreeance with Andrew when I also state that hopefully Eddie and Mr. Horwitz will finally see the light and start to try and attract LOCAL people to our downtown instead of trying to cater to only visitors. If you can't get people who live in the city to visit downtown how in the hell can you lure outside visitors?
Yes, tourism is very important but NOT to the detriment of our own local population.
Maybe it will finally sink in?
Just wanted to add, notice that some people are complaining about thehigh cost of the border tolls? With visitors at an all-time low a person would think that you lower the cost to lure more people here not RAISE it!
Shawn, I'm pretty sure yanks was used as a term of endearment.
I was over yesterday, and on my return I couldn't help but chuckle at the tolls on the Yankee side of the tunnel. $3.75 US or $4.75 CAD. Talk about a rip off! With our dollar at par (or slightly above as was the case this weekend) why one earth is there a $1.00 difference between the two fares? Luckily I had a $5.00 bill of the green worthless money to pay with...
This was on the feedback to the "woe is windsor" article. Pay close attention to this one:
"I think it's interesting that prior to 1999, tourists pumped 687 million into Windsor's economy and now it's down to 335 million.
Windsor literally took a gamble and has lost big time.
For many, going to Windsor was a real treat because it felt so unique to anything a person could get in metro Detroit. The restaurants were small, plentiful and full of professional wait staff and were mostly owner occupied. It was possible to walk around downtown and visit a lot of stores and even movie theaters, something that you could only get at a mall in the U.S. When Windsorites gave up their city for the malls, chain restaurants, endless sports bars and by building a casino, they became at best, like anywhere U.S.A. It's too bad they couldn't see what they had because now it just isn't such a pleasant place any longer. The tourists they banked on to fill up loud sport bars and casinos are now staying home or going to similar places closer to home and the tourists who appreciated Windsor for being Canadian are passing through and going to Stratford, Goderich, and Bayview to name just a few of the extremely well managed towns that Canada has in abundance. Sorry Windsor, but you did this to yourself."
Whoever wrote that is right on the money. What does Windsor have to offer that most cities don't? More endless supplies of chain restaurants (it doesn't help that I wanted to buy food at 4:00Pm on Sunday, mainly club sandwiches, I coun'd t find a locally owned place that wasn't a bar downtown), more strip malls?
But you know the mitigating effects of sprawl are everywhere. Not that it is only their fault but what does the city do to help combat this? Induce MORE sprawl and ginore the interior of the city! If it isn't built, they the people, won't come!