Ward 7 By-Election Candidates' Thoughts On The New Hospital, Urban Sprawl & Climate Change

 

Windsor's Ward 7 is heading to the polls on Monday, October 5, 2020. This week, we're highlighting statements by the candidates about the proposed new mega-hospital, urban sprawl and climate change in Windsor-Essex.

Ward 7 is located in East Windsor, adjacent to the Detroit River to its north and the Town of Tecumseh to its east. Largely characterized by its many suburban row-houses, new home construction has been constant in Ward 7 in recent years.

This low-lying ward is located within the Little River Floodplain, which stretches from the Sandwich South area (where the proposed new hospital is to be built) to the Detroit River. The area has historically experienced major flooding due to its topography.

Demographics The 2016 Census recorded a population exceeding 24,000 residents, of whom 20% are aged 65 and older. With an average household income of $92,709, Ward 7 residents earn 30% more than Windsor's average income. What the Candidates Said What we found surprising from the quotes below was how few of the candidates made connections between (1) increased urban sprawl and car dependence (implicit in the construction of the new hospital on County Road 42 and its surrounding 900-acre residential and commercial development), and (2) the costs and effects of flooding resulting from extreme rainfall, which is considered Windsor's greatest climate change impact. Few showed much familiarity with the City of Windsor's environmental and climate change framework. We used colours (green, yellow and red) to indicate, in our opinion, how well each of the candidates (listed in alphabetical order) tackled the complexities of these issues. Who is best qualified to represent Ward 7 at Windsor City Council? We'll let you decide:

Igor Dzaic

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: I support the new hospital plans as they stand. I support the 42 site. I have been in favour of the new plans all along and I haven't flip-flopped. If we want to attract more specialists to move into our city, they must have a modern workplace as well. It will lower wait times and that is what we need...I'm glad CAMPP has lost in court every step of the way. Our seniors, our middle aged residents, my generation and the next generation, all deserve modern healthcare as soon as possible. It comes with thousands of new job contracts during the development process, both union and non-union. I want to attract talent to move here, and I want our talent to remain here. So, I will work with our mayor, our city council and our provincial partners to make sure we have this modern healthcare facility. We must say yes to a once in a lifetime project. My question is: Why don't some candidates support modern healthcare and thousands of new jobs as soon as possible? On urban sprawl: I dislike the negative tone about Ontario's urban sprawl, and I dislike the negative tone towards the Oil Sands. Both are very important to Canada. On climate action: Climate action is important, yes. Is it the most important issue for Ward 7? No, it is not. Getting people employed is the #1 issue in Ward 7 and in Windsor.

Farah El-Hajj

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: There's been lots of debate around where the new hospital's going to go. I think what the focus needs to go on is the services, both municipally and health services, and securing funding for that project. We have yet to see a comprehensive plan for what the hospital will entail, what services will be offered, and what infrastructure investments are needed to provide world class healthcare here for the residents of Windsor Essex. We should not have to travel to Toronto, or London or Hamilton or Detroit to get healthcare services that were once offered in Windsor and we have seen them be eliminated over the last 30 years. We need to see the necessary infrastructure investments made to roads, sewers, active and public transportation near the proposed location. We need to ensure that residents that do not have access to cars, still will have access to the hospital.  We need a new facility for sure, but we have yet to see any promised dollar amount from the Premier, from the province and with an aging population, it's needed now more than ever. On urban sprawl: There are many development related decisions that have created significant problems that we are being forced to address today. We cannot repeat those mistakes. On climate action: Climate Change is impacting all of us, especially our youth as we care about the future of the planet and what our lives will look like.

Michelle Gajewski

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: I don't think this issue will be coming back to council, but I will share my thoughts. We are the fastest growing ward in the city and new developments in Tecumseh between Banwell and Manning are also in the works, so we could use a hospital in our area. But ultimately I think the plan has issues that need to be addressed. I am most concerned about the shutdown of emergency room services of our existing hospitals that are planned to be demolished inside of neighbourhoods where people live, and they will not be replaced. The planned urgent care in downtown Windsor will not replace these services. Furthermore, the new hospital will not bring new services to Windsor-Essex. It's just an amalgamation, from my understanding. So residents will still have to travel to London and Toronto for surgeries, tests and scans. I'm just not sure closing 600 hospital beds that are over multiple locations is worth moving to one non-central location. We should be increasing hospital beds and not going for a net neutral...with our aging population, we should be bringing more here, and not just shuffling things around. On urban sprawl: I think its important to work with city planners, engineers, and look at what is working (or not working) in other urban centres across the world to ensure we are making sound urban planning decisions. On climate action: Human-caused climate change brings with it an increased risk of flooding. The reason that my platform includes climate change and not simply flood mitigation (one of the top issues facing Ward 7 residents) is because flooding is one of the biggest risks our city faces due to climate change. We need to address the problem holistically, rather than putting temporary band-aids on it.

Jeewen Gill

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: I'm a strong advocate and supporter of the current location. We need investment in Windsor...We have an aging population. Close to 55%+ is a senior in the ward and the hospital is welcome for our residents as it will give residents access to the best possible health care system. On urban sprawl: To ensure that the city of Windsor makes climate-friendly urban planning decisions I would advocate for greater environmentally friendly policies...I would work on zoning laws to ensure we do not expand beyond what would cause harm to our environment. On climate action: It is our responsibility as global citizens to ensure we are doing everything now to eradicate global warming and environmental impacts.

Barb Holland

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: It would be an absolute shame to lose that hospital. And when it comes to politics and the managing of budgets, when you have one party take office over another, and we are at risk. So it’s time to stop waiting. It’s time to begin building. I heard some concerns about buses. Transit Windsor will certainly adjust its routes to get people to that hospital. On climate action: The cost of doing nothing is too great to bear. Flooding has shown that we need to reduce risk to properties, strengthen the resilience of our infrastructure, protect our naturalized areas, and reduce community service disruptions. I support the City’s climate mitigation and adaptation action targets. City leaders must build on the work already done.

Greg Lemay

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: If anybody's been knocking, you know that 100% it comes up at almost every door. With a large population of seniors, they want that hospital. I want that $2 billion investment in my community...The issue I have right now is basically Lauzon, 42 and Walker with Windsor being completely on the hook in terms of the developmental fees. I’d like to see some cost sharing there with the other parts of the region. Outside of that I'm 100% in support of the location. On climate action: I believe council did the right thing in November 2019 when it declared the climate emergency. I continue to say we need to continue and follow through with plans.

Michael Malott

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: It comes up at the door a lot. It's a very polarizing question, and I get a lot of mixed reactions at the door. I get a lot of concerns...the mega-hospital is a city-wide issue and we have to address the fact that we have some EMS response time issues across the city. The province has mandated minimum EMS response times to and from the hospital. Having a mega-hospital on County Road 42 with no clear services provided in the core leaves me extremely anxious of how that will affect our downtown...So at the end of the day, after it's all said and done, I do support a new hospital. I don't think anybody here doesn't support a new hospital but the location is an issue and clarity as to what's going to be left in the core. On urban sprawl: We need Smart Development moving forward, not just more development. Infill has been proven to be up to 10 times more profitable for cities in terms of tax dollars than building new supercentres or Big Box stores.  On climate action: Permeable surface driveways and walkways, green roofs, swales and rain barrels are just a few ways to reduce flow into our storm-water system and should be encouraged, if not mandated, in future developments.

Angelo Marignani

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: A new hospital at $2 billion for this project will bring thousands of high-paying jobs to the region, attract world-class scientists, bring state-of the art technologies and innovations, medical professionals, surgeons, oncologists, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and healthcare teams. On urban sprawl: Firstly, whenever there is a large development, the city as a whole should have a voice and be a part of the democratic process before any planning at a particular location moves ahead. When you bring everyone to the table, with several experts in the field as well as public opinion, this can help make climate-friendly urban planning more seamless and ideal. Repurposing old buildings and developing brownfield will be a key objective of policies. On climate action: There has been a 1C increase in our average annual temperature, and an increase of approximately 7 per cent in annual rainfall since 1990. We need to look at future decisions regarding infrastructure through a more environmentally conscious lens. We all know the elephant in the room is climate change, and now is the time to deal with it. The mega hospital is a perfect example of how the City of Windsor can work with the County of Essex and surrounding municipalities to assist in actualizing climate mitigation.

Thérèse Papineau

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: I support city council and the location of the site. I believe it is in perfect proximity to the airport and, in a selfish way, it is very close to Ward 7. On urban sprawl: As the largest single source of pollution is gasoline and diesel, as councillor, I would put forward recommendations/incentives to promote carpooling and public transportation. Also, I would support more bike trails throughout the City to accommodate cyclists. On climate action: I would review existing reports, confer with experts in the field, ascertain the need, and then, along with Council, decide the priority, being mindful of budgetary restraints.

Albert Saba

On the proposed hospital on County Road 42: Back in 2018, when the debate regarding the rezoning of the plot of land targeted for a new mega-hospital took place at City Council, I was among the few running candidates, who are here, who were there that night. For 10 hours I listened to all delegations (60+) and all experts who had interesting things to say about the reasons they judged the selected location was a wrong one for the present and for the future situation of the City of Windsor. I am 100% for the mega-hospital. But, I remain against its proposed location today in September 2020 as I was against that site in 2018. On climate action: It’s an overdue action. I support the plan put in place.

Howard Weeks

On the hospital and the development of Sandwich South: I want to see the best possible healthcare for Ward 7, Windsor and the county as a whole. I believe that the process our community has been engaging in for the past several years is not working. The fact that after all these years we seem to be no closer to the state of the art healthcare facility that we all seek, indicates to me that we need a new strategy. In order to move forward, we need to unite the community, speak with one voice and present to the province a common front. This would involve all stakeholders coming together on a level and public playing field, rolling up their sleeves and doing whatever it takes to hammer out a common position. The process would involve a lot of work, compromise, and the end result will certainly not be loved by all. But if all sides truly believe their position is the right one, they should not have any hesitation to put it to the test in a fair and public process. On climate action: Our mitigation and adaptation targets cannot be set high enough. We need to get serious with reducing Windsor’s carbon footprint, and we need to do it now.

Notes: The quotes above represent just a portion of what the candidates had to say. For more, please go to: Windsor Law Centre for Cities Candidate Survey  Rose City Politics, September 30, 2020 Ward 7 Candidates' Debate hosted by the Young Rotary Leaders on September 22, 2020 What you need to know about the candidates running in Windsor’s Ward 7 byelection, Blackburn News, October 3, 2020 Only six candidates responded to the Windsor Law Centre for Cities candidate survey that asked them about their positions on urban sprawl and climate change. The candidates who did not respond are: Barb Holland, Ernie Lamont, Greg Lemay, Michael Malott, Albert Saba and Howard Weeks. Greg Lemay and Ernie Lamont did not participate in the Rose City Politics debate. Ernie Lamont's campaign does not have a website that we're aware of. His position on any of the issues is unknown.

Thank you for your many messages of support. Please continue to send us your comments and contribute to our fundraiser for legal expenses.

In their own words: Members of our community comment on the issues

"We are stalled in Stage 1 of this hospital process after so many years because of the autocratic patterns and the inability to listen, analyze and adopt well documented best practices for building strong healthy cities by this city’s leaders. Our city council failed in their mandate to give due consideration to all the well researched concerns brought to council chambers by concerned citizens and professional associations."

"the lack of respect for submissions by CAMPP presenters at Windsor City Council, especially the current Mayor, should be a legacy - a model for disrespect all municipal government classes should witness this arrogance"

"I think it is scandalous to use money for economic development, which we desperately need, to finance a propaganda program. Who even approved such a misuse of funds."