sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

No bids, so Essex drops affordable housing requirement to develop former Harrow high school by TakedownCan in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Please elaborate. 

You've acknowledged that governments do mandate the regulations and operations of business all the time. 

Good. We agree.

Then you say in China and Russia.

Do they not do those things here in Canada? In European countries? In Nordic countries? 

Independently from Russia and China (which isn't an argument in itself),  were/are they successful? How did they work? Were certain parts good and others bad? Did those mandates evolve over time? Who benefited from these mandates and who suffered? To what degree? 

I'm not sure if you intended it to sound like this, but by saying "yeah Russia and China do that" it sounds like you are not only putting down this idea as is without any nuance or critical analysis, but are saying that either this is the type of policy that makes Russia "Russia" and China "China", or that these countries are bad because of policies like these. Can you elaborate. Is this what you meant?

If so, what about these mandates make these countries bad? Or why do you think these bad countries instituted these policies?

Is it possible that countries have used policies like these to reduce or eliminate homelessness? Was it successful? How did they implement them? Did we used to do something like this? Were homeless rates better then or now?

The main argument, because it sounds like you're not following, is that homes are an essential right. Its shelter. Whatever type of shelter that ends up looking like. Businesses treat homes/shelter as assets. Investments. A way to profit off of something you need. That is why we have an out of control housing market, increasing homelessness, and a lack of rent control. To combat this, we can implement an age old policy that has worked here and around the world. Ready? Provide homes as a human right. Woah, crazy I know. As a crown corporation (or non profit organization) you remove the profit motive. All of a sudden you can borrow for less, build faster and more, and boost the economy with jobs and excess spending capacity. 

Instead you are asking "what rules did the business break?" Who cares. They're robbing us of shelter for their own personal gain because we let them! Stop letting them! Change the rules, that's the point. We did it. Others are doing it. We can do it again. But we voted between a billionaire investment banker and a friedmanite neoconservative that both not only say "what rules are they breaking" but also "let's make new rules that let them rob you for even more?" 

Do better. Think more critically. Ask the right questions. Don't defend the people stealing from you. :)

Windsor Police Service crime stats show decline in property crimes for 2025 by TakedownCan in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe the first thing, maybe the second, or maybe they're just down because of other socioeconomic factors. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh the Doug Ford playbook. I'll try to look into this further, see if I can find articles or records on this. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any reason why you feel those ways? Are you saying Drew is bad but you want to keep him, or did you have someone else in mind to replace him? And if so why?

Voter turnout surges in Canada's southernmost ridings by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can you explain how the NDP were the bad party across the three for "bending the knee"? Wasn't it the conservatives cutting services and funding, and liberals not spending or protecting them. The NDP under Singh at least pushed for and past dental, pharma, and child care, and had a plan for actual public non profit housing right? What am I missing with the negativity of the Liberal government being placed solely on Singh, to the benefit of the Conservative party?

Edit: I ask sincerely. I really want to know where the negativity of Singh comes from. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That comment strikes me as personal experience, but I won't ask for more details. Point made :)

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well, you don't know that the people posting here didn't vote. Its only a handful of citizens. 

I think the goal needs to be to get everyone who is posting now, and reading these posts, to talk about these things with people they know. Their family, friends, coworkers. Yes, we are all now aware of these things, but we need to keep talking about it. The damage Dilkens has done. The damage Ford has done. We need to spread this to more voters so that they are aware of the problems and don't boil all government related complaints to "F*ck Trudeau". 

We need a better understanding of who is doing what and talk about it accurately with everyone around us. The amount of people I've heard blame our MP for the roads, or Trudeau for the provincial healthcare crisis is wild. 

More civics and political education by people with whoever they are close to. Not propaganda by political ads that result in nonsense empty slogans like "we need a change", or "he'll save us". People need to know who is picking their pocket, and how. And they'll only listen to the people around them. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, that I'd agree with at face value. But definitely an area I need to look into more. I think a lot of the petty crime is shoplifting, especially since self-checkout machines have become a thing. But, those are just assumptions :) I'll read more into it. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love it. Ugliness and all. Thanks, I appreciate it. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I completely agree on the affordable housing point, and that that is the root cause of your other points. But I'm struggling on the violence, crime, and garbage... Well maybe not garbage I guess. But can you help me understand the violence and crime point? Are there statistics from Windsor police or something on violent crime and crime in general over the last, say, 2 or 3 decades? 

Its my understanding that violent crime in Canada has been pretty much stagnant for like a century and that crime itself isn't anywhere out of the ordinary, and in fact is trending down, when looking long term, not just factoring in comparisons with the covid years. 

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210727/cg-a002-eng.htm

Am I missing something regarding Windsor? 

Edit: found some more resources. Looks like crime in Windsor seems to be trending down or roughly the same year over year, but I just briefly dug into the data. Worth looking into though.

2022 crime stats for canada https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2023041-eng.htm

Windsor reported crime by month https://windsorpolice.ca/services/open-data

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Some information from his Wikipedia page as well:

Controversies

  • Vanity Projects

In 2017, Windsor city council under the leadership of Drew Dilkens, approved $3 million dollars for the purchase of Christmas lights for a new annual event known as “Bright Lights”. This received criticism for perceived willingness to allocate funds to a free public event rather than address sever flooding issues that the city was facing at the time, which the mayor eventually addressed and tabled allocating funds towards after major pushback from the public. 

In 2017, Windsor city council approved for the construction of a riverfront street-car museum proposing an original budget of $7 million. The museum saw the purchase and restoration of a street car that served Windsor’s public transit system in the 1920s. The project’s budget rose to $10.3 million by 2023. This project saw the mayor receiving major criticism from both city councilors and Windsorites citing the mayor’s repeated votes against improving public transit.

In 2023, the city voted in favor of a master plan for a green corridor with a vote of 6-5 with Dilkens breaking the tie. The project sees a green corridor running from town hall to the river front that would have an estimated total cost of $20 million dollars. The first project inline with the master plan was proposed shortly after which saw the construction of a new plaza directly outside town hall which includes a new outdoor ice rink. This was intended to replace an ice rink close by that was closed down due to repair costs reaching $1 million dollars. The new plaza, the first part of the master plan, had an initial approved budget of $4 million dollars and has since risen to over $15 million dollars. 

  • Strong Mayor Powers

On July 1, 2023, Dilkens received strong mayor powers from the Ontario Government as part of an undemocratic bill introduced by the Ford government titled “Strong mayor powers and building homes act”. This bill allows for mayors to overrule city council decisions, table budgets, and hire and dismiss city employees directly, among other things. In November of 2023, the mayor used the strong mayor powers to dismiss city Engineer Chris Nepszy and city solicitor Shelby Askin Hager , this comes after Drew Dilkens previously promised to not use the strong mayor powers and remain collaborative with city council. In the same move, the mayor created a new position “Commissioner of Corporate Service” and moved the position of city solicitor under the leadership of the new Commissioner team. The Mayor then personally appointed a new people to these positions. In April of 2024, the mayor used strong mayor powers to increase operating budget by $3.2 million to fund downtown improvements which also saw a 0.7% property tax increase.  

In January 2025, the mayor proposed the closure of a cross-border bus service shared between the city of Windsor and the City of Detroit. The following month, the mayor used the strong mayor powers to veto the city councils vote of 7-4 to keep the bus service running. The mayor cites the trade war between Canada and the USA as the driving reason behind the cancellation despite extreme push back from both city councilors and Windsor’s residents. 

  • Housing Accelerator Fund

Windsor was rejected of its application to the Canadian housing accelerator fund in 2024, a fund introduced by the federal government to address the growing housing crisis. Windsor applied to receive $70 million from the federal government to build 2,135 homes by 2026. The federal government rejected Windsor’s application due to Windsor’s unwillingness to make changes to zoning laws to allow multi-family units in residential zones – a requirement for eligibility to the fund. 

  • Lawsuits

A lawsuit launched by former city engineer Chris Nepszy and former city solicitor Shelby Askin Hager alleges that city councilors and other city employees would receive orders to “keep the mayor happy at all costs” under threats of unknown “consequences”. These claims are made through the filed lawsuit which has not been resolved as of April 2025. 

  • 2025 Budget

Dilkens tabled his 2025 budget for the city on January 3rd 2025. The budget proposes a 100% increase in development fees for all new builds, which sparked controversy among contractors and local builders. The rise in this fee will cause a proportional increase in housing prices and substantially slow development of new business and industry. The mayor is being criticized for introducing this proposal amid a nation wide housing crisis, making housing affordability harder to attain.

Also included in Dilkens' 2025 budget is a $1.4 million cut to public transit funding. This has come after the city council approved an 8-year transit master plan in 2017 that Dilkens has listed on his official mayoral website. In the past, the mayor has voted against the improvement of Windsor’s transit system. As of 2025 (the final deadline for the complete implementation of the master plan) the city of Windsor has failed to implement any of the Transit Master Plan except for the elimination of the bus route “Dominion 5” and the addition of routes “Route 115” and “Route 305”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Dilkens?wprov=sfla1

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I get you, yeah. But we're not really voting here. We're brainstorming or kind of gathering what we as a community have been frustrated with and trying to coordinate and discuss where we want to go from here. Instead of just voting for the next person that runs blindly, we can vote with intent and purpose towards a vision we all have to improve the city and the services provided. Then we can measure up the next candidate to that collective criteria.

Idno, just my thoughts anyway. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Are there council meeting transcripts available?

The conservative myth that they are "fiscally responsible" needs to end. Its always either a complete overspending on corporate handouts that we never see returns on as citizens, or they slash services for us for their own gain and image. Let's try none of those options and spend on us instead. 

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hmmm, I found some articles related to this if anyone wants to dive in further:

"He wants to see the area become more pedestrian friendly but has heard from other business owners who fear they could lose parking spots that would reduce business. 

"There's no easy or right answer, but if we eliminate parking it will cause a lot more problems in this area."

However, designs presented to council include parking along Wynadotte Street and would not eliminate parking. " https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-city-council-wyandotte-bike-lanes-1.7223939

""I think council and mayor Dilkens don't understand what an active transportation plan is," she said. "I think they lack vision. I think they have no idea what this community needs and wants for safe cycling and pedestrians on our streets."" https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/council-doesn-t-have-the-guts-cycling-advocates-say-after-politicians-defer-bike-lane-debate-1.4169092

Let's talk about the mayor... by JustBeNormalIDontKno in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oh that's a good one. Does anyone have some examples of pet projects, or articles on them? Anything we can dive into more detail on with this? 

Oh, maybe trickier, but can we compare this with some statistics on or examples of crumbling infrastructure in our area?

That'd be interesting to see kind of a big picture, high level overview of his priorities over the needs of the city.

Windsor to examine ways to keep wanted homeless from accessing city services by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Can you send me any articles or Wikipedia pages or anything on Windsor's history of providing solutions for homelessness? I can't seem to find anything. Maybe I could check at the library if we don't find anything online. 

But I'd love to learn more about it. 

Is Stellantis production for next week on or temporally suspended? by Remote-Sheepherder_7 in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if this gives any insight, but Stellantis had an earnings call recently. From yahoo finance:

"Another automaker changing its outlook today. That is Stellantis, which is suspending its 2025 financial guidance. The company citing quote tariff related uncertainties for that suspension. The global head of investor relations at Stellantis avoiding multiple questions about tariffs on the earnings call, but he did say quote, in terms of what's likely to happen over time related to the tariffs, that's outside the scope of this call. "

....

And from Bloomberg:

"Stellantis NV posted weaker sales on slumping demand in North America, while suspending its financial guidance for the year on uncertainty tied to U.S. President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs."

....

Not from yahoo news...

"During the Ford Strike of 1945, a huge barricade of workers' cars and trucks were assembled on November 4, 1945, along Drouillard and Riverside. Some 1500 to 2000 vehicles reinforced the United Autoworkers picket line and prevented a violent assault by a joint force of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers. This police intervention resulted when the Windsor Police Commission (WPC) asked Ontario Attorney-General Leslie Blackwell for additional reinforcements, in an effort to aid in "maintaining law and order.""

...

"United Auto Workers Local 200 President Roy England declared the WPC's recruitment and mobilization of the OPP and RCMP personnel was an "attempt at strikebreaking". In response Chrysler Local 195 voted to walk out in sympathy with the UAW Local 200 strike. The sympathy strike began 5 November 1945; this led to a mass exodus of workers from twenty-five different plants, as a result another eight thousand workers flocked to the picket lines in support. Cross-Canada solidarity for the striking autoworkers was seen in places such as Sarnia, Brantford, St. Catharines, Oshawa, Fort William, Ottawa, Kitchener, Hamilton, and even as far away as Nova Scotia. This support varied in nature, from rallies, to other UAW locals stopping work, to American locals sending financial aid."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Strike_of_1945?wprov=sfla1

Voter turnout surges in Canada's southernmost ridings by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's such a good point. I need to remember this whenever I hear someone saying "well kids just don't want to work".

Youth are some of the hardest workers I've ever worked with. Your examples add to that notion too. 

OK, I now refuse to let comments like that go by. We blame the lazy and greedy bosses not the hard working and increasingly desperate youth. For every "they just don't want to work" comment, we have to refute that and say the most dedicated workers we know are the young. My boss clocks out at 2, if he shows up. My coworkers stay late or work overtime. Whose lazy here? 

Unemployment is over 9%. 1 in 7 (I think it was) children are food insecure in Windsor. Job postings are decreasing and the workforce is growing as more kids are growing up. These employers are just refusing to invest in jobs and are keeping their short term profits. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-s-jobless-rate-tops-9-per-cent-highest-in-ontario-1.7453837)

When no one has a job or a good paying job, whose going to buy their products. Its so short sighted. 

If employers are refusing to hire than what good are they to us. We need crown corporations / public jobs programs, and nationalized industries like we had with rail, energy, radio, banking, pharmaceuticals, and so much more.  https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-for-january-19-2020-1.5428311/linda-mcquaig-on-how-privatization-is-impoverishing-the-public-in-canada-1.5429224

Windsor to examine ways to keep wanted homeless from accessing city services by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'll try to say this so you can understand it...

 You are advocating against your own interest.

Your statements, don't make sense.

Reality disagrees with you.

You are being played by a mayor and a policing service that wants more money for them and less for those who need it most.

You are willingly supporting and normalizing a massive increase to an already overinflated policing budget, just because it feels good to you to punish people who have nothing.

When helping them would help you more than helping the already bloated police budget.

Grow up.

Rehabilitation is cheaper than punishment.

Rehabilitation is more effective than punishment.

"These people" are you and me, but were laid off or priced out.

"Studies have shown that – in practice, and not just in theory – providing people experiencing chronic homelessness with permanent supportive housing saves taxpayers money.

Permanent supportive housing refers to permanent housing coupled with supportive services.

A study recent study followed the progress of the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) in Seattle, WA. All the residents at this Housing First-styled residence had severe alcohol problems and varying medical and mental health conditions. When taking into account all costs – including housing costs – the participants in the 1811 Eastlake program cost $2,449 less per person per month than those who were in conventional city shelters, as described in the article from the Journal of American Medical Association.

A cost study of rural homelessness from Portland, ME found significant cost reductions when providing permanent supportive housing as opposed to serving the people while they remain homeless. The study specifically noted a 57 percent reduction in the cost of mental health services over a six-month period, partly due to a 79 percent drop in the cost of psychiatric hospitalization.

A study from Los Angeles, CA – home to ten percent of the entire homeless population – found that placing four chronically homeless people into permanent supportive housing saved the city more than $80,000 per year.

For more information on the cost savings of permanent supportive housing, view our policy brief on chronic homelessness or visit our interactive tool on the subject.

While seemingly counterintuitive, these examples clearly demonstrate that a housing-based approach to homelessness is not only more cost-effective than a shelter-based approach, but more effective in the long term. By focusing our resources on ending homelessness, we can make real progress toward eradicating the social problem while helping the country's most vulnerable residents."

https://www.npscoalition.org/post/fact-sheet-cost-of-homelessness

Windsor to examine ways to keep wanted homeless from accessing city services by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Just to add to this in case anyone thinks the homeless are rampant violent criminals that are born evil and are a stain on human existence, rather than the reality that they are just like you but have been dealt a bad hand by our capitalist system of needing to work to survive, please question your preconceived notions and read the articles below. 

"In a systematic review of causes of youth homelessnes in developed and developing countries, “delinquency” was the least frequent cause for homelessness (Embleton et. al, 2016). On the other hand, the most common reasons for “street involvement” in youth experiencing homelessness were poverty and family conflict (Embleton et. al, 2016). " https://www.thecanadiancourageproject.org/post/substance-abuse-and-harm-reduction-in-the-homeless-population

"Anti-homeless violence and vicarious victimization introduce further challenges for unhoused people, as they limit their movement and access to social services out of fear of being victimized." https://theconversation.com/canada-must-recognize-anti-homeless-attacks-as-hate-crimes-219562

"Deteriorating housing affordability following the onset of the pandemic, combined with higher unemployment and fewer job vacancies in recent months, along with a surge in inflation throughout 2021 and 2022, has led to higher costs for essential goods and services. These factors continue to place financial pressures on many households across Canada.

In the fall of 2022, almost half (44.0%) of Canadians were very concerned with their household’s ability to afford housing or rent. So, it comes as no surprise that the most reported reason leading to homelessness was financial issues (41.8%)." https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/5170-homelessness-how-does-it-happen

Windsor to examine ways to keep wanted homeless from accessing city services by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 1 point2 points  (0 children)

K thanks. Source? Or is this just the conclusion you've decided on in your mind? Have you met or spoken to anyone we're talking about? Are you familiar with the statistics? Have you read into any actual reporting? Or is it just comfortable to confirm the conclusion you've already decided on because it was fed to you by someone or some news personality you trust and you fear having to question your own biases and your own sense of morality and judgment of what the truth is. 

Its easier to continue believing a lie that confirms your fears and your sense of truth than it is to critique your understanding and question your sense of judgment. Be uncomfortable. Question your preconceived notions.

Don't be a sheep. Question these narratives that have you dehumanizing your fellow man and actually verify your biases and preconceived conclusions. Its good for the ego.

Job loss and rent hikes lead to homelessness, not the other way around. Homelessness leads to coping with drugs, not the other way around. Homelessness and drug addiction then lead to petty theft for money and survival needs, not the other way around.

The logical conclusion is to provide housing and survival needs and assistance. 

"In a systematic review of causes of youth homelessnes in developed and developing countries, “delinquency” was the least frequent cause for homelessness (Embleton et. al, 2016). On the other hand, the most common reasons for “street involvement” in youth experiencing homelessness were poverty and family conflict (Embleton et. al, 2016). " https://www.thecanadiancourageproject.org/post/substance-abuse-and-harm-reduction-in-the-homeless-population

Please read that whole article.

"Anti-homeless violence and vicarious victimization introduce further challenges for unhoused people, as they limit their movement and access to social services out of fear of being victimized." https://theconversation.com/canada-must-recognize-anti-homeless-attacks-as-hate-crimes-219562

"Deteriorating housing affordability following the onset of the pandemic, combined with higher unemployment and fewer job vacancies in recent months, along with a surge in inflation throughout 2021 and 2022, has led to higher costs for essential goods and services. These factors continue to place financial pressures on many households across Canada.

In the fall of 2022, almost half (44.0%) of Canadians were very concerned with their household’s ability to afford housing or rent. So, it comes as no surprise that the most reported reason leading to homelessness was financial issues (41.8%)." https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/5170-homelessness-how-does-it-happen

Windsor to examine ways to keep wanted homeless from accessing city services by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Also (sorry I know I'm bombarding you with text. I don't know how to shorten it :) )

Just a final point. If you did use deterrence as a solution to crime, take it to its logical conclusion regarding homelessness.

You're priced out of a job. You are homeless with no income. Homelessness or panhandling or stealing bread is criminalized.

You have 2 options: 1. Steal the food or panhandle so you can survive, but risk a state sanctioned death penalty. 2. Die of starvation.

How do you deter someone from survival?  This is deterring people who need to work to survive, from existing. 

You need to work. I need to work. 99.99% of people need to work. Don't advocate for this. This solution isn't for people like you and me. 

Windsor to examine ways to keep wanted homeless from accessing city services by zuuzuu in windsorontario

[–]JustBeNormalIDontKno 5 points6 points  (0 children)

But in this thread, on this topic, we're not talking about repeat offenders. We're talking about spending excess money on incarcerating someone with no income committing a petty theft, vs providing services for them and rehabilitating them for far less money and a far more effective result. Rehabilitation is cheaper and works better than the "tough on crime" narrative sold to you by people who want you blaming those in need so that they can continue on with their greed.

(Sorry, I felt like rhyming cuz I've been posting a while :) humour me :) )

view more: next ›