An artist’s rendering of the proposed Canadian Motor Speedway complex. Graphic: Special to Bullet News
The following is a letter sent by four members of Fort Erie Town to the principals of the Canadian Motor Speedway project, reaffirming their support. The letter is published here at the request of the signatories.
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As members of Council, we were very pleased that the original appeal to the OMB was decided in favour of the Canadian Motor Speedway and the Town of Fort Erie.
Additionally, we are confident that the current appeal of that decision will be dismissed, giving the green light for you to proceed with this important project for Fort Erie.
We have unanimously supported the CMS at every vote that has come before us, with the vast majority of the residents of Fort Erie expressing their support for the speedway.
We have also spoken very positively about your project publicly on many occasions.
The CMS is a major opportunity that will benefit both Fort Erie, and the Niagara Region, and we look forward to seeing this significant project come to fruition.
Recently, there has been considerable press surrounding comments made by the General Manager of the Fort Erie EDTC during a budget presentation to Council.
We want to assure you that this distorted press is not a reflection of our commitment to the CMS.
As a result, we feel it is important to take this opportunity to once again confirm our unwavering support for your project.
We invite you to contact us at any time should you feel the need for our assistance with moving this important economic initiative forward is required.
Sincerely,
Bob Steckley
Councillor Ward 3
John Hill
Councillor Ward 4
Don Lubberts
Councillor Ward 5
Paul Collard
Councillor Ward 6
3 Comments on "OPEN LETTER: Fort Erie councillors reaffirm support for Canadian Motor Speedway project"
Wow. I think these guys look like they are running for election. Did the EDTC manager mention their names in his speech ? I don’t think so. Guilty conscience for sure.
This is very odd. Is this letter telling us that four members of council are trying to break free of the other three? Should citizens infer that the other members of council, by their absence in this letter, are not in support of the CMS?
“We have unanimously supported the CMS at every vote that has come before us” Who are the we? It would be nice to think that the “we” are all council but I think what these four are trying to say is that the collective “we”, are them. They are also the collective we on every negative issue affecting this town. Do we need to go through the actions of the “we”: Heather Salter, Bay Beach, CAO job..feel free to add to the list.
Mohamed Ali delivered the shortest poem on record, ME WE. Meaning “I” am part of the bigger community (we). These Councillors have tried to top that by creating the poem WE WE. Meaning we represent the four of us and nobody else.
Four of seven is not unanimous. Four who forge their own despite the will of the public are not representative. The consistent short-sightedness of our council has resulted in a biking destination without a single bike lane (or even a designated shared lane) despite repeated and even recent redesign of business center infrastructure, and industry based on following the latest trends like Twitter junkies. They blame the population for having a hard time getting to work, but with no bike lanes, few sidewalks and very poor public transit the people of Fort Erie are not to blame except during the polls. We can maybe hope for a little while longer that we are not left with a large parcel of asphalt and concrete that no one will ever be able to afford to clean up and redevelop when the inevitable misfit is revealed. When will the “Four Fathers” of Fort Erie recognize the stench from the pile of old band-aids they’ve been heaping upon us? The spin in the media lately has concentrated on accolades of those working toward bringing in CMS. Short-sighted schemes bringing in short-sighted ventures that have capitalized on government grant money is precisely the welfare attitude that our “Four Fathers” accuse the citizenry of yet it is the means of their short-lived accolades. In my opinion, you don’t get credit unless you succeed. Success is a long term thing. You don’t deserve credit for bringing in failing business. All the empty buildings and spaces in Fort Erie are the accolades of its Council. Left with no choice, all remaining spaces will be vacated to move to the CMS. Bridgeburg will be finally destroyed, and the very poorly conceived Garrison Road strip will also quickly wither and be rendered vacant. Should the CMS fail, not only will we be left with a huge eyesore too costly to clean up, but all the businesses and professions that found themselves forced to abide there will not return to their former failing places in Fort Erie. They will leave. Next, what’s left of the able workforce will leave. Fort Erie will become a town of walled subdivisions for foreigners. The walls are to keep what’s left of us out, kind of like the closed Council meetings that lay this path before us. I’m all for progress, but a giant machine spewing noise, lead and other toxins into a community that is already a regional hot-spot for cancer and tumors just doesn’t seem like the way to go. Furthermore, how many years can the CMS survive while it waits for a series that would attract visitors? Haven’t we already been facing this challenge with the Fort Erie Race Track? History seems to indicate little chance of success, but who knows our history and our future better than our “Four Fathers”? At least, they think so…