Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell
Post Number: 3828 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 3:12 pm: | |
No. 1? In Cuban cigar stores? Nope. In kiddie bars? Nope. In nudie bars? Nope.
quote:A publication called fDi (shorthand for “foreign direct investment”), produced bimonthly by the Financial Times of London, recently released its biannual “Cities of the Future: North America” report. The publication invites cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to compete. Each is judged on economic potential, cost-effectiveness, human resources, quality of life, infrastructure, business-friendliness, and foreign investment promotion. Guess who won? No, it wasn’t Detroit. Would you believe that Windsor/Essex County, our neighbor across the river, came in No. 1 in the small-cities category? Among cities with populations between 100,000 and 500,000, Windsor was ranked tops in North America for foreign investment. The publication designed the competition “to reflect the short-list screening process by which cities compete to win capital investment projects by companies.... Next month, some of you will be heading to Mackinac Island for the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual policy conference. Each year, the most entertaining of the conference sessions involves the “Big Four,” a discussion with the elected leaders of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties and Detroit. Last year, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis was added, making it the “Big Five.” Francis hardly got a word in, though, in part because of the banter between Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and time devoted to recognizing the retirement from elected office of Nancy White, chairwoman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners. This year, I hope Francis is given the opportunity to explain how Windsor has developed its enviable position as a hotbed for foreign investment. Is it all about promotion? Are trade missions, which seem so popular with our regional leadership, the best use of our resources? Which environmental business factor is most important: less punitive taxes, less red tape, better infrastructure, more college graduates?” source Yay Windsor! This from an editorial Christopher Crain, who seems to be carrying on the balanced tone set by his father. [Republicans your red uncle could like.] I agree totally. Let's make our metropolis international at every turn. Our border costs us dearly due to border guards, duties et. al. for which we all pay. |
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13
Post Number: 1577 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 3:23 pm: | |
I love Windsor. The quality of life seems to get better all the time over there. Good for our neighbors across the river. |
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed
Post Number: 668 Registered: 04-2006
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 3:40 pm: | |
I'm very interested in what type of institutions would they market Windsor to (hopefully not automative related). |
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw
Post Number: 2733 Registered: 02-2005
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 3:46 pm: | |
"Windsor was ranked tops in North America for foreign investment." Ummmm, do you know why? Because of Detroit and the SE Michigan population center. Of course there is tons of foreign money spent there. What other small city could take the crown...there are very few other small cities near the border near a large American city. I don't want to rain on your parade, but let me say something I believe, which may only be partially true, and which I'm sure many fellow Detroiters believe. Windsor means nothing to me, and I don't think it should mean much in assessing Detroit's future. However, as the foreign investment numbers show, Detroit is important to Windsor. Windsor has a lot more to gain because of the presence of Detroit. Take away Detroit, or cut its size in half, and Windsor would be totally insignificant, and surely would not win this award for having potential. When I think about the redevelopment of Detroit, I don't ever think about Windsor. Am I in error for having such a tendency? |
Citylover Member Username: Citylover
Post Number: 2274 Registered: 07-2004
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 3:56 pm: | |
Not at all Mackinaw; Windsor is essentially a suburb of Detroit. It really was not until the last 15- 20 yrs or so that Canada got on it's patriotic bandwagon and tried to claim an identity. Canada derive almost everything from the U.S. |
Gistok Member Username: Gistok
Post Number: 4203 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 4:02 pm: | |
OK Lowell, Windsor won the Small Cities category (which Detroit didn't qualify for)... now who won the large cities category?? (over 500,000) Crain's didn't even mention that. So unless there is that competition (or study)... there's no point in comparing Windsor to Detroit, since Detroit wasn't even in the running... |
Upinottawa Member Username: Upinottawa
Post Number: 822 Registered: 09-2005
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 4:38 pm: | |
Chicago was number 1 in the large city category. Toronto was number 2. |
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell
Post Number: 3831 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 5:31 pm: | |
LOL @ Citylover, the suburbanite from Ann Arbor! Pot meet kettle. |
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto
Post Number: 535 Registered: 07-2004
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 6:12 pm: | |
That is interesting. Its funny how in Detroit, Windsor is seen as some great place that is more well run. Talk to people in other parts of Ontario and they don't like Windsor much. Its kinda known for having a decayed downtown and being boring |
Fastcarsfreedom Member Username: Fastcarsfreedom
Post Number: 177 Registered: 11-2005
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 7:07 pm: | |
I'm so sick of every one of these threads turning into a cross-river pissing match. Detroit's great, Windsor's great--leave it at that. Our economies--and I mean, Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois--are interdependent--hear of NAFTA? We function as a single unit--not two--we are dependent on each other. Open your eyes, shut your mouths and drop all this stupid "we're better" business--we're blessed to live here and share the best of each other's cities. |
Llyn Member Username: Llyn
Post Number: 1814 Registered: 06-2004
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 7:25 pm: | |
quote:every one of these threads Did I miss some of the excitement??? |
Goat Member Username: Goat
Post Number: 9370 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 7:40 pm: | |
Miketoronto, that is just the typical T.O. arrogance...go figure. Who is paying for your new 1 mile subway to a university? You guessed right, we are! So go panhandle elsewhere. As for Eddie Francis the mayor...he can go fuck himself too! Nothing but a self serving asshole who, just like the former mayor, is running this city into the ground. Nice foresight this douche of a mayor has for the city. |
Patrick Member Username: Patrick
Post Number: 4274 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 7:47 pm: | |
I love Windsor but I don't like waiting in line for an hour and having to deal with asshole border patrol guys on our side. |
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13
Post Number: 1584 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 7:56 pm: | |
"...that is just the typical T.O. arrogance.." Yeah, I've always heard that other Canadians like to look down their noses at Windsor... but I think it's a great little city. Hey, doesn't Montreal and the rest of Quebec look down its collective nose at Toronto? |
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul
Post Number: 853 Registered: 10-2006
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 8:35 pm: | |
Charlotte, NC was #3 in the mid-size cities... |
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto
Post Number: 536 Registered: 07-2004
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 8:58 pm: | |
I did not say I don't like Windsor. I am just saying what I observe from other people when you mention Windsor outside of the Windsor area |
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed
Post Number: 670 Registered: 04-2006
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 10:04 pm: | |
Toronto sounds like New York... |
Fastcarsfreedom Member Username: Fastcarsfreedom
Post Number: 178 Registered: 11-2005
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 11:11 pm: | |
I grew up about 50 miles from T.O.--it's a great city with a massive case of egocentrism. Everything there is "world-class", whatever that means, and it sometimes seems no one realizes there is life beyond Dixie Road. |
Fastcarsfreedom Member Username: Fastcarsfreedom
Post Number: 179 Registered: 11-2005
| Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 11:13 pm: | |
One other point to add--although I anger easily at people elsewhere in Ontario that look down their noses at Windsor--I will say, people IN Windsor are just as bad or worse--the level of negativity here among people in regard to their own city is a big source of frustration for me. |
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed
Post Number: 671 Registered: 04-2006
| Posted on Friday, April 27, 2007 - 7:42 am: | |
Windsor sounds like Detroit... |
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell
Post Number: 3835 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2007 - 11:57 am: | |
I have heard the snubbing of Windsor by other Canadians, particularly Torontonians, and never 'got it'. For starters, Windsor is part of a larger metropolitan area than Toronto with a longer, deeper history, culture, superior art collections, better sports teams and more. This is not meant as a put down of Toronto, a great and fun city, just the unreasonable attitudes of a few. By itself Windsor has many attractive assets, a great riverfront walkway with sculpture parks, the best skyline view in the metro, a downtown with interesting shops and restaurants, Walkerville, Sandwich, the Italian district, the university district and even the rough and tumble Ford City area are fascinating with a lot of character. Best of all it is next to and a part of the Detroit metropolitan family of communities. Sorry Toronto. |
Wfw Member Username: Wfw
Post Number: 220 Registered: 03-2004
| Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2007 - 8:40 pm: | |
Interesting...I'm not sure how Windsor claimed the number one spot. Frankly, I find it baffling. In any event, I'm sick of Windsor bashing by other Ontarians. I spent the first 27 years of my life in Windsor and have been living in Toronto for the past 3. Comparing the two cities is like comparing apples and oranges, but I must say that Windsor's bad rap is largely undeserved. Admittedly, it can be a pretty boring place if you're under 19, since most of the city's attractions (gambling, bars, strippers) don't cater to kids or teenagers. But having said that, it was also a reasonably safe place to grow up, and still retains a small-town feel for a city its size. It can't compare to Toronto in terms of activities, excitement or ambiance, but it has a gritty charm that outsiders just don't seem to understand. It's the kind of place where you have to make your own fun, but if you're good at doing that you can have a great time. I was, and did. |
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy
Post Number: 5080 Registered: 11-2004
| Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2007 - 1:01 am: | |
I love Windsor! I'm really surprised at times that Detroit tourism doesn't work harder with them to promote this area. All of the out of town guests that I know love the fact that "it's just over there". It's almost a suburb of Detroit and yet it's not like Royal Oak, Livonia, Pontiac or any of the American suburbs. Personally I dig the fact that Windsor has its own unique vibe and we're so close to it. Besides it has some of the best Chinese & Italian food around. |
Realitycheck Member Username: Realitycheck
Post Number: 420 Registered: 08-2004
| Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2007 - 9:00 am: | |
Fury13 says: quote:Good for our neighbors across the river. . . . or neighbours, as they say.
|
Goat Member Username: Goat
Post Number: 9372 Registered: 10-2003
| Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2007 - 9:32 am: | |
Fury13, Quebecers look down their nose at everyone. Wfw, wonderful post and spot on! The one big issue I have is that there is very little to do here that is family or youth oriented (we can thank the mayor and his stupidity for that. When is he going to address the quality of life issues for the residents? Instead he slashed the parks budget from $10 M - $2 M!). Finding Windsor to be #1, I believe somebody was payed to write that. However, Windsor for all it's warts is still my city and I will always defend it. |
Upinottawa Member Username: Upinottawa
Post Number: 826 Registered: 09-2005
| Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2007 - 4:02 pm: | |
Exactly, Goat. And that is why those of us from the Canadian side understand why Detroiters feel so strongly towards their city! |