Spoiler Alert: admin is already making plans for Open Air 2025 and the committee, thanks to cheerleader Councillor Crain, carried a motion that it continue as is into 2026. Crain did co-author the THRIVE White Paper on Open Air. Jack Edwards suggested hair stylists cut and style hair outdoors and dismissed complainers as a ‘small group of people that have been naysayers since the get go’ and vitriol. I was appalled that Edwards used the offensive and outdated ‘handicap’ and Alan Buterbaugh used ‘people that have handicapped needs. It appears there is a limited knowledge of barriers to accessibility: converted accessible parking will address the issue.

After deciding the next committee meeting would be held on January 16, 2025, the dumpster fire started. Cheerleaders Edwards and Crain gushed over the admin report, or as Edwards called it, ‘absolutely magnificent’ while Crain thanked staff and called it ‘exceptional.’ I’ll never understand why so many kudos are warranted for people doing their jobs.

Admin’s recommendation was for the committee to receive the Report Back on Open Air Business Open House for information but Edwards said this huge report, which he thought was excellent, also thought they were going to talk about it.

Deputy CAO Melissa Osborne answered, without going through the chair, that’s her understanding; if there are any questions of administration on it, or comments or recommendations for council, that this is the opportunity.

Edwards; unofficial transcript: I’m absolutely amazed that the amount of time and effort is being spent on this Open Air, and it’s gone to council a couple times, had been a divided vote, and the mayor had to split the vote. It seems such and from the report, and by the way, Jennifer, I assume that majority of this work is yours, and it’s just absolutely magnificent report and all the effort and the work has gone into this, and we will now have another vote of council whether we go ahead with it. I can’t fathom why anybody would be against open air. It has been so successful wherever it’s been tried around the world, and it’s successful for Amherstburg and the comments by all the people that answer the survey, all the percentages are so high, everybody’s in favour. And I know there’s a beautiful stylist down there, and I assume she’s the one that wrote three pages of comments in your report, and if she can’t figure a way to make her business viable during open house, and I was thinking of her as I said, all she has to do is do what everybody else move a chair outside, cut hair, style hair outside. Give a 25% coupon when you can’t park next door. The complaints in the report were so and you were at the meeting at the little cafe, you must have seen the vitriol list. Is that a word, the vitriol accent of the people that were there, but to me as the representatives on economic development and to me as our councillors and to me as the administration, it is a no brainer. It’s got to go forward. It’s good for this town. It’s good for the county. And thinking of this report, I thought, what an opportunity we have. The Valente, I knew Remo in Windsor a long time ago. They are a good family business, and now they own the high school. Look at that beautiful piece of property, that (unintelligible) onto open air. What you can do with all that green area to have something magnificent. It just doesn’t make any sense that we you have to go through 50, 60 pages of discussion in order to again bring it up at the Council where Councillor Crain, Councillor Pouget  and the other five will have to vote on this.

Osborne clarified that this report is merely the information back from the business survey as well as Open Air itself. At this particular time, the motion that has been put forward and approved by Council and is built in our base budget, is the 14 week, Friday to Sunday, Open Air, which, unless there is new direction from Council by way of a motion, at this point Open Air will proceed in 2025 as defined in the base budget and as defined as the last motion back in March so that doesn’t change unless Council makes a motion to make that change.

There was some back and forth about the motion and council’s direction between Osborne and Edwards.

Councillor Pouget commented; unofficial transcript: I can tell you without a doubt, with everything that’s going on in Council this is probably one of the most controversial issues there is because without a doubt, I get so many complaints about Open Air, numerous, numerous complaints, not only because we’re paying significant amount of money and tax dollars for it. But also many, many businesses, in fact, if you look at this, the survey, 70% of the businesses say they don’t want Open Air. And the motion that I think we’re referring to was the motion that was made March 25, 2024 that at the end of Open Air events in September, administration, business and council, if they so wish, participate in a meeting together to discuss the footprint, frequency, benefits and improvements for Open Air for all businesses within and outside the footprint up to 500 meters. But the motion of March 25 was supposed to be within and outside the 500 meter footprint. But the business survey actually says, and this is on page 2 of 13, the direction from council was to survey all businesses within the open air footprint. It doesn’t say within and outside. So many of the businesses from outside of the Open Air footprint didn’t receive an official invitation, so therefore they weren’t present at that meeting and they weren’t aware of the survey,

Simone called on admin to clarify and Pouget continued; unofficial transcript: But as I said, many of the businesses that wanted to participate that were outside that 500 meters, they weren’t allowed to participate yet they pay taxes for this and when we talk about the barber shop, she closes on Saturday because she can’t get her clients there and for hairdressing, as we know, Saturday is a day for weddings, and these people are dropped off. They want their veils put in, and they have to park two or three blocks away. They can’t get to their hairdressing shops. And people with accessibility issues, you have no idea how many phone calls and complaints I received because loved ones that take care of people with accessibility issues, they work and they can’t get to the bank until after hours, and by three o’clock on Friday afternoon, the streets are closed so they can’t get to the bank, and they can’t very well just drop off their loved ones and say, make it to the bank yourselves, or they can’t take part of services. They wanted to attend the music in the parks. They can’t even get close to it. They have to park at least five to six blocks away. So it’s accessibility issues. We put barriers in place. So there’s just so many issues to deal with this and 14 weeks if you received how many emails I received that show that the place is absolutely bare. Nobody’s there, and yet those streets are closed.

Crain; unofficial transcript: I have to say thank you to staff. This report is exceptional, and I agree with what Jack had mentioned. The report speaks to the economic impact and the over 104,000 attendees that took place in 2024. I voiced this at Council several times. We continue to poke at open air and try to, in some cases, shorten the timelines, lower the cost and shorten the event. But really, we should be looking at, how can we enhance this to make it even better, because we see the economic drivers and the activity it’s bringing in and the spending that’s taking place in town. So I fully support the report I would like to make a motion. I think it’s important that this committee speaks loud and clear to council, so that we do not continue to have surveys that yield the same results. And in my opinion, sometimes can waste staff time, if we’re asking the same questions every single year and really it’s the same result. So I would like to make a motion that the Economic Development Committee endorses the report and recommends that Council supports the continuation of Open Air. If I can get a seconder. 

Edwards responded to Pouget; unofficial transcript: I’d like to add comments to what Councillor Pouget had to say. I agree, because I’m one of the people that use handicap; there are ways about it, and I think having the high school part will help. The people have to do something that our administration will be doing something to answer the questions of the few. And they are few that are getting a hold of you are doing all of the complaining about it. It’s the majority that elect you people, and it’s the majority that we’re thinking about tonight, and the majority want this, and the people of Essex County want this, and I 100% support the motion. Oh, by the way, one other question to that we could take all of those parking spots that border on Navy Yard Park and make them all handicapped. You have access to them, and you can solve the problems of the majority. And I’m in that majority that has a problem getting downtown. The majority has to rule on this.

Michael Deneau supported Edwards; unofficial transcript: it was perfect Jack. As someone who had, I’ve had an opportunity to go down there several times during the summer, probably over 10 and what I had witnessed is a lot of density. In regards to people walking the streets, people going into shops, lineups. There was significant density. The atmosphere was wonderful. It was something that seemed to catch on even beyond the borders of Amherstburg to Jack’s point. There are things that can be done to go and satisfy accessibility, and those are techniques to be considered, and certainly things that could be overcome, but I would say that it would be a complete shame for us not to take full advantage of that environment, full advantage of all the shops, stores, and it’s like, like we said, it’s the majority that I believe are truly behind the initiative. And this is an initiative that not only Amherstburg carries, but many other communities like us carry. So with that said, I completely support it.

Alan Buterbaugh chimed in; unofficial transcript: So what I find is that this is an amazing treasure that we have for this community. I think it brings a great number of people overall, over the years, looking at the programming and the added programming that’s been coming, it’s got, there’s even more diverse things that people can participate in. And I think things like Rib Fest, when I attended that last year. When you look at the density and number of people that are attending, that it’s just phenomenal. There’s always going to be periods of time at any festival or any kind of event where it’s not going to be as busy as others, but that’s just the way it works, because of a variety of things. But you look at this thing, by and large, 104,000 people going downtown, spending money participating. It’s a phenomenal thing to be able to witness and for families to be able to have that freedom, to be in the streets with their children and not have to worry about cars or other things, kind of moving through the environment. It’s a pretty unique treasure. You know, in terms of the accessibility, my understanding is, I’ll ask staff, that the Navy Yard parking lot, that was my understanding, converted so that during that period of time, that’s all accessible parking just for people that have handicapped needs. And that was one of the accommodations that was made a couple of years back, when it was questioned about losing some of those accessibility spots. Is that fair?

Admin spoke about the conversion and placement of accessible parking at the perimeter, which is of little use to people with hidden mobility disabilities.

Edwards then had another suggestion; set up a table at the Budget Open House with a set of signs asking are you in favour of Open Air? Yes or no, and you would know instead of a small group of people that have been naysayers since the get go. Osborne said it wouldn’t be feasible.

Crain then amended his motion to add that it be the same format that we have now, which is Friday to Sunday, 5 to 8pm and he believes it’s 14 weeks, and that they support the continuation of Open Air for the remaining term of this council. And the reason he believes they should make this amendment is that it avoids having to continue to debate this until 2026.

Councillor Pouget requested a recorded vote.

In favour: Jack Edwards, Crain, Kenneth Morrison, Michael Deneau, Chair Patricia Simone.

Opposed: Pouget.

Motion carried.

The meeting minutes, attached to the November 25 council meeting, state that two motions were made:

1. The report on the Open Air including the Business Survey and Open House BE RECEIVED for information; and
   
2. The Economic Development Advisory Committee RECOMMEND that Council support the continuation of Open Air, in the same format, same times, and same duration, for the remainder of the current term of Council. Motion Carried.

There was no motion to receive the report.

Crain’s motion was:

1. that the Economic Development Committee endorses the report and recommends that Council supports the continuation of Open Air.
2. Then he wanted to amend it to add that it be the same format that we have now, which is Friday to Sunday, 5 to 8pm and I believe it’s 14 weeks, and that we support the continuation of Open Air for the remaining term of this council.

The town’s Terms of Reference for Committees defines an Advisory Committee: ‘Advisory Committee – a committee that provides advice and recommendations to Council as requested on areas within their mandate with no authority for decision making or independent actions. Members are appointed by Council and membership typically includes one member of Council as liaison.’

Councillor Pouget and Councillor Crain are both members of this committee. Actually, this is the only committee Pouget sits on, whereas Crain sits on three.