The rules of hum diplomacy

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 4:33 PM - 0 Comments

Conservative MP Jeff Watson is concerned that the Ontario government is being too aggressive in its pursuit of the Windsor hum.

Watson said the federal government has been pursuing the matter “under the radar” since a 2011 report by Natural Resources Canada, which determined the hum is coming from a one-square-kilometre area in or near industrial Zug Island in River Rouge. He said in contrast to the federal government’s silent course of action the “tone and approach” of three letters sent late last March by provincial Minister of Environment Jim Bradley “have not been necessarily helpful. 

“When you’re dealing in diplomatic relationships you have to be a bit more nuanced and a little more positive and sort of draw partners in. If the tone or tenor is a bit strong or instructive that could put people off,” Watson said Tuesday.

The mysterious hum of Zug Island

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:43 AM - 0 Comments

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has dispatched Bob Dechert to deal with Windsor’s hum.

“The Windsor Hum is having a negative effect on the day-to-day lives of Windsor residents,” said Baird. “We are prepared to collaborate with stakeholders and other levels of government to identify the source of the problem so that potential mitigation measures can be designed and implemented.”

The hum mystery is months old. A telephone town hall meeting about the problem in March drew 22,000 participants. The sound has been traced to Zug Island, but the Michigan town that includes Zug Island says it doesn’t have enough money to investigate. NDP MP Brian Masse took the issue to Washington last month.