Jonathon Liedtke – ourWindsor.ca – Jan. 21, 2013
Windsor residents plagued by the notorious “Windsor Hum” may finally be able to rest easy knowing that the federal government has initiated a study to identify its cause.
The “Windsor Hum” has been classified by residents as a recurring vibration and noise that has been disturbing residents for almost two years
On Monday, on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Bob Dechert, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced in Windsor the launch of a new study to identify the source of the hum.
“Our government will continue to work with the people of Windsor and others to hopefully pinpoint the source of the Windsor Hum,” said Dechert. “We want to protect citizens’ quality of life. To get a solution, we first need to find the source. This study is a step in the right direction.”
The government is acting on a recommendation from the International Joint Commission and the study will be conducted jointly by scientists at the University of Windsor and Western University.
The study has been funded at $60,000 for two years, and Dechert explained that while pinpointing a source of the hum could be difficult, the study will investigate all avenues.
“Once there is a determination of a source, it will depend on what that information is as to how we find a solution to it,” commented Dechert, adding, “it may be coming from one particular business location, or it may be coming from several different sources … it may be on the US side of the river, it may be somewhere else. It’s really hard to say today how we would eliminate the noise or the vibration, but first we have to understand where its coming from and what it is.”
Al Maghnieh, Ward 10 City Councilor has spearheaded a public campaign to bring awareness to the hum, and he is both eager and anxious to see the launch of the study.
“Certainly it’s long overdue; a step in the right direction,” commented Maghnieh, adding that he wished to congratulate the community and the people who fought for the issue because “this is their issues, this is their campaign…this is good news for everyone.”
“We’re putting the science aspect into this using some extremely high tech equipment…to establish the source.” stated Maghnieh, “This is something we’ve all been pleading for with the federal government and they’ve come through with the best people to do this job and by getting the best equipment as well.”
While Maghnieh had hoped that the timeline for the study would be less than 10 months, he is anxious to read the report in full when it is released.
$60,000 study launched to investigate “Windsor Hum” (ourwindsor.ca)
Jonathon Liedtke is the Features & Opinion Editor for the University of Windsor Lance Campus/Community Newspaper and a reporter for ourWindsor.ca. As a founding member and current Co-Chair of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee, he is committed to representing, connecting, engaging with and advocating for local youth. He is also a member of Windsor’s “Punk with Horns” band The Nefidovs, and as such, is committed to enhancing and sustaining the arts community.
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