The relationship between the city and county is struggling as shown by the latest frustration from Leamington Mayor John Paterson, this time in regards to the regional physician recruitment program.
"I think relationships are frayed already," says Paterson. "It shouldn't be that way. We should be working together in the region, but it's got to be a two-way street."
Paterson feels the office for the recruitment program should be moved from Windsor to the county now that the city has pulled its funding from the initiative. He also thinks a name change may be a good idea.
"We really picked up the full tab when the City of Windsor pulled its funding. All I'm saying is 'look, let's call it what it is then,'" says Paterson. "It's the Essex County doctor recruitment and retention program."
County councillors decided to renew the lease for the Windsor office until 2018 at $366.56 a month and no decision was made on a name change for the program.
As for repairing strained city-county relations, Paterson doesn't see it being too difficult.
"All that has to happen is the City of Windsor has to come back to the table and start paying their share. It's as simple as that," he says.
Paterson has been critical of the county-city relationship concerning the Windsor-Essex Economic Development Corporation for years, but has also given the group credit in its handling of the Heinz factory departure from the town in 2014.