Windsor Hum discussion goes to Washington

A member of Parliament is in Washington to discuss the mysterious hum that plagues residents of Windsor, Ont.

Residents in west and south Windsor and the neighbouring town of LaSalle started complaining about a rumbling and humming noise back in 2011.

It keeps people awake at night, rattles windows and wall hangings and stops people from enjoying their backyards.

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The source of the Windsor Hum, which sounds like an idling train engine or diesel transport truck, has been traced to Zug Island in River Rouge, Mich., directly across from west Windsor, according to a federally funded report released in 2014.

Zug Island is home to several industrial sites, including a U.S. Steel foundry. The Canadian federal report stopped short of identifying the precise source of the noise, only that it comes from the island.

Brian Masse, NDP MP for Windsor West, is in the U.S. capital as vice chair of the Canada/U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group and NDP critic for border services.

'Noise pollution'

Over the course of the weeklong visit, Masse will meet with Congressional representatives and U.S. federal officials to discuss a range of bilateral issues affecting the Canada-U.S. relationship.

Masse plans to discuss the border, the Great Lakes and the Windsor Hum.

Gary Grosse, a Windsor resident who maintains the Windsor/Essex County Hum Facebook page, which has nearly 1,500 members, applauds Masse's efforts.

"I think that's fantastic," Grosse said of Masse's visit. "The first thing I would really suggest to them is that No. 1, noise pollution is just that; it's still pollution. We forget about noise. It's very important that as a trans-boundary issue, we, as two countries, need to focus on these matters. We need to really understand noise pollution is as important as any other matter."

Grosse and others claim the low-frequency rumbling, which is more common at night, causes sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety.

"We get weeks where it's very loud. We don't understand the mechanics of it, we don't understand the physics of it. We definitely need investigation," Grosse said, adding Canada needs to do more to find the source and bring it to a halt.

"I still believe the residents on the U.S. side, in terms of Detroit and River Rouge, I still think they're our key to getting this resolved. Those residents are our key," Grosse said. "On the Canadian side, I don't think we're done over here."