The Bacon Man's last request
The next municipal election is not until October 2026 but that isn't stopping Ernie 'the Bacon Man' Lamont from making a campaign pitch.
"I'm the guy that's willing to go the nine yards," said Lamont to CTV New while sitting in his bed at Hospice Windsor.
The long-time entrepreneur is recognized for his active presence in local politics. He ran for Windsor’s top job five times.
"How many times do we say if you're going to complain put your name on the ballot? And he did put his name on the ballot and he shared those ideas," said current Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
Lamont and Dilkens are known to battle it out on the city council floor.
"If we don't agree on anything else, we agree on the fact that we want our city to be better. We want it to succeed. And I wanted to recognize his contribution and his dialogue throughout the years and go visit him in his final days,” Dilkens adds.
Photos placed in Ernie ‘the Bacon Man’ Lamont’s room in hospice care in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (Stefanie Masotti/CTV News Windsor)
Lamont was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Doctors tell him he has one to three months to live.
He says has one final request. To be transported, on a stretcher, to Windsor City Hall to make one last pitch.
"To bring a second casino across from the new mega hospital. It would create 10,000 jobs year round,” said Lamont. He suggests an aquarium, convention center and indoor amusement park be attached.
As his time nears, some still question how the Bacon Man got his name.
“I was working at Ford selling bacon and cheese. And then my foreman said what do you sell the most? I said bacon. He said ‘why don't you call yourself the bacon man?’ And that was that," Lamont explains.
He hopes residents of Windsor will remember him fondly for years and decades to come.
"I always had your box,” he said. “I always went to city all with the right motivation to make sure that I was doing the right thing."
Photos placed in Ernie ‘the Bacon Man’ Lamont’s room in hospice care in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023. (Stefanie Masotti/CTV News Windsor)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he does not regret calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko,' and now his MPs are renewing calls for the House of Commons Speaker to resign, this time over ordering the Official Opposition leader to leave the chamber.
Is it cold, flu or norovirus? Symptoms explained
The highly contagious norovirus is spreading across Canada, with some symptoms overlapping with other viruses. CTVNews.ca spoke with a health expert to find out how you can tell you have norovirus, the most common form of stomach flu, and what to do if you have it.
Doctors dealing with at least 160 Canadians suffering eye damage possibly linked to looking at the eclipse
Nearly a month after the total solar eclipse, at least 160 cases of eye damage have been reported across the country.
Ontario's police watchdog continues probe of high-speed pursuit involving fatal crash
The investigation continues into a collision that killed two grandparents and their infant grandchild during a high-speed police chase on the wrong way of Highway 401 east of Toronto.
Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship
A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a U.S. couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.
Blair says he couldn't sell cabinet on meeting 'magical threshold' of NATO target
Defence Minister Bill Blair says he couldn't convince the Liberal cabinet that Canada's government needed to meet NATO's spending target in its recent defence policy update.
London Drugs expected to give update on store status following 'cybersecurity incident'
Days after dozens of London Drugs locations closed due to a 'cybersecurity incident,' a spokesperson for the company says an update on the stores' status is expected Wednesday morning.
No criminal charges after 4 newborn bodies found in Boston freezer
A prosecutor in Massachusetts won't seek criminal charges against anyone, two years after four newborns were found in a freezer in a South Boston apartment.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.