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Transit Windsor ridership is up but service still ran a deficit - mainly thanks to Tunnel Bus

WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 24 2025

Transit Windsor recorded a $1.9 million deficit last year, $1.4 million owing to federally mandated leave for employees because of the now cancelled Tunnel Bus. Mayor Dilkens cancelled the service this month and council was unable to overrule the "Strong Mayor" power decision. The reason was specifically because of the deficit, owing to a federal decision to allow 10 days sick leave for employees for corporations providing international service. Meanwhile, Transit Windsor's operations were generally healthy with ridership increasing two per cent or just over 184,000 trips, measured by the electronic fare boxes. Preliminary year-end stats show total ridership was almost 9,672,000. The route that saw the biggest increase was the Lauzon 10. A report says this is the result of the "large amount of development that has occurred in the east end of Windsor." Yet the route will be eliminated under the transit master plan and replaced by several local routes "to enhance transit services in that area." The Transway 1C and Crosstown 2 suffered declines "but that is a result of the new east-west Route 418X providing relief for them." Meanwhile two other new routes - the 115 and 305 - "have done very well in terms of ridership in the four months that they have been in operation." The Tunnel Bus saw a decline in regular use as opposed to special events but overall saw a "minor increase." "The weekday boarding per hour for the tunnel bus route specifically continue(d) to be under the minimum target of 10 with it being at 8 for all of 2024."

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City moves ahead on Roseland redevelopment

WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 10 2025

Windsor city council has move ahead with a motion to seek development on the historic Roseland golf course’s present clubhouse and parking lot, over objections of some councillors and many nearby residents. The motion would seek developer interest to both build a new – smaller - clubhouse as well as housing on the property. The course was opened in the 1920s and has long been considered a municipal jewel in the heart of south Windsor. The present clubhouse has no "cultural heritage value" and is vacant, a city report says. In the words of councillor Kieran McKenzie, who has long played the course and supported the motion, it is "falling apart" and would be demolished. Residents and local councillor Fred Francis worried this would set a "bad precedent" for future councils to redevelop the adjacent course itself, which is a designated heritage property, calling it a "slippery slope." The bottom line, he said, is that "the people don’t want this (and) I work for them," to gallery applause. The land has been earmarked as one of several city owned sites where new housing could be built to meet the municipal and provincial housing crisis. But a future development could be mixed use including a clubhouse. Mayor Drew Dilkens said a future development should be "appropriate to scale" and if a "monstrosity” came forward "I would be the first to push the eject button." Neighbourhod residents led by Catherine Archer called the entire Roseland footprint an "integral part of the neighbourhood." She said the city has “allowed it (clubhouse) to deteriorate” for speculation. An earlier proposed 38-unit luxury condo would result in “.0029 of the total quota of 13,000” homes the city seeks to build by 2031. Archer said other lots around the city “would yield a much higher outcome.” In a written post her group Roseland Heritage said, "What happens at Roseland may be able to occur at Willistead (Park) or any other heritage site in the City of Windsor.”

Photo: Google Satellite View

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Mayor, councillor, slam feds on Tunnel Bus

WindsorOntarioNews.com Jan 28 2025

Two leading figures on Windsor City Council took shots at the federal government over the precarious status of the Windsor Tunnel Bus. Council saved the bus by popping the one way fare from $10 to $20 and subsidizing the operating balance of about $800,000 by adding to this year’s municipal tax increase. The service’s predicament arises from the fact the feds extended to 10 the number of sick days employees working for companies doing international business can take. So this means all 300 employees of Transit Windsor – though only about 15-20 are seconded to the bus – are eligible, and indeed have been taking advantage, leaving the service with a $1.5 million deficit. The service until a couple of years ago broke even or even made a slight profit. While councillors debated extensively on how to save the service yesterday during annual budget talks, Mayor Drew Dilkens took the bull by the horns, and said the fault squarely rests with Ottawa. “Before that legislative change we didn’t have this issue,” he said. “We wouldn’t have this discussion today.” And long time Ward 5 councillor Jo Anne Gignac said, “It’s really really rich to see the Member of Parliament (Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor-Tecumseh) newsletter saying Save The Tunnel Bus." With Windsor being the only Canadian city that offers such a service “certainly our Member knew that and could have advocated in terms of a special dispensation,” she said. Both Dilkens and Gignac were two of four councillors who voted against the funding motion. The motion will keep the Tunnel Bus, which connects Windsor and Detroit, alive for at least a year as the city looks for alternative funding sources and “partnerships” – such as with Detroit sports teams, who largely benefit from tunnel bus game day services – to ante up cash. The extra transit money will bump the city’s tax increase this year from a proposed 2.99 per cent to 3.15.

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Awards, awards and yet more awards

Windsor0ntarioNews.com Jan 13 2025

The City of Windsor is considering new Civic Recognition Awards but with conditions. The idea is to “honour hard-working individuals who contribute to our community’s well-being.” A plethora of niche awards already exist locally but these new ones would be for general civic valor. A city staff report, however, recommends there be only six presented annually - two for seniors, two for adults and two for youth. There should also be a “robust nomination and selection process” for those who have contributed through “volunteer work, community service, or exceptional acts of kindness.” There also must be three letters of support and “evaluation” that could include in-person interviews by a selection committee. The awards could be presented at a separate “standalone” ceremony or at existing events like Bright Lights or Open Streets. There would be an accompanying “public awareness” effort to announce recipients and “inspire” future nominees. The city already has three recognition awards such as Mayor’s Arts Awards, Heritage building awards and Keepsakes and commemorative items occasionally given to honour “special achievements.” Other city-wide awards include the Athena Awards, Business Excellence Awards, Windsor Endowment for the Arts awards and grants, Herb Gray Harmony Award and Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County’s Champion Award, Alumni of Distinction Awards from post-secondary educational institutions and Windsor International Film Festival awards. There are also provincial volunteer service awards. Are there "risks?" That an individual had or could “engage in behaviours that do not align with City of Windsor values.” Ward 7 councillor Angelo Marignani proposed the award.

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City master plan renewals slated for high profile Festival Plaza and Sandpoint Beach

WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 25 2024

Windsor City Council is being asked to endorse two major revamps of high profile riverfront sites. At its January 13 meeting council will be asked to first endorse a new downtown Festival Plaza master plan at a cost of $20 million. And it will be asked to approve a master plan for the redevelopment of Sandpoint Beach on Windsor’s far east side, at a price of $15 million. Festival Plaza is home to innumerable concerts and festivals but often seen as a

sterile concrete island with little functionality. The plan – the most expensive of three options – would create a “vibrant and dynamic” space “capable of hosting large-scale events while maintaining versatility for everyday use, with advanced features and amenities that go beyond the essentials,” says a report. Key aspects would be two shade strictures and two water features, a “secondary platform” to host a “variety of events, with the opportunity for an iconic centerpiece, such as a seasonal Christmas tree, creating a memorable focal point for visitors.” There would be “raised swat walls” which would offer a ”buffer” against winter winds transforming the space to year round use. There would also be “four distinct zones” hosting different types of events. The city currently has $12 million in its budget and would seek additional funding. Meanwhile, Sandpoint Beach would be transformed with “enhanced beach facilities, new recreational facilities including an accessible playground and splash pad, an expanded wildlife area, and washroom renovations, alongside significant landscaping and accessibility improvements.” Safety is also a key features in light of several drownings in recent years. Redevelopment would be long term. The city only has $1.5 million earmarked for budget years 2029 and 2030 and "additional capital funding” would have to be sought.

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30 trans persons sought emergency shelter

WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 12 2024

The City of Windsor has taken steps to reduce barriers to emergency shelters for trans individuals. Between Jan. 1, 2022, and Oct. 31, 2024 “there were some 30 self-identified trans individuals who accessed emergency shelters in Windsor-Essex,” a city report says. The city has undertaken steps to “improve training and reduce barriers” in the emergency shelter system. This includes $1400 funding for online training from a BC group including “anti-oppressive de-escalation techniques, improving safety in all gender spaces, substance use awareness, trauma and somatics (how the body is perceived) and behaviour management strategies.” Funding (non-disclosed) has also been provided to the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families to convert a former hotel which opened in June 2023. The city has also provided “in-person training at emergency shelters when needed to augment the shelters’ own training programs.” And it hosts bi-monthly meetings with shelter providers including the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, the Salvation Army Centre of Hope and the Downtown Mission “to discuss all matters impacting the system, including discussions on the needs of different population groups.” And local shelters “have their own internal training programs, which includes content on the needs and barriers facing the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities."

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"Risk" associated with new "green" community

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 19 2024

Critics of the City of Windsor’s plan to expand city boundaries into Sandwich South – including the new regional hospital site – because of sprawl may welcome a report on how the area could become Windsor‘s first “sustainable neighbourhood.” The city paid half the cost of the $292,000 plan study, the rest coming from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The plan’s a “guiding document to shape potential future development” of the zone bordered by County Rd. 42 to the north, Hwy. 401 to the south, 7th Concession to the west and an undefined boundary slightly east of County Rd. 17. Overall, the plan “envisions a sustainable and climate-oriented neighbourhood and aligns with Windsor’s broader climate goals, emphasizing the long-term delivery of green infrastructure, renewable energy, sustainable transportation, environmentally focused urban design and enabling green economic activity.” Among goals are “sustainable travel options,” reduced “carbon impacts” of buildings, and “opportunities to leverage green spaces for biodiversity, community resilience, and climate mitigation and adaptation. There are 92 “actions” altogether though some “may be more likely to succeed than others, and not all can be feasibly completed at once, or even in the near term.” Moreover, there is “risk” the plan may be “unachievable” because of limited municipal, authority and jurisdiction, reliance on third party “contributions,” and “the challenge of balancing differing levels of ambition from community members.”

Image: City of Windsor report

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Mystery westside stacked blocks are manufactured by a Zekelman company

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 5 2024

Just what are those white block containers stacked up in a lot at the corner of Ojibway Pkwy. and Sprucewood Ave. in west Windsor? In the last few months dozens of them have been stacked in an unidentified lot. They’re not traditional metal shipping containers and they aren’t mobile homes. The closest they might come to are construction trailers but there are no windows. However, a logo on the side identifies them as Z Modular products. Z Modular is a Chicago-based firm owned by the Zekelman group of companies, helmed by Windsor native Barry Zekelman. The firm specializes in highly innovative modular construction. In fact, “the only fully integrated self-development company to reinvent the modular building and construction processes,” its website says. (The company did not respond to a comment request, nor did local port, terminal or industry officials.) “Traditional development and construction processes can’t keep up with demand. Our proven off-site manufacturing innovations, combined with the best on-site construction, deliver the optimal solution for multi-family housing. It’s repeatable. It’s scalable. It results in higher-quality properties, faster timelines and less risk.” The company claims 50% faster project completion, 98% greater project “predictability” and up to 90% module completion off-site. “Our modules are made from steel products provided by Zekelman Industries companies, which eliminates potential supply issues and results in stronger, longer-lasting buildings.” Among products are designs for large scale apartment complexes, such as FUZE Woodstock, “an innovative high-end apartment concept.”

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Harper says Windsor "shifting" towards Tories

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 4 2024

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Windsor-Essex is “shifting” towards the Conservatives running up to a federal election over the next year. Harper told a recent local gathering that “in Windsor this whole area we’ve got a real opportunity here, the demographics, the whole political scene is shifting in our direction.” He encouraged attendees to “make sure that Windsor is fully represented” in what is expected to be a “huge majority” Tory government. Harper, who lost to the Liberals in 2015 and immediately resigned as Tory leader, told party faithful - who applauded and whooped shouts in agreement - that the Liberals under Justin Trudeau have made a “terrible mess.” Harper recalled that “unfortunately everything I said would happen ….. has now come to pass,” in a video posted on X. “100 per cent!” someone agrees. Continued Harper, “to be really clear, what the problem is with this government, yes they’re very left wing and I hate their ideology but that is not the point ..… the worst thing about them, is they are not serious people – right? – they don’t take their job seriously (to applause) they don’t read their files, they don’t run the public service, they don’t deliver programs, they don’t try to make the hard decisions you’ve got to make around budgetary …” Harper said he had “absolutely no doubt” that Pierre Poilievre will win the election but warned that the country is in “terrible shape and frankly (it's) going to be worse a year from now.” The election must be held no later than next October though the government could be brought down anytime on a non-confidence vote, as the Tories have begun trying to do. The region is now represented by one Liberal, One NDPer and two Conservative Members of Parliament.

Image: X

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City could spend $100,000 on ward study

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 19 2024

City Council is being asked to spend at least $100,000 on a consultant to study changing ward boundaries as soon as before the 2026 election. The last review took place in 2010 and resulted in 10 wards. The city's ward number has grown - and fluctuated - over the past century as Windsor has grown in population and in area by annexing several surrounding municipalities. In the 1930s the city had five wards. The number increased to eight wards in 1965 but returned to five wards in 1978. But with more people and economic growth – “as well as shifting strategic and community priorities,” says a report – that number may change again. A preliminary review has been undertaken and a more detailed one would be carried out by a private consultant and likely take up to 10 months to prepare. Several stages would be involved including an interim report to City Council. Public consultation would be an “important element” with open houses for discussion and citizen input. “It will also be as important to gain the opinions of council members since it is the council members who are familiar with representation and workload capacity,” the report says. The last boundary review in 2010 was conducted by Robert Williams, a professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo and a municipal voting systems expert. He was also consulted on this review. City elections are held every four years.

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Egg removal, hazing and relocation possible solutions to Windsor's pesky Canada Geese

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 11 2024

The city could finally attempt to deal with the perennial problem of excessive and annoying Canada Geese. A staff report suggests a three-pronged approach over a three-year pilot project. The strategy includes egg removal, hazing and relocation. Culling - or killing them – would be next to impossible. One reason is that a bylaw prohibits discharge of firearms, another is cost is “quite substantial” and a third is that a permit would be “dependent” on what other measures have been tried first. Egg removal “essentially involves locating the nests in late April and removing the eggs from the nest.” Hazing makes geese “uncomfortable” through lights, lasers, pyrotechnics and specially trained dogs. A permit is also required and if “not done correctly or at the proper intervals, the effect will be very minimal.” Relocation must be done in early summer when birds are molting and unable to fly. They can be “safely rounded up into a trailer or similar and taken to a suitable relocation site or sanctuary such as Jack Miner” though an agreement would have to be reached with the destination. Staff say these measures “should not be done in isolation but rather utilized together as part of a multi-faceted approach.” But a strategy “cannot guarantee complete removal.” This is an “annual plan…limiting the number of goslings born each year, making existing geese less comfortable so they find other homes and potentially relocating a number of existing geese residents.” Cost? At most, $450,000 over three years.

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Streetcar cafe to operate seasonally, outdoors, and offering specialty coffees, charcuterie

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 14 2024

Windsor’s newest riverfront eatery still needs a name but operator Keith Rajsigl is looking forward to getting the operation up and running as soon as he gets the greenlight from the city. Raysigl owns Lakewood Ice Cream in Tecumseh and was a successful bidder to operate the café at the new Streetcar Legacy Beacon along the west riverfront, nearing completion this fall. The building will house historic Streetcar 351 one of the city’s original streetcars which has been lovingly restored. But the Beacon will also offer a food service, the details of which are still being worked out. Rajsigl has a history in the food industry, having operated A & J Snack Shack in Belle River and being a former partner in Forest Glade’s Vittorio’s Trattoria, now operating its food truck. Rajsigl long wanted to be part of the Streetcar project. “Born and raised in Windsor, my wife and I go for jogs along the waterfront, what the city of Windsor has done with the waterfront in protecting that land is just absolutely incredible and it’s something we would love to be a part of.” The service will be one of two along the 5.2 km length of riverfront parkland, the other the sit-down restaurant at the foot of Ouellette Ave. The Streetcar site will only offer outdoor table dining. Rajsigl says ice cream will be offered, cold and hot beverages including specialty coffees, specialty sandwiches, poutine, charcuterie. Seating number is still being worked out by the city. No café name has been chosen yet. “Everything is going through for final approval through the city,” he says. Rajsigl is also working on obtaining a liquor license. City spokesman Jason Moore said the Beacon “remains on track for completion in the fall, with a grand opening date still TBD.” The concession will operate April 1 – Oct. 31 seven days a week. Hours may be adjusted “as we see the supply and demand of it,” Rajsigl said.

Image: City of Windsor

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$38 million for Ojibway wildlife overpass

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 23 2024

A wildlife overpass over the west end’s Ojibway Parkway and ETR train tracks would cost $38 million. The next step is a 30-day review period for a completed environmental study. Study funding is coming partly from the Gordie Howe Bridge’s community benefits plan. The “ecological” overpass would allow wildlife to cross between two natural areas on either side of the Parkway/ETR tracks - the Black Oak Heritage Park on the west and Ojibway Park on the east. “This objective further supported goals of reducing wildlife mortality and increasing driver safety for the heavily travelled Ojibway Parkway corridor that sees approximately 20,000 vehicles per day,” a city report says. An engineering consultant prepared four location options, the best being a span that crosses south of Broadway St. It would also include a landscaped bridge. The overpass would be 50 metres wide, the “large width” to meet “the movement needs of a broad spectrum of wildlife - large and small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.” As well, “microhabitat features and vegetation placement will be designed to enhance crossings by bats, birds, invertebrates, and plants.” No humans will be allowed to use it. The cost would be $38 million in today’s dollars. Some private property would have to be acquired. The Gordie Howe Bridge authority is paying $250,000 towards the study and Parks Canada is kicking in $150,000 for a total of $400,000. No decision has been made to move forward with actual construction. The report says the intent is to seek funding “from environmental organizations, provincial and federal levels of government” with the balance from the city.

Image: City of Windsor ______________________________________________________________________

City is moving to claw back funding for myriad business improvements that never took place

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 8 2024

The city is moving to rescind grants to a couple of dozen developers and businesses because they have not begun or completed property improvements to enhance their neighbourhoods. There are some seven CIPS or Community Improvement Plans including those for Olde Sandwich Towne, Downtown Windsor and Ford City (Drouillard Rd.). Some were approved as early as 2011. Originally the city did not impose deadlines for completion, but that has since changed. The money - at least $600,000 - was never doled out but held until completion or completed paperwork. “Some applicants have decided to not pursue approved projects, other projects have not commenced within a reasonable timeframe, and some approvals have been affected due to a change in ownership,” the city says. The purpose of the grants was to “encourage investment that wouldn’t be financially viable within Windsor without incentives.” The properties vary widely from vacant lots to modern manufacturing buildings in suburban business parks to high profile buildings and open lots in high-trafficked business districts. Several are on Ouellette Avenue either at or south of Wyandotte Street. Among the applicants are some high-profile city businesses including Tessonics, Windsor Tool & Die, BASF, Farrow Realty, Walkerville Commercial Centre, Skyline Commercial Real Estate, Vollmer and Kadri Family Holdings. The grants covered everything from additions to manufacturing buildings and head office renovations to the construction of a tourist destination at an indoor soccer facility (3400 Grand Marias E.). One, at 1207 Drouillard Rd., was to create a microbrewery. Another at 775 Riverside Dr. E., is a vacant lot at the corner of Marentette Ave. An empty lot at 1567 Ouellette Ave. was to have become a new business incubator. A Victoria Ave. address was to have been a 120-unit apartment building with ground floor commercial. Some were simply houses where owners wanted an accessible dwelling unit (ADU) or tiny home. A pharmacy at 747 Ouellette was to have been renovated. A ramshackle former variety store at 700 Brock (photo) in the west end was to have been rehabilitated.

Photo: Google Street View ______________________________________________________________________

City spending $20.5M on H4; vast majority of users suffer health and encounters with police

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 23 2024

The City of Windsor has allocated $20.5 million in capital costs to its cornerstone Homelessness & Housing Help Hub or H4 since 2020. And current operating costs of $2.1 million are being funded by the federal government. The city recently approved an additional $1.4 million to expand hours. The city hopes to “leverage” city support for more fed and provincial aid and private donors which will be “critical” to its success. Without it, the city could “reduce and or eliminate” homeless help. Meanwhile, a private consultant has evaluated H4, recommending strengthening services and even renaming it. The report is by Oakville’s Orgcode Consulting, which describes itself as an advocate for the homeless and as “merry misfits that disrupt the status quo.” It conducted almost 50 surveys with people using H4 (through there is no information on the total number of users) and found the average age was 42. Also, 61% were “cisgender” (identifying as the same gender as registered at birth) men, 37% cisgender women and 11% Indigenous. 51% were white and 31% Indigenous. Males were homeless almost three years. The greatest barrier to regular shelter was lack of affordable housing, personal income, and struggles of “day to day survival.” Most users had physical, addiction or mental needs with almost a whopping 89% having been to ER in the past six months. The vast majority had encounters with the police - 76% in the past six months – and 86% were incarcerated at some point in life. The consultant’s first recommendation is that 120 permanent housing units be created “as rapidly as possible” and another 230 by 2029. The city has proposed 64 for the Hub itself and is “exploring” other options. H4 is locate in the former Windsor Water World building at 400 Wyandotte St. E.

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City moves to improve Sandpoint Beach safety

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 10 2024

The city has moved ahead with some safety improvements to east side’s Sandpoint Beach following two recent swimming deaths there. The swimmers had accessed a forbidden point on the beach’s west side, where signs warned of hazards due to strong river currents. A previous four-foot fence along the shoreline and perpendicular into the water was heightened at the end of May to eight feet. “A taller fence should help to further deter anyone attempting to climb the fence onto private property in order to wade, swim or fish in the area,” city recreation director Jen Knights wrote in a report to City Council. And the existing perpendicular fence was extended further into the water “to help keep swimmers out of the dangerous areas.” Knights said Council could approve more fence – 230 ft. length - from Riverside Dr. to the current fence to “help further restrict the beach area.” Doing so would result in a drop in size of the beach by 15 per cent. (see image). As a “further precaution" the city has already removed beach volleyball from the beach’s west end. “While beach volleyball itself is not dangerous, the removal of net system is out of extreme caution and to limit any errant balls from landing in the water,” Knights says. Existing signs indicating hazards every four feet along the existing fence might not be good enough. “These signs contain pictographs to ensure all members of our diverse community can understand the dangers.” The two people who recently died were foreign students. However, “stronger language” can be used, she says. “Administration can place additional signage in the area noting that not only is the area outside of the designated swimming area dangerous, but it is also potentially fatal and therefore prohibited to enter the area at all.”

Image: City of Windsor

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16-storey tower proposed for DT's west side

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 27 2024

A major 16-storey, 88 unit residential tower is proposed for downtown’s west side, the first new tower in the city’s core since Caesar Windsor’s Augustus hotel tower (27 stories) was built in 2008. Developer AE Baird is the proponent. The proposal goes before the city’s development committee in June. The proposal “will provide a form of housing that is appropriate in terms of range and mix of the existing neighbourhood,” says the city’s planning department which is recommending approval. The building would be located on the northeast corner of Caron Ave. and Chatham St. W., where a vacant lot currently exists. Despite being a contemporary high rise tower the building is designed to fit in to the “heritage” character of the city’s surrounding “Old Town” neighbourhood. “The podium level of the proposed structure will contain a setback that matches the existing structures on Chatham Street West and will be clad in red brick. This is a material sympathetic with the streetscape of Chatham Street West and the wider Old Town Neighbourhood,” the city report says. A public meeting was held last June and of 145 neighbouring landowners contacted, three people showed up and there were no objections. In fact, says a consultant, “no one provided any indication of opposition to the proposed 16-storey building at this location. In fact, from my vantage point, the three were clearly welcoming to the idea and project.” Parking would be on levels 2, 3 and 4 of the five-storey podium, clad in red brick. A small visitors parking lot would be constructed across the street.

Image: AE Baird

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Windsor's DT office vacancy rate is "the highest of any major downtown in Canada"

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 13 2024

Windsor’s downtown has the highest office vacancy rate of any city in Canada. That’s according to commercial realtor CBRE vice president Brad Collins. In a letter to the city in advance of its debate on a special expenditure of money to bolster downtown safety and amenities, Collins said vacancies of 41.6% is “the highest of any major downtown in Canada and well above the national average of 18.4%.” And it’s well above “comparable markets” like London (29.1%) and Waterloo (22.5%). Today’s vacancy rate is in high contrast to what it was just before the pandemic, when it was 20.4%. Yet Windsor’s suburban vacancy rate only increased marginally from 10.2 to 11% in the same period. As for commercial vacancies, CBRE’s estimate is “conservatively 33% and likely much higher.” Collins said altogether these rates signify a “crisis.” He said downtown “continues to lose high profile tenants every year.” The most recent is call centre Sutherland "one of Windsor’s largest office users.” Collins said office staff are key to downtown revitalization. “Without daytime office users, retail has continued to struggle with evening traffic, resulting in notable longstanding bar and restaurant exits as well.” Collins said it’s imperative the city act as there is “real risk of further erosion.” Under the city plan at least a dozen police would be added to downtown patrols. “Having assisted countless companies considering relocation across Windsor, safety and security remains the number one reason companies either elect to leave downtown or not consider downtown at all,” Collins said. ______________________________________________________________________

Former Windsor Liberal big comes out against federal Liberals' new budget tax increase

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 29 2024

Former Windsor area high profile provincial Liberal MPP and cabinet minister Dwight Duncan has come out against the federal Liberal government’s controversial capital gains tax increase in the recent budget. In a Financial Post op-ed the former deputy Ontario premier and finance minister joins with another former high profile federal Lib, John Manley, to decry the controversial increase. It says increasing the inclusion rate from 50 to 66 per cent on higher income Canadians is “likely to make worse” the country’s “growth and productivity challenges.” The ministers, including Manley who served under former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, say “it’s easy enough” to dismiss concerns over a tax on “a few individuals.” But at the end of the 1990s, when they served, “a Liberal government lowered the inclusion rate, and there were good, principle-based reasons for doing so that remain relevant today.” They say the budget, in the aim of “intergenerational fairness” seems to “miss the fact that many young people are risk-takers, too, and on a mission to create the next business-busting model.” Another of their criticisms is that the tax might force Canadians to leave the country. “Those most affected by this new tax are also those whose mobility is greatest. Canada risks losing part of its entrepreneurial class to other jurisdictions.” And they say the tax adds to double taxation – “corporate earnings are taxed once before they reach individual shareholders, only to be taxed a second time.” The authors say lower capital gains “encourage entrepreneurship” by adding a tax break. “High earners, who often serve as angel investors or venture capitalists, are often pivotal in funding startups and growth companies. Increasing capital gains taxes discourages such investment, stifling innovation and economic dynamism.” Duncan wrote as a senior fellow at the CD Howe Institute in Toronto, a nonprofit policy research organization. (See also NEWS BACKGROUNDER)

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"Time to mix things up": Jewish fest moves dates & venue simply to freshen things up

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 14 2024

The 21st edition of the Windsor Jewish Film festival has not changed its dates or venue due to any threats or security reasons but simply for decisions that it made on its own. The event is usually held mid-Spring but now will run June 17-20. The venue was also changed from its longtime home at Devonshire Mall to downtown’s Capitol Theatre. WJFF programmer Joe Schnayer said it was “time to mix things up” with a new location. “The Capitol brings a new energy, a new ambience and showcases downtown Windsor with lots of great restaurants and attractions nearby.” The change in dates is only because the Capitol, city-owned and operated by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, is a busy venue and these were the next closest dates available. “The Capitol Theatre had several other events in the months of April and May (when we usually have our festival) so June was the best option for our festival this year,” he said. But, in light of the Israel-Hamas War and now the attack by Iran on the Jewish state, Schnayer said there will be extra security. “To ensure the safety of our guests and volunteers, the Windsor Jewish Film Festival will have a greater security presence than we have had in the past including a police presence throughout the festival.” Despite threats elsewhere such as in Vancouver and Hamilton “very few cities actually cancelled their festivals,” Schnayer said. “A few have postponed and Hamilton had to move to a different venue but very few have cancelled altogether.” He said the festival will continue as a public event. “It is important to our festival and our community that we continue to share Jewish culture and history, regardless of external factors.” Schnayer said 10 films will be on tap from North America, Europe and Asia.

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Windsor Jewish Film Festival continues as usual, though timing and location changed

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 29 2024

The Windsor Jewish Film Festival is going ahead as planned this year, though the timing has been pushed back from its usual mid-Spring schedule and the venue has been changed. The fest, now in its 21st year, “is most definitely going ahead,” Windsor Jewish Federation director Dan Brotman said. The event, named after long time lead sponsors Ruth & Bernard Friedman, is scheduled from June 17 - 20. Programming director Joe Schnayer said “our schedule has not quite been finalized just yet. However, it should very soon and will be on our website.” For years the festival was held at Devonshire Mall’s Cineplex but this year it will be held at the Capitol Theatre downtown. The move comes after the Hamilton Jewish Film Festival’s original venue, the independent Playhouse Cinema, cancelled that event earlier this month,. The Windsor and Hamilton festivals have collaborated in the past. The theater cited “numerous security and safety related emails, phone calls and social media messages," coming at a "particularly sensitive time." The decision was denounced by the city’s Jewish federation which found an alternative location at an arts centre in neighbouring Ancaster. The federation said the cinema had received "a small number" of threatening complaints from a few individuals who claimed "any film produced in Israel is a form of Zionist propaganda." It said the theatre was "prioritizing the will of antisemites over an apolitical cultural festival that stands for artistic excellence and integrity," In January, a theatre festival in Vancouver cancelled a play called The Runner, about an Israeli emergency volunteer who's life changes when he decides to aid a Palestinian woman instead of an Israeli soldier. The Hamilton fest is screening six films in early April. WON contacted the Windsor federation for more details about the June event.

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Home builders, Enbridge urge City Council to reverse ruling on new natural gas pipelines

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 11 2024

A local home builders group is imploring Windsor City Council to lobby the Ontario Energy Board to overturn a decision that would curtail natural gas pipelines in new developments. "The disappointing decision puts future access to natural gas in doubt and sets a deliberate course to eliminate natural gas from Ontario's energy mix," writes Brent Klundert and Melissa Schenk of the Windsor-Essex Home Builders Association. They say "future expansion projects" could be at risk including industrial parks, greenhouses and housing developments. “Ontario and our local communities are growing, and access to affordable energy to support this growth for homes and businesses is crucial. Energy infrastructure is vital to the manufacturing, agriculture, and consumer goods industries in Ontario. The impacts of this decision, which conveys a strong bias against natural gas, will stifle economic growth and put housing and energy affordability at risk – these are issues that matter the most to our municipality.” The letter is similar to one from proponent Enbridge, whose expansion plan the OEB rejected. “This decision is about the millions of Ontarians who rely on natural gas to keep their homes warm, and the many businesses throughout Ontario who depend on natural gas for day-to-day operation," writes Enbridge president Michele Harradence. "As local leaders across the province, your voice matters, and we encourage you to take action." But environmental lobby group Environmental Defence, balks at the opposition, calling the OEB's ruling "excellent" and dismisses Enbridge as fighting a decision that would "greatly reduce their profits." It says the decision would actually save customers $2 billion or $600 per customer over five years. As well, using heat pumps as opposed to natural gas is cheaper for consumers and contributes to a net zero carbon future. “The subsidy is bad for existing gas customers because they pay for the subsidy through higher energy bills,” program director Keith Brooks said. He calls on City Council to support the decision. “Without this, the OEB decision will likely be reversed by the government, as they have already said they would do.”

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City could spend more than $7 million unbudgeted for new park solar lighting

WindsorOntarioNews.com February 7 2024

The city could move forward with installing solar lights on all of its trails, costing over $7 million. A council committee today recommended Windsor “accelerate the timeline” to install the lights. This would be for 10 km of trails per year and having them fully installed by 2035. City administration had recommended a slower pace of five km per year until 2046. The accelerated cost would be $4.5 million or $420,000 per year plus maintenance, which would add $2.6 million over 20 years for a total of $7.1 million plus inflation. And any newly created trails also “would need to have adequate solar lighting worked into the proposed capital and operating budgets.” There is no current capital budget for the lights, a matter city officials labelled “significant financial risk.” The motion was put forward by councilor Kieran McKenzie. McKenzie originally brought the matter up in 2022 asking the city investigate more solar lighting. The city currently has just over 500 solar and 1000 hardwired lights. Some 30 solar lights per kilometre would be required to supply “adequate” light, a report said. But a lot more solar lights are needed than traditional ones or almost 3300 new solar lights. Each one (including fixture and pole) costs $1400 for a total of $4.58 million. And there's maintenance. Over a 20 year lifespan each fixture would have to be replaced at a cost of $700 (based on current prices), therefore an additional $2.65 million in operating expenses. However, solar lights generally are cheaper than hardwired lights. “Anywhere from five to eight times the cost of solar,” according to the report. The matter still has to go before city council, probably by spring.

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City transit problems? It's kind of status quo

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 23 2024

When it comes to regulating out of town buses and trains there’s only so much a city can do. Downtown councillor Renaldo Agostino said he’s had reports from “concerned citizens” about “out of town” buses in the city core. “I myself was almost involved in a car accident in-front of the police station where a bus just randomly stopped to drop off passengers. I’ve also had reports concerning seniors being left out in the cold waiting hours for a bus to pick them up with no shelter,” he said in question at a previous council meeting. Why, he asked, aren’t buses using the downtown bus depot? In fact FlixBus uses a designated bus stop at 62-98 Chatham St. E. (photo) “A right-of-way permit was issued to FlixBus in August 2022 to place their signage on existing stanchions within the city right-of-way,” city staff replied in a report to Windsor’s transportation committee. “The Flix signage is at the south end of the block and there is a tunnel bus stop at the north end. This permit is valid for a period of five years.” This actually prevents haphazard bus stops. “Having the bus stops in a consistent location reduces the likelihood of a bus making a random stop. The regularity of buses stopping in the area underscores the routine nature of bus activity here, diminishing the randomness of a single bus stopping here or in another location.” Staff said some cities, like Windsor, allow bus stops in public rights of way, others off of those streets such as in parking lots. FlixBus was “not interested” in using the downtown terminal, staff said. Another intercity operator pays about $50,000 to use the terminal annually. Meanwhile, councillor Jo-Anne Gignac wanted to know how slow trains that block traffic could be regulated. In short, “the city does not have the authority to limit freight train traffic impediments.” Who's responsible then? Transport Canada. And, where a crossing is blocked more than five minutes, people can call the regional office at 416-973-5540.

Photo: Google Street View ______________________________________________________________________

City to move on revamped Festival Plaza

WindsorOntarioiNews.com January 9 2024

Windsor City Council will be asked to proceed with Option 3 or a major revamp of the Riverfront Festival Plaza without a canopy or roof. This means a yet to be determined architectural consultant would begin a “detailed design.” The city elicited some 900 community responses for how the refreshed entertainment center, an open concrete swath before the existing stage, should look, including more landscaping, better lighting and a “flexible” space for different events. Option 3 is the least expensive, chiming in at $17.3 million. The others – a full size canopy, would have cost $67.2 million and a half size canopy, $48.1 million. Option 3 includes a water feature and better connections to Riverside Dr. Unlike the other options no part of the structure exceeds the Drive. This would have necessitated a more time-consuming process to amend the city’s official plan and zoning bylaw - “at a minimum this is anticipated to be 12-month process, however it could take longer if there is an appeal,” the council report says. The redesigned plaza would even provide a slight “climate” advantage. “By converting the hard surface to landscaping such as grass islands and trees, we can expect a minor reduction in the heat retention. Planting of trees provides opportunity for festival attendees to seek shade during extreme heat.” Administration says it will “aggressively pursue” any possible grants to help with the cost, the majority of which would be for actual construction. While Option 3 doesn’t have a roof “it supports all of the key engagement aspects of expanding events & recreation programming, expanding arts, activation & lighting, and provisions for outdoor comfort & landscaping.”

Photo: City of Windsor