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LOCAL TOURIST / TRANSPORTATION

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New Detroit sign, Windsor tunnel changes, for NFL Draft Experience

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 16 2024

The City of Detroit has a new sign – in fact several of them. The first one – the largest - is an illuminated sign on I -94. The others will be placed on other main thoroughfares leading into the Motor City in time for this month’s NFL Draft. The largest sign simply spells out DETROIT and there will be five smaller "Welcome to Detroit" signs, the city says. The signs were designed and fabricated by Detroit-based and family-owned Fairmont Sign Co., which made the famous Fox Theatre sign. All the signs cost $425,000 with the large one $270,000. Partners DTE Energy lit the sign last night and landscaping will be completed this week. For Windorsites probably the most noticeable sign – green with the City of Detroit crest – will be along I-75 at 8 Mile Rd., which marks the city boundary. Meanwhile some streets in downtown Detroit have been closed as of last night to accommodate the build out of the NFL Draft Experience presented by Rocket Mortgage at Hart Plaza, a free fan festival taking place during all three days of the Draft April 25-27. Closures include both eastbound and westbound Jefferson Avenue in front of Hart Plaza near the Windsor-Detroit tunnel. But all sidewalks are open, access to businesses maintained, and “patronizing our downtown establishments during the Draft build out is encouraged,” the city says. All tunnel traffic must use I-375 during the M-10 (Lodge Expy)/Jefferson Avenue closures. Windsor-bound traffic should use Jefferson to Randolph St. to access the tunnel.

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Butterflies are free at Meijer Gardens

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 29 2024

The largest collection of butterflies in the United States is featured at the Meijer Gardens' 38th Annual Butterfly Exhibition now until the end of April. Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is located in Grand Rapids, MI. This year's edition examines "the microscopic detail and beauty of butterflies." Some 60 butterfly and moth species from Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Kenya can be observed in the five-story, 15,000-square foot Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. At 85 degrees and 70 per cent humidity the conservatory mimics the tropical regions the butterflies call home. The species "can be viewed drinking nectar from the flowering plants and feeding stations, flying freely within the towering tropical conservatory." Some 1000 chrysalids are delivered to Meijer Gardens each week of the exhibition. "Guests can watch delicate chrysalids and cocoons being placed in the Observation Station, where these unique and fascinating creatures transform and spread their wings for the first time. Gliders such as the emperor, ruby-spotted and orchard swallowtails will add to the diverse assortment." Special children's activities are featured throughout. Tuesday Night Lights encourages visitors to bring flashlights to search for the flying beauties. Guest speakers on different topics are featured on various dates.

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Air Canada captivates, and acknowledges flyover country

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 10 2024

Air Canada, at least on long haul flights with video screen embedded in the back of passengers’ seats, displays captive advertising. For example, after the safety demonstration video is completed, a passenger can be subjected to several advertisements in a row. Usually passengers can turn off the screen or alter it depending on other video content, such as movies or TV shows, but they cannot change the screen while the advertising is running. Said Air Canada to a WON request for comment, “With respect to advertising, our IFEs (In-flight Entertainment Experience) have hosted sponsored content since they were first introduced fleetwide about two decades ago.” That may be true but the ability not to control it was news to airline rights activist Gabor Lukacs, a professor of mathematics at Halifax’s Dalhousie University. “If you have no way of turning off the audio/video, then it is a problem - wrong morally for sure, although I cannot pull a case that says that it is wrong legally too,” the president and founder of Air Passenger Rights says. Gábor has filed more than two dozen successful complaints with the Canadian Transportation Agency, challenging airlines’ terms, conditions, and practices, and resulting in orders to amend “conditions of carriage and offer better protection to passengers," his website says. Meanwhile, the airline has introduced an aerial version of better known ground organizations’ popular and sometimes controversial so-called Indigenous Land Acknowledgements. Since planes are not based on land but flying in the sky the airline's version is as follows: “Air Canada acknowledges the Indigenous peoples’ ancestral and traditional lands we fly over” (photo of video capture) showing, perhaps fittingly, a forest with a stream running through it, way down, of course, below.

Photo: JP Gladu/X

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You can reach heights in this exhibit

WindsorOntarioNews.com February 12 2024

It’s kind of like that old movie Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Only “those magnificent men” are anybody, as the Michigan Science Center stages its Above and Beyond exhibit. The 6,000 sq. ft. interactive exhibit offers an “unprecedented interactive demonstration of advances in aviation and aerospace, from the first powered flights to the newest innovations on Earth and in space,” according to the museum, which used to be known as the Detroit Science Center and is located across the street from the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). And you’ve heard of the movie The Right Stuff? Well, this exhibit “will push our guests to their limits and help them discover” if they’ve indeed got what astronauts have, says CEO Christian Greer. In fact, visitors “won’t want to miss the opportunity to fly in formation like a bird or test pilot a totally new aircraft of their own design, all while applying STEM skills and having fun exploring the future of aerospace.” Guests first enter an immersive wraparound theatre and then walk into five galleries with dozens of interactive exhibits. You can ride to the edge of space in a simulated space elevator or in your own supersonic fighter jet in a virtual high speed flying competition. You can even simulate what it’s like to fly like a bird as part of a flock. Exhibit technology like flight simulation, an immersive theatre, touch display and augmented reality offer an experiential understanding of the science behind flying. This travelling exhibit is sponsored by the Boeing aircraft company to celebrate its 100th birthday.

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Windsor Holocaust victims among voices part of new museum exhibit

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 26 2024

Sunday January 28 marks the grand opening of the Zekelman Holocaust Center’s new main exhibit featuring the first person recorded stories of Holocaust survivors, many of whom are from Windsor. Those stories continue the legacy of the museum, located in Farmington Hills, Mi. that is the namesake of the Canadian family including industrialist Barry Zekelman, which has benefacted the museum which first opened in the 1980s. “Michigan and neighboring Ontario have many Holocaust survivors and we recorded many of those testimonies so we were able to really use those testimonies as the cornerstone of the exhibit,” Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, the museum’s CEO, told WON. The new exhibit is part of a $31 million renovation that visitors will also view Sunday, the same weekend as Holocaust Remembrance Day on Saturday. The new exhibit departs from the traditional “didactic” approach of many museums by placing emphasis on the first-person accounts of Holocaust victims. Besides the recorded video testimonies visitors will see archival footage, images, and artifacts. Mayerfeld said that by “localizing the history” the museum demonstrates that the Shoah (Hebrew for Holocaust) “did not happen so long ago or so far away.” In a press release, the museum says recasting the exhibit at this time reflects a new “urgency” and ensures survivor stories “remain accessible to future generations.” The museum’s re-opening comes at a poignant time. Since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israelis by Hamas terrorists – whose charter calls for the extermination of Jews – there has been a more than 300 per cent increase in antisemitic attacks compared to the previous year. “Learning about the Holocaust helps visitors understand the potential consequences of antisemitism, and how to counter it today,” Mayerfeld said. On Sunday admission is free beginning at 9.30 am, a dedication ceremony takes place at 11 am, a survivor talk featuring Irene Miller will be held at 12 noon, a conversation with the curator and exhibit designer at 1.30 pm and a spotlight on women in the Holocaust at 2.30 pm.

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Detroit downtown to Metro Airport express bus pilot to start this spring

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 11 2024

It didn’t take long for a Michigan transportation authority to okay a pilot downtown Detroit to Metro Airport express bus service, despite the fact a public comment period (see sidebar) still isn’t over yet. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) of Southeast Michigan said the “Detroit to Airport Express Service” would start operating in the spring. It would make 16 trips a day from 3.30 am to 11 pm. A soft launch will begin in March with a full launch in April. “We are excited about the proposed Detroit to Airport Express Service pilot and the benefits it will provide our community,” Ben Stupka, the RTA’s executive director, said in a statement. “This pilot will allow us to gauge the impact of a new direct way for people to travel back and forth to DTW from Downtown Detroit, and it’s important for as many people as possible to share their input about what’s to come.” The service will be operated by Michigan Flyer, an East Lansing-based bus company that already runs its AirRide service between the airport and Ann Arbor, Brighton and East Lansing. The exact bus stops still haven’t been determined. But, at Metro, the service will leave from the airport’s McNamara Terminal and the Evans Terminal’s ground transportation area. The pilot is designed to be in service in time for the NFL spring draft April 25-27, taking place at Ford Field in Detroit.

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Not much can be done about an increase in local short line whistles

WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 7 2023

Essex Terminal Railway (ETR) train whistles are increasingly disrupting east side residents but it’s a problem that appears solvable only by major expenditures on items like road crossing gates. Residents appeared before a city transportation committee this fall but were told by ETR that whistles are "in compliance” of a minimum of 96 decibels. ETR president Tony De Thomasis said the horns and whistles are ”regularly tested” and in compliance with Transport Canada regs. Councillor Mark Mckenzie asked why there was an increase in train whistle noise. De Thomasis said it’s because there’s been an “increase in volume of activity and frequency due to an increase in business activity, manufacturing and processing,” according to meeting minutes. The ETR’s main yard by Lincoln Rd. has seen an increase in train movements. While operating hours “ideally” are finished by midnight “on occasion, and on an infrequent basis there may be operating hours beyond midnight in order to accommodate a customer.” Rail operations begin between 6 and 7 am. De Thomasis said the only way to solve the problem is by installing mechanical gates at affected crossings. He said this wasn’t feasible due to the "millions" of dollars in costs. But the railway is exploring ways to access funding for crossing improvements from provincial and federal sources. Meanwhile the ETR suggests that new building construction near tracks take place “around a certain radius" and reinforced by double pane windows, brick construction, sound barriers and vibration proof foundations. De Thomasis said the railway is willing to work with the city on any improvements.

Photo: ETR

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Navigating the city's worst railway crossing may just get a little easier

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 20 2023

Perhaps the city’s most exasperating rail crossing is that of Tecumseh Rd. W. near Crawford Ave. But there’s a solution, filed under “intelligent transportation system.” City staff, responding to a question from Councillor Fabio Costante, says an advanced alert system, pegged at $80-$90,000, could solve the problem of eastbound motorists not knowing when a train is crossing busy Tecumseh Rd. on the city’s near west side. That’s because of the curve after Crawford. “Geometric design of the roadway to eastbound travellers from Crawford Avenue to Janette Avenue prevents drivers from having a clear line of sight to the grade crossings until well after they have cleared the Tecumseh Road and Crawford Avenue intersection,” the report says. Both Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Essex Terminal Railway (ETR) have numerous shunting there and can bring motor traffic “to a standstill.” But a solution is at hand. Sensors can be placed at the crossing. When trains cross information can be relayed to a variable message board – “or a static sign with flasher” – to advise motorists a train is blocking the route and to select alterative routes. ETR has agreed in principle to the plan and the city is awaiting word from CPR. “Legal agreements may be needed in both instances.” One positive safety feature is it would reduce motorists making U-turns “often conflicting with other traffic.” But more trucks could detour north to Wyandotte St, an allowable truck route with return traffic to Tecumseh Rd. via Ouellette (during day time hours) and Howard Ave., therefore increasing truck traffic downtown.

Photo: Google Street View

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No new Via trains "below Toronto"

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 5 2023

You’ll still have to travel as far as Toronto if you want to ride on Via Rail Canada’s new futuristic Siemens' trains. This despite a press release in September giving the impression the trains might be in service on the London route. The company announced an extra departure six days a week, both ways, between the Forest City and the Big Smoke, which began in late October. “The ongoing progressive introduction of VIA Rail’s 32 new trainsets is already yielding positive results, as recent increases in equipment availability, coupled with intense recruitment and training efforts, are now allowing us to reintroduce these high-demand frequencies,” Via president Mario Péloquin said. But a Via Rail customer rep said none of the new trainsets are in service “below Toronto.” The company began introducing the trains last year to replace its decades-old equipment. Meanwhile the company has also announced a $25 million upgrade to the London station, “one of the busiest” in its network. Exterior and some hidden work like structural have been completed. Still to come are interior upgrades and passenger platforms that will make the station more accessible to people in wheelchairs. “The new platforms will meet the latest accessibility standards and new doors and paths giving full accessibility access into the building have already been upgraded,” the company said.

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New crosswalks, bike detection signals, part of $4 million spend

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 17 2023

The City of Windsor is working on a new concept for a “sustainable neighbourhood” in Sandwich South “where active transportation facilities and transit are key components.” The goal is part of an update on the city’s “active transportation” master plan, meaning routes and trails for pedestrians and cyclists and other forms of non-motorized personal transportation. Altogether Windsor has spent some $4 million since 2022. This includes a total of 20 km on painted bike lanes, multiuse and park trails and cycle tracks. In addition 29 sidewalk patios have been approved, 11 new traffic signals, ”with bike detection.” As well, eight new pedestrian crossovers have been installed on various streets. The city also extended its e-scooter and e-bike share with Bird Canada adding 100 e-bikes to its fleet of 450 e-scooters. A draft bike parking policy was created, some $1.5 million budgeted for trail and bus shelter maintenance. Transit Windsor saw an increase of two million riders - or 5.5 million – since 2019. “By continuing to encourage and support active transportation initiatives, the City can create a healthier, more liveable and sustainable place for its residents and for visitors,” a report to Windsor’s transportation committee says.

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Fall adventure as close as 'Tilbilly'

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 4 2023

Want fall fun? There are plenty of ways to get into the autumn spirit through traditional day trips that combine family adventure with the great outdoors. These would be southwestern Ontario adventure farms. Like the Tilbilly Halloween Adventure Farm in Tilbury (photo), a 50-acre farm run by the Demers family. “We understand that many children have not had a chance to experience life on the farm,” the family says. “We offer a unique touch that includes blend of farming and fun activities, that helps to have a greater appreciation for plants, living things, farming and the outdoors (providing) knowledge on self sustenance and where food actually comes from.” The family has a corn maze, offers pumpkin picking, animal visits (chickens, goats, rabbits, ducks, cats), hayrides and a haunted house. Up near Sarnia there’s Korny Korners Farm, owned by the Thurston family since the 19th century. They offer a farm market with “our very own farm fresh spray free, anti-biotic and hormone free beef and pork” and seasonal produce, the family says. Check out everything from a trike and tractor track to a straw mountain to petting animals - and new this year – a giant jumping pillow. There’s also a hay ride to the pumpkin patch where visitors get their own free pumpkin. And up near London at Clovermead in Aylmer, families can find a bee train ride, barrel-of-fun ride and tractor ride. There are open food locations, a weekday fall fest and Saturday pumpkin festival. “There are bushels of family fun on our Adventure Farm!” Clovermead exclaims.

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"Glamping" arrives in Essex County

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 21 2023

Lungovita means long life. And the owners of the Lungovita Beach Retreat in Oxley appear to be off and running on what could be many years of operating southwestern Ontario’s first major rural “glamping” spa. The 16-acre property for years was Caboto Park, the campground for Windsor’s Caboto Club. But the club sold the property and it was purchased for more than $2 million by a group including David Haas and Andrew Facca, both of whom have had long histories in the local spiritual and wellness fields. Facca produced the 2009 film Voyage to Betterment, which had a local run, and in the late 1990s opened the organic restaurant The Hip Rose which became the Treehouse Bar and Grill, currently run by David Haas and known as Treehouse. Haas says as Lungovita grows, the owners expect to turn it into a “wellness centre.” Yoga is offered weekends as well as Thai Massage. Day passes are also available. The campground offers geodesic domes including electricity and heat. Bell tents can also be rented. The resort stays open year-round though tents are available only until Oct. 31. Haas calls the rural bucolic setting perfect for “getting back to nature” and there are hot tubs and cedar barrel saunas, bonfire pits and "meditation-seating" chairs and benches. There’s also lakefront hammocks, kayaking, 50 Novelty Cruising Bikes – perfect for touring adjacent wine country. Guests must be at least 16 years of age. Facca, a world traveller who has spent time at spiritual retreats in places like Arizona and Sardinia, has said Lungovita is beyond simply a weekend getaway but a retreat that can include “spiritual healing.” Haas said the fact the owners were able to buy such an ideal lakefront property in Essex County “was amazing...Caboto Park was a perfect spot to do what were doing because we had the proper zoning, and we had a lot of the infrastructure." Haas said that in the short time since it has been open the resort has been full about 80 per cent of the time, attracting locals but also guests from as far away as Toronto and Michigan.

Photo: Lungovita Beach Retreat

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"Protected" intersection aims to keep pedestrians and cyclists safer

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 7 2023

In Toronto, a “Dutch-style” intersection aims to make crossing for cars, cyclists and pedestrians a whole lot safer. The under-construction intersection near the University of Toronto at Bloor and St. George streets will see what is essentially a typical four way intersection expanded outwards with separate lanes for cyclist and motorists. Zebra-style crosswalks, like at present, will be extended out the most but further from the corner than traditional crosswalks and therefore shorter to cross. Between them and motor traffic will be cycling lanes. Right turning drivers will therefore have a better view of both cyclists and pedestrians. To the Dutch they’re known as “protected” intersections. The Toronto intersection redo is especially poignant since a cyclist was killed there in 2018. According to the Toronto Star cities with these intersections report significantly lower accidents. A New York study found such intersections even safer than ones with dedicated bike signals and turn lanes. San Francisco reported almost 100 per cent of drivers turning at speeds at or below the speed limit. Eighty-five per cent of cyclists and 55 per cent of pedestrians felt safer. “One of the biggest determinants of road safety, particularly for vulnerable road users, is whether drivers can see them,” Benjamin Wolfe, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga and a director at the Applied Perception and Psychophysics Laboratory said. “So, building intersections such that drivers are more likely to see people using them is going to keep people safer.” The design differs from typical North American intersections which are anto-centric.

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New exhibits for Shedd Aquarium

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 24 2023

Chicago’s renowned Shedd Aquarium has announced several major renovations as it gears up for its 100th anniversary in 2030. Chief among these is a 40-foot Caribbean Tunnel where visitors can walk “through” a warm saltwater environment and look at species such as blacktip reef sharks, goliath grouper fish and spotted eagle rays, considered a near-threatened species. Renos to the Amazon Rising gallery also will bring visitors closer to the amazing aquatic creatures. “We’re providing this greater habitat space, but at the same time, designing it in a way that we’re going to be able to bring those giant fish right up to the guest while feeding them and they can see these huge fish just gulping their food at the surface,” Andrew Pulver, VP of animal care, said. Meanwhile the new Whalefall exhibit will display the environment that forms at the bottom of the seafloor when a whale dies. “We’ll have this rib cage of a whale with food that we are providing for really cool big, giant crabs, and to be able to up close see how that process would happen in nature and connect the guests to the fact that this is a natural process,” Pulver told the Chicago Tribune. The $500 million expansion of the aquarium, on Lake Michigan, will be one of the biggest ever for any Chicago museum. The whole focus is on “animals first,” Pulver said. “For the animals, these changes are going to be fantastic. It really also helps the animal care team so they have the greater space to access and work with the animals, and then that allows us for greater flexibility in developing new care techniques.”

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Review: As a resort Collingwood just a little underwhelming

By Ron Stang, WON.com publisher

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 11 2023

Collingwood is a pleasant enough community nestled in the southeast corner of Georgian Bay. The resort town has long been associated with the Blue Mountains ski resorts. But that’s in winter. In summer those numerous ski trails are vacant. But the Blue Mountains Resort Village, at their base, remains vibrant if not overly so. And that may be what ails Collingwood, only several kilometres to the east. The town’s main street HurOntario is a fine display of classic Ontario Victorian era architecture, capped by its ringing bell tower. Unlike some other towns the storefronts are full with many curiosity and antique shops. The problem is lack of pedestrians – at least on our three-day mid-week visit – and amenities like bars and restos. HurOntario has some but they’re hard to find. We had drinks and a quick bite at 1858 Caesar Bar, an innovative home grown cocktail lounge (they want to franchise) specializing in a vast array of Casears and Bloody Marys – they even sell their own elixirs. But it wasn’t busy at dinner hour and only one resto up the street was. This is early August in a resort community and summer has not yet ended, though it seemed to have. The town touts its wide waterfront, topped by its famous grain elevator, a local motif. But there are absolutely no bars or restaurants that line it, a glaring omission (and we criticize Windsor for only having a couple of such places). Independent restos and mom-and-pops were largely nonexistent and we were forced to eat at the same chains you’d find in suburban Windsor. We soon discovered the apparent reason downtown is vacant - everyone heads to the faux Blue Mountains Resort Village, with every manner of restaurant, bar and coffee shop - a tourist paradise which visitors swarm to like bears to honey. Try finding a parking space during the day! To the west are the picturesque communities of Thornberry and Meaford. To the immediate east is famed honky tonk Wasaga Beach, a summer resort extraordinaire. Further north is Midland, a pleasant discovery with its cafes and park lined waterfront. About 45 minutes east is Barrie, a bustling city of 150,000 and a commuting town to Toronto. Its massive park lined waterfont is rimmed by condo towers and famed geyser-like fountain. But Collingwood itself is a little underwhelming.

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GHIB construction update: more than 80 cables in place, two dozen buildings well underway

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 25 2023

The Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) is indeed taking shape, so much so that it’s starting to actually look like a bridge as its Canadian and American side decks start building out across the river. In fact, it seems as if both sides are constructed in synchronicity or at exactly the same time. How is this happening? “To achieve synchronicity of construction, Bridging North America (the private sector contractor consortium) has a dedicated bridge director responsible for overseeing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge on both sides of the border,” GHIB communications director Tara Carson said. “The bridge director ensures teams on both sides of the project undertake activities as per the technical design and monitors progress ensuring teams are working collaboratively towards connecting the bridge deck in the middle over the Detroit River.” As for the pace of construction the two bridge towers have now joined together at their apexes “and continue to climb as single pylons,” Carson said. Both towers are now more than 200 metres (656 ft.) and will continue to rise to 220 metres (722 ft.) “Anchor boxes,” the white cylindrical shapes you can see even some distance on the bridge deck, “continue to be installed,” she said. The boxes anchor the white cables to the towers. Some 42 cables have now been installed on the Canadian aide and 40 on the US side, so pedants will point out a slight discrepancy! Otherwise construction continues with girder installation, steel erection and pre-cast panel placement. At the Canadian Port of Entry (POE), where Customs is located, construction on all 11 buildings is “well underway,” Carson said. Customs’ primary inspection lane construction is continuing along with work on the toll building and canopy. There are 13 buildings on the US side. On average there are 35 people working on the bridge decks every day, Carson said. They access the deck by walking up 200 flights of stairs or use a temporary elevator. The bridge is still scheduled for a late 2024 opening and when finished will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America.

Photo: GHIB project

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Detroit to combine bus and train stations in "intermodal" terminal

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 11 2023

Detroit will no longer have separate bus and train stations. Instead these will be combined into an "intermodal” terminal north of downtown just off Woodward Ave. The terminal is still in the planning stages and a timeline shows completion by 2026. The project essentially expands the existing Amtrak train station south to a new bus terminal at Woodward and Baltimore St. The current Greyhound terminal just off the Lodge freeway west of downtown dates from the early 1990s and needs “major remodeling,” says Michael Frezell of the Michigan Dept. of Transportation (MDOT), which owns it. “A new facility will allow for a combined station for Amtrak, local transit, and intercity bus, thus providing more connectivity between modes.” The department is developing an RFP and initial public meetings are being held this month. No final dollar figure has been set but $10 million will come from a federal grant, the rest from the state. The terminal would be used by Greyhound, Indian Trails, Miller Transportation, and Barons Bus. The idea is to create a one-stop transportation hub for bus and train passengers, connecting intercity services to city buses and the Woodward Ave. QLINE streetcar, which runs south to downtown. The terminal would be about three miles from the central business district in what’s known as the New Center neighbourhood, just beyond Wayne State University. Meanwhile the existing train station will get upgraded platforms and the new bus station would be connected to Amtrak by a tunnel under the tracks. Another goal of the terminal is to build “Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)” a real estate term to attract private investment to an area with easy transit links. Just south of New Center, which has been slow to see urban revitalization, is the burgeoning Midtown neighbourhood.

Image: MDOT

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Unlike elsewhere local public has no fear of losing bus terminals

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 27 2023

Windsor and Detroit commuters can breathe a sign of relief that their transit terminals are publically-owned. Otherwise the terminals might be on the selling block because the private bus company that owns them wants to redevelop for more lucrative purposes. Such has been the case in American cities like Louisville and Cincinnati. And now the Chicago Greyhound terminal on the edge of the downtown Loop is threatened. Greyhound’s owner, European-based Flixbus, has been selling off the terminals. Flixbus has been making rapid inroads into the North American bus market and now operates two trips daily between Windsor and Toronto but not from the downtown terminal. Despite those US cities’ sizes there have been no alternative terminals and now buses depart curbside or at remote shopping plazas. In Cincinnati the “terminal” is now more than 10 miles from downtown. According to the Chicago Sun-Times “Greyhound lost ownership of 33 of its stations two years ago when the company was sold to Germany-based FlixBus. Greyhound’s properties were sold separately last December to private equity group Twenty Lake Holdings, owned by Alden Global Capital, and the stations have been sold one by one.” In Windsor the downtown terminal opened in 2007 through a Transit Windsor public-private partnership including then Greyhound Canada. Meanwhile in Detroit, the Greyhound terminal at Sixth and Howard streets just west of the Lodge Freeway and just outside of the downtown core in the Corktown neighbourhood, is owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Transit Windsor director Tyson Cragg confirmed the city's "full" terminal ownership. An MDOT rep also said his department owns the facility as well as stations in Southfield and Pontiac.

Photo: Wikipedia

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Detroit building a bus terminal out of an historic State Fair building

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 13 2023

Detroit is converting part of its historic former State Fairgrounds into a large transit terminal that will also likely see restaurant and retail and providing a measure of indoor comfort to thousands of bus riders who will use it daily. It replaces what was essentially a local bus stop at the corner of Woodward and 8 Mile Rd. - the city-suburban boundary – where many downtown buses terminate but also is enroute for suburban buses. It’s called the State Fair Transit Center, with construction well underway and an April 2024 opening date. The building, the former Dairy Cattle Barn, has been partly gutted and is being refitted for retail, lounges, restrooms and a ticket office. That wasn’t the original plan. But community reaction to a smaller more contemporary building called for preservation of the historic site. “Obviously a lot of Detroiters and people in the surrounding community remember going to the state fairgrounds – really fond memories,” Detroit Building Dept. head Tyrone Clifton said. “So really and truly the community wanted some form of adaptive reuse, we don’t want to lose all of our culture.” But it will be more expensive - $31.5 million. The 52,000 sq. ft. building was constructed in 1926 and has steel columns and frames. Large windows will be punched out, interior spaces created. The “portico” – a kind of archway - of what used to be an equestrian coliseum next door, will be saved as a gateway. Six bus bays will be for Detroit Dept. of Transportation (DDOT) buses and two for Smart buses, the suburban line. Officials expect users to double at the hub, partly because bus access will be improved as well as connections to adjoining retail like that Gateway Shopping Plaza and Meijer store.

Photo: City of Detroit

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Via Rail is introducing new "intuitive" reservation system

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 15 2023

Via Rail is introducing a new reservation system designed to put “more power in the hands” of customers, with an intuitive process that will make planning travel simpler, the Crown corporation stated in a yearly update this month. “Customers will also be able to better manage their trip from booking, to changing seats, to rebooking to another date,” the Crown corporation said in a release. The system, being implemented this year, meshes with the introduction of the first modern fleet of trains in decades on the Windsor-Quebec City corridor. The coaches (photo) are now “the most accessible in the world.” For example, for people who are sight-impaired there is now braille and embossed signage. Generally, the fleet has more comfortable seats and there are even recycling options. New train engines are cleaner and can be converted to diesel-electric dual mode. In addition, trains are higher tech and can “communicate directly with maintenance centres for real-time status updates, allowing for far more efficient maintenance.” Via says its system is recovering nicely post-pandemic. The operator last year saw revenue jump almost $200 million or 170 per cent compared to 2021, when much of the country was still undergoing lockdowns. “In a year that began with significant disruptions due to the public health crisis, the corporation nonetheless recorded an increase in year over year ridership of 1.7 million passengers (118.4%).” That surge showed “the enduring relevance and popularity of passenger rail service,” Françoise Bertrand, Via’s board chair said. Despite the good news, the company was plagued with major problems over the Christmas holidays, when severe weather saw numerous trains fall behind schedule and some never making it to their destinations.

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Explore many genres of Detroit music scene beyond Fox Theatre

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 30 2023

Detroit is known as the home for Motown. But musically it’s so much more than that, and live music featuring several genres is more than alive and well in the Motor City. The Fox Theatre, of course, is where major national and international acts come in what is one of America’s largest indoor showcases. But smaller clubs abound. Like Cliff Bell’s in downtown Detroit, a club that traces its roots to the 1930s. Featuring mainly but not only jazz the club’s known for its rich mahogany leather banquettes and vintage Steinway piano. Not too far away on Cass Ave. (now largely revived) is The Old Miami. Founded for Vietnam veterans it has long been a mainstay of live music inside and out. Just up Woodward Ave., in the rechristened Midtown district, is the Majestic Theatre, a complex with a large concert hall, upstairs club The Magic Stick – once a venue for such up and coming indie groups as The White Stripes – Garden Bowl (rock and roll themed bowling) and more. On Eight Mile Road and Livernois Ave., Baker’s Keyboard Lounge is reputed to be the oldest jazz club in the world. This is the real deal, with intimate banquettes and a piano shaped bar (photo), and art deco vibe. PJ’s Lager House in Corktown near the Ambassador Bridge hosts numerous local bands and is known to make a mean burger. The TV Lounge on Grand River Ave. is the home for techno music, with a rave-like atmosphere and dance parties nearly every night. Small’s in Hamtramck is where you’ll find any variety of local acts performing metal, electronic, blues and jazz. There are more clubs, of course, but these will surely whet your appetite.

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More Ontario parks added to online vehicle permit reservation system

WindsorOntarioiNews.com April 17 2023

Ontario is adding more provincial parks to its two-year-old program of online advance ordering of vehicle permits. Twenty more parks have been added bringing to 57 the number where visitors can register up to five days in advance of arrival. “This expansion will help reduce overcrowding and provide visitors with greater certainty when planning park visits on busy days like weekends and holidays,” the province says. This reduces time to buy the pass upon arrival, if in fact any are available at all during busy weekends and holidays. Permits can be purchased at reservations.ontarioparks.com. Park visits have “grown steadily” over the past decade, with more than 12 million visits in 2022. The reservation system includes regional parks close to us like Pinery, Rondeau and Port Burwell (starting May 12). For all other parks permits are available as usual upon arrival, first come first served. Booking ahead of time “guarantees” a visitor a space in the park and means check-in lines move faster. “Maybe you’re not an early-bird, and you don’t want to risk a park filling up by afternoon,” the ministry says. “Maybe you just enjoy the confidence of making a plan and the modern convenience of booking online. For these reasons (and many more), more than 80% of visitors told us they liked being able to reserve their daily vehicle permit in advance.” If you already have a seasonal daily permit you’ll be able to use it with the online service at no additional cost. Otherwise accessing a park even with a seasonal permit is subject to capacity limits.

Photo: Ont. Ministry of Tourism

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From one time zero to four - bus departures to TO starting this week

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 3 2023

From zero to four. That’s the number of trips passengers in Windsor will be able to take most days beginning Wednesday by bus from here to Toronto and some points in between. During the pandemic Greyhound pulled out of Canada leaving the decades old route between here and Toronto vacated, a run that began and ended in Detroit. Then last year European-based Flixbus, expanding its network throughout North America, made an incursion into the southwestern Ontario market. It operates two trips a day to the Big Smoke. And last month Megabus.com, the deep discount carrier known for its blue double decker buses, will be arriving in Canada’s motor city. It will replicate the old Greyhound route, beginning and ending in Detroit. But unlike other Megabus services those apparently big blue buses won’t be part of the schedule. The service will actually be operated by New York State-based Adirondack Trailways. “We are pleased to be able to leverage our partnership with Trailways of New York to expand our service,” Colin Emberson, VP Commercial for Megabus, said. “Offering cross-border service between Detroit and Toronto is a new and exciting opportunity for Megabus that will allow for several new travel options for our customers this spring.” There will be stops in Chatham, London and Paris. Megabus has long served Toronto and Montreal and Detroit and other US cities. Schedules roughly replicate one another. For example, next Saturday, Megabus offers runs at 8.43 am and 4.12 pm, both for $59, which aren’t the deep discounts the carrier used to be known for, sometimes $1. (It offers just one departure Sunday.) Flixbus offers departures at 9 am and 4.30 pm for $52.99 and $46.99. (It offers two departures Sunday at higher prices.)

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Take a trip to Bay City and into Michigan rock and roll history

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 17 2023

For a fun filled trip into Michigan rock and roll nostalgia you need go no further than the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Michigan’s contribution to rock is legendary. From Bob Seger to Mitch Ryder, Alice Cooper to The Romantics, there must be something in the Mitten State that generate such great music. And that doesn’t even include Detroit’s indelible contribution with Motown. The Hall of Fame is located in Bay City. Bay City? The city may seem nondescript but it’s the birthplace of Madonna and where Grand Funk Railroad was formed. And it’s the site of the famed Schiell Recording Studio where ? and The Mysterians recorded 96 tears. The studio also recorded Cherry Slush and Meat Loaf’s first rpm single. The Hall of Fame is on the second floor of the Historical Museum of Bay County at 321 Washington Ave. The grand opening took place just over a year ago. The man who put it all together is Gary “Dr. J” Johnson. A former teacher, he was creating a multimedia rock and roll history class. “While researching I was surprised that there wasn't already a rock hall for Michigan artists,” he said. He started a website in 2004 after retiring. He supported it by teaching rock and roll history courses at Saginaw Valley State University. “I eventually installed an online voting system and it grew from there.” In 2021, he was offered a permanent home at the historical museum. “And for the past two years I have been curating the exhibit.” A total of 120 artists and individuals have been inducted. And 150 recordings have been honoured as “legendary” Michigan songs from Night Moves to Runaway, Band of Gold to Kick Out the Jams. “The response to the Hall of Fame has been one hundred percent positive,” Dr. J. says. The Hall of Fame is open Monday – Friday 10:00 am to 4 pm.

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