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CBC
23-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Sandwich Town residents hopeful as boarded up buildings come down
Some residents of Sandwich Town say they're happy to finally see the end of around a dozen boarded up houses in their neighbourhood that are owned by the same company that owns the Ambassador Bridge. The bridge corporation is tearing the buildings down after years of vacancy, during which neighbours have complained of unsightly caved-in roofs, pest infestations and repeated arsons. "We've been waiting a long time for this to happen and I'm just kind of shocked that it happened this quick," said Kevin Benoit, who lives on St. Antoine Street. "We're talking about how long? A very, very long time." The Canadian Transit Company bought the homes to make way for a possible second international crossing next to the Ambassador Bridge. However, the company said there is no plan to move forward with the project after the federal permit for it expired in 2022. The company's vice president told CBC in an email that the company is now working collaboratively with city officials to bring secondary truck inspections to the bridge plaza. "We are optimistic that we will be able to make an announcement of additional large investments soon," Ken Dobson said. Resident would love to see new homes built Asked why the company chose now as the time to tear down the buildings, Dobson said it could not do so until the city issued permits. Benoit said he would've appreciated some warning about the demolitions so he could prepare for the noise. He's also concerned it will be a slow process, and he's worried about what will become of the land when it's done. But after living in the neighbourhood for around 20 years and watching the houses go from family homes to eyesores, he says he'd love to see new homes back on the properties. "That would be great," he said. "That would really make this neighborhood. This is a nice little quiet section of the west end, right?" Edison Street resident Preston Gao said even vacant properties would be better than boarded up buildings. Gao, who has lived in the area since 2017, said the neighbourhood is affordable, the neighbours are very kind, and he's not sure he'd want to live anywhere else. But he said the empty homes attracted unhoused people who camped on porches and tried to break in. It also attracted numerous animals. "The roofs are all in disrepair and falling in," he said. "So raccoons will make nests up there – squirrels, plenty of skunks in the area." There's also a feral cat colony in the neighbourhood, Gao said. "I'm happy," he said of the demolition now underway.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
More than a dozen vacant homes are being demolished in Sandwich Town
Social Sharing As a bulldozer clears the rubble of a demolished home that once stood in the shadow of the Ambassador Bridge, west end Coun. Fabio Costante says there's a hopeful future ahead. "This is the last piece of the puzzle to really completely see a revitalization of Sandwich Town," he said, standing on the sidewalk. "I'm much more hopeful and optimistic than I've ever been." More than a dozen abandoned and boarded up homes are being torn to the ground on Indian Road and Rosedale Avenue after the Canadian Transit Company (CTC) had demolition permits approved by the city. The homes were purchased by CTC to clear a path for a second international crossing next to the Ambassador Bridge. However, the Ambassador Bridge owner said there is no plan to move forward with the project after the federal permit expired in 2022. But the owner is moving forward with extension of the plaza at the base of the Canadian entrance to relocate the secondary inspection area for transport trucks closer to the port of entry. Representatives did not reply to CBC's request for an interview about future plans for the area. Changing relationship between city, bridge company Costante and Mayor Drew Dilkens both said the company is making an effort to improve its relationship with the city. "I think Mr. Moroun genuinely wants to put all of these issues and some of the ill will that has come in the past levelled against his father and the Canadian Transit Company, he wants to put that to bed and turn the page," said Dilkens. The Moroun family has owned the Ambassador Bridge since 1979 and has in the past battled with the local and federal governments. Those fights include a legal battle to stop the government from opening the Gordie Howe International Bridge that failed in 2021 and the ongoing negotiations about what to do with the vacant, abandoned properties. "We've got a great relationship with the Ambassador Bridge, with Mr. Moroun, trying to get to the other side of this," said Dilkens. "It's the likes of which I've never felt before in terms of that type of relationship. So I'm very positive that we're going to find a common ground that resolves the issues." Those issues include what happens next with the expansion of the relocation of the Canadian Border Services Agency's operations near College Avenue and Huron Church. "The nuances and some of the intricacies are things that are being worked out right now among parties and I can't share details," said Costante.
