Latest news with #WindsorCityCouncil
Axios
08-08-2025
- Business
- Axios
Windsor tunnel bus to Detroit shutting down Aug. 31
Windsor's tunnel bus to Detroit is set to close later this month for budgetary reasons. Why it matters: The tunnel bus has operated seven days a week, offering an affordable way (at $10 each way) for both Canadians and Detroiters to cross the border. State of play: Windsor is shutting it down as of Aug. 31. The city's other cross-border bus to Detroit for special events, such as select concerts and sporting events, will continue through mid-December. Catch up quick: Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens cut the service in his 2025 budget because he said the city could no longer afford it. He also cited trade tensions with the United States, CBC News reported. Windsor City Council tried to maintain the route by raising the fare to $20, but Dilkens vetoed the move earlier this year, triggering the six-month process of winding it down.
CTV News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Windsor moves forward with $3.1M fire truck order amid tariff uncertainty
A fire truck at Station 1 in Windsor, Ont., on Oct. 8, 2023. (Melanie Kentner/CTV News Windsor) Windsor City Council has approved the purchase of two new fire vehicles — a decision staff say could save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars if tariffs rise in the near future. The $3.1-million order includes one aerial and one pumper truck, both replacing aging vehicles nearing the end of their service life. City officials say one of the key motivations for moving quickly is uncertainty around international tariffs, particularly as they relate to U.S.-built emergency vehicles. 'The nice thing is that right now, emergency vehicles are exempted under those tariffs,' said Michael Chantler, the city's commissioner of community services. 'That could change any given day.' Chantler said the lead time to receive the trucks is already a couple of years — and ordering now locks in lower pricing. 'By doing it now we save a couple hundred thousand dollars on the price of the vehicles,' he said. 'Then we have setup once the vehicles arrive… and we don't know where the cost will be on that equipment when those trucks arrive.' Each truck is expected to cost an additional $80,000 to fully equip after delivery. Mayor Drew Dilkens supported the move but said it highlights the financial strain the city faces when replacing major assets. 'We can afford to buy two new fire trucks, but it's at the expense of something else,' said Dilkens. 'If we're paying 73 per cent more on a $1.5-million fire truck, that means there's something else we can't do downstream.' Council's decision comes amid broader discussions about capital funding and long-term asset management. 'We still have to make sure we have police cars and fire trucks on the road and responding to 911 calls,' Dilkens added. 'But these are real pressures… and they speak to the inflationary issues we see as a city.' The new fire vehicles are expected to arrive in early 2026.
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Windsor city councillor submits resignation for new role
A member of the Windsor City Council has submitted his resignation as he is moving into a new role leading the area's community housing organization. Ward 2 councillor Fabio Costante submitted his resignation to the city clerk Sunday evening after being hired as the new chief executive officer of the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation. Costante's resignation from the council will be effective June 26 as he moves into his new role effective July 7. He says he is resigning from council because it won't be possible to do both jobs to the fullest extent, and it was something the CHC also requested. 'There's so much overlap between the two bodies,' says Costante. 'There are so many housing issues that come before the council that I'd have to declare a conflict on. There's just operational fuzziness that would create issues.' The next municipal election is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, which means city council will have to decide on how to fill the Ward 2 seat following Costante's resignation. Costante was first elected to city council in 2018, representing West Windsor, and then re-elected in 2022, and during that time served on many committees and boards, which included the Windsor Essex County Housing Corporation and as chair of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. He says he felt strongly that he could do more for the community in this new role as we're amid a housing crisis. 'I look at this as not stepping away; actually, I look at it differently,' says Costante. 'I look at it as diving deeper into community service and community service that is specifically focused on the biggest issue that we face unequivocally as a community today.' According to the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation's website, it is the largest social housing provider in Windsor and Essex County and the fifth largest in Ontario, offering over 4,900 homes to seniors, families, and singles in need of affordable housing. Costante says he's proud of several accomplishments during his time serving Ward 2, including the $20 million University Avenue road improvement project, ongoing investments and upgrades to the Adie Knox Arena complex, road reconstruction and streetscaping work in Sandwich Town, along with several bylaw and policy items he was involved with advocating for, including the vacant home tax and improvements to the dirty yards bylaws to crack down on negligent and absentee landlords. Costante says he can't thank the mayor and his fellow councillors enough for all the work they did together over the past six and a half years. 'I feel like I am and felt like I was part of the most amazing, hard-working community. Not just in our region but across the province. The west side-this is our cliché-the west side is the best side. It always was and always will be,' he says. According to a release issued Monday by the CHC, the hiring comes after a months-long recruitment and evaluation effort and the final candidates were independently assessed by Vokes Leadership Group, combined with input from the CHC board members, community partners, and oversight of external legal counsel, ensuring the appointment of the most qualified leader to guide CHC into its next chapter. Joyce Zuk, Executive Director of the Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team and member of CHC's Selection Committee, says, 'the Selection Committee undertook a rigorous and thoughtful process to select the new CEO. We were fortunate to meet with an exceptional group of candidates, each bringing unique strengths. Fabio stood out as the clear choice-a leader whose vision, experience, and integrity make him exceptionally well-suited to guide CHC into its next chapter.' Joe Bachetti, chair of CHC's board of directors and deputy warden for the County of Essex, says, 'Mr. Costante's appointment comes at a pivotal time in CHC's history. CHC's Board of Directors is confident that under Mr. Costante's leadership, CHC will effectively tackle the hurdles posed by the national housing crisis, advancing CHC's mission with purpose and integrity.' Nolan Goyette has been serving as interim chief executive officer of CHC since June 2024. ~ By Rusty Thomson, AM800 News.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Local NDP MPP tables motion to repeal Strong Mayor Powers legislation
The New Democrat MPP for Windsor West has tabled a motion to repeal the Strong Mayor Powers legislation. Lisa Gretzky tabled the motion on Wednesday in the Ontario Legislature, urging the Doug Ford government to rescind these powers that were granted in 2022. Windsor was granted strong mayor powers in 2023. Recently, the powers were expanded to dozens of additional municipalities, including all of the Essex County municipalities, despite indication locally that they did not want these powers. At the end of April, Windsor city council voted 8-3 in favour of sending a letter to Premier Doug Ford requesting that Windsor be removed from the list of municipalities designated under the Strong Mayor legislation. These powers were put in place to offer tools to help heads of council cut red tape and speed up the delivery of key shared municipal-provincial priorities such as housing, transit, and infrastructure in their municipalities. Gretzky said these powers don't make local cities stronger - they make them less democratic, and they silence the diverse voices of elected representatives. 'We have people in our communities, constituents and elected officials, that truly believe in democracy,' she said. 'They believe that city councillors are elected to represent constituents and bring their voice and their vote to the council table, and that majority rule should be respected.' She said while these powers were put into place to help speed up priorities such as housing, those targets still aren't being met. 'The province is not even meeting its own housing targets, even though they are giving these powers to municipalities, and basically trying to point the finger at municipalities and saying, 'well it's your responsibility, we've given you strong mayor powers, now build housing'. We're not meeting housing targets; we're not building the appropriate housing that people need in our community,' Gretzky said. She said the concern also lies with how future mayors will handle these powers. 'It really has opened the door for at some point a mayor to potentially overstep those powers and abuse those powers. This is not about good governance; this is about executive overreach. We need to be returning decision making back to the councillors and reinstating majority rule,' she added. Gretzky said that the provincial government has decided to shut the legislature down for an extended period of time, meaning MPPs won't be sitting until late October. She said this motion likely won't be debate on until early 2026 - but that the government can pause these powers if they decide to do so before they sit again. Strong mayor powers came into effect for the 169 additional municipalities across Ontario on May 1. - Written by Meagan Delaurier/AM800 News.
CTV News
01-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
City to consider turfing curling season amid shortage of ice rinks
A new report to Windsor City Council could derail the upcoming season for the region's curling community. The report aims to address a shortage of ice space following a fire at the WFCU Centre. Staff are recommending Rink A at the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex, which is used for curling, be converted to a typical skating rink. The news was much to the surprise of Terry Fink, the chairman of a group looking to save curling in Windsor. 'We've sort of been hit, blindsided, by the report and, because we feel it's incomplete, there needs to be consultation, and we think that that has been absent a lot,' Fink told CTV News. 060125_curling arena windsor fink Terry Fink, the chairman of a group looking to save curling in Windsor, June 1, 2025 (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) Curling was already displaced last year after the council elected to move the sport from Roseland Golf and Curling Club because the aging rink was slated for demolition. 'It was council by resolution that said, you know, come to South Windsor Arena and, curling will be bigger and better than it was at Roseland,' Fink said. Following a fire on April 28, the roof above the AM800 rink has been compromised and added work is needed to investigate subsequent water damage at the WFCU's other two community rinks. As a result the AM800 rink, which is primarily used as the home of the Riverside Minor Hockey Association, could be closed for an entire year, a staff report states. The report highlights by eliminating the curling season at Capri, the city could accommodate the loss of prime ice time, which are high use times on weekends and weeknights, at the WFCU Centre. At Capri's Rink A, curling used 14 of the possible 53 hours of prime ice time available. 'So a lot of the curlers are retirees, and so they're curling during the day when you and other people are at work, and all the children are at school,' Fink explained. Fink added the sport does have a strong contingent of adult players who are on the ice after work hours. 'Going into this, we all knew what the hours of curling were going to be and it was not an issue, so I don't understand,' Fink added. The report has also received criticism from Fred Francis, Ward 1 City Councillor, who feels the proposal is 'disappointing.' Coun. Fred Francis An undated photo of Windsor's Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor) 'Council's being put in a tough spot, asking essentially to choose between hockey and curling, and that's bad policy,' Francis told AM800 CKLW. Francis previously advocated for a continued curling presence at Roseland and wonders if the predicament could revive that dream. Regardless, he added the city needs better plans to increase its rink capacity and avoid future shortcomings. Francis warned by displacing curlers for the year, the city risks never seeing the sport return. 'I think if the city gets out of the curling game right now, I don't think we'll ever get into it,' Francis said. Since moving from Roseland, Fink noted they've added about 60 curlers, but he echoed that a one-year hiatus could kill interest in curling. 'As something ends, we'll find something else to do, and it may be very difficult and challenging to bring the volume of curlers back after your year of not curling,' he added. Before a decision is made, Fink said he wants council to explore further opportunities and consider how they would support curling if it does disappear for a year. - with files from AM800's Dustin Coffman
