Latest news with #Windsorites
CBC
09-04-2025
- CBC
Police investigate damaged tombstones at Windsor cemetery
New | Emma Loop | CBC News | Posted: April 9, 2025 12:39 AM | Last Updated: Just now Roughly a dozen tombstones were knocked over Police in Windsor have launched an investigation after roughly a dozen tombstones in a local cemetery were damaged. Staff at the St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Cemetery have wrapped the tombstones, knocked off their stone bases, in yellow caution tape. Windsor police confirmed that they received a report on Monday "indicating that headstones had been knocked over" at the cemetery. "This occurrence is in the early stages of investigation," a Windsor Police Services spokesperson said. One local woman who visited the cemetery on Sunday said the scene overwhelmed her. "I just couldn't get over how anyone could do that towards someone's resting space. They're in their final place," said Wendy Morano, who was there with her husband to visit her twin sister's grave. Morano posted a video of the tombstone damage to social media, where fellow Windsorites reacted with sadness and anger. A representative for the cemetery said the damaged tombstones have been marked and will be repaired when the ground dries out in the coming weeks. It's not the first time the cemetery has been vandalized. In 2014, thieves damaged around 50 crypts when they removed vases and other items, leaving flowers and mementos on the ground. The cemetery is home to decades-old graves, including those of veterans who served in the First and Second World Wars. Morano said she and her twin were both born "very premature," and her sister did not survive. "This is my only way to be with my sister," she said. "I never got that opportunity with her dying young." Her sister's grave was not damaged, Morano said, but the experience of seeing the destruction nearby left her feeling traumatized nonetheless. Morano said she posted the video so that other people whose family members are interred there would know to check on their loved ones' tombstones. "I couldn't imagine those poor people," she said. She said she wants the public – and those who might be responsible for the damage – to know that there is already "so much hatred in our world right now." "We just need to do better."
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's trade war hits home on ‘the front line of Canada'
WINDSOR, Ontario — These are complicated times along Canada's border. Whenever President Donald Trump talks about obliterating Canada's auto industry, he takes direct aim at the people who live over the river from Detroit in Windsor. Windsorites recoil from his threats, but few see Detroiters as adversaries. But as they gear up to head to the polls on April 28 in a snap federal election, the focus for Canadians in border towns and elsewhere is increasingly their complicated relationship with their neighbors. As long as there's a trade war, Trump will be the ballot question. Because of where they live and work, Windsor residents intuitively understand what's at stake. 'If you said to them, the Ambassador Bridge is closed and protesters are blocking it, 100 percent of the people in Windsor would say, 'Uh oh,'' said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. 'They know right away that's a deeply troubling issue.' That is not a hypothetical. In 2022, a six-day blockade of the bridge that connects the city to Detroit delayed billions in trade. In Windsor — and all along the Canadian border — the trade war is personal. Brian Masse, a longtime New Democratic Party lawmaker fighting his ninth federal election in the district of Windsor West, puts it bluntly: "We are expecting to be the front line of Canada in this fight," he says. Dilkens, who has his own connections to the U.S. — he earned his MBA in Michigan, and his kids were born in Detroit — acknowledged that residents of his city are looking for a federal government that will 'have their back' against Trump's threats. Even if Ottawa and Washington reach some sort of detente, the mayor says, his residents will still be facing the same pre-Trump frustrations. Life is still expensive. Fentanyl use is a major concern in the downtown core. Immigration is putting pressure on housing and social services. He and Masse both identify allies on the other side of the border. The mayor recently visited Bryan Barnett, the Republican mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan — where they raised a Canadian flag in their visitor's honor. Masse namechecked Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a progressive Democrat from Detroit. Both Barnett and Tlaib have offered to help Canada where they can. Others fear the wrath of the White House, and express support only behind closed doors. "Not everyone is even quietly an ally, because they're just afraid to say something," says Dilkens. Canadian mayors and Indigenous leaders from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region made their case in Washington against tariffs earlier this month. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities fanned out across the U.S. in February. Windsor is far from the only pressure point. Cam Bissonnette, the owner and operator of a duty-free shop in Osoyoos, British Columbia, choked up last week as he described his business' dire straits during a press conference appealing for targeted federal help for border businesses. 'Right now, it really feels like we are hostages in economic warfare,' Bissonnette said, citing reduced cross-border customers — and a day recently when his only transaction was a refund. "We know that aluminum, lumber, the automotive industry — they employ hundreds of thousands of people in this country," he said. "They can sell their products elsewhere in the world. We can't." Barbara Barrett, the executive director of the Frontier Duty Free Association, called on Ottawa to provide "targeted financial support and a plan that recognizes unique vulnerabilities of border-dependent communities — and the businesses that keep them alive." Border towns are essential economic nodes within massive supply chains, but their interconnectedness is more human than widget. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says his family is evenly split between both sides. His best friend lives in western New York. In steeltown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Mayor Matt Shoemaker recently told POLITICO that the identically named town across the St. Marys River — a community about one-fifth the size of its Ontario counterpart — lacks a public swimming pool. If Michiganders want to take a dip, many just cross the bridge to Canada. But these days, residents on the Canadian side of the border think twice about crossing over. Take Mayor Allan MacEachern's residents in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, a small town across the St. Croix River from Calais, Maine. 'They're upset. It's a punch in the gut, so to speak, from our neighbors. I'll say neighbor,' he said, referring to Trump. 'That's the problem. Our neighbors are taking the heat for it.' In February, for example, about 500,000 fewer travellers crossed the land border into the U.S. In Windsor, Dilkens points to another factor in any Canadian reluctance to visit Detroit: the weak exchange rate as the loonie struggles against the greenback. 'The high U.S. dollar makes me second guess going over there and spending any money, because it's just not worth it,' he says. Dilkens chairs an upstart Border Mayors Alliance, a fledgling group of three-dozen-plus mayors — and counting — that grew out of an Ontario-only group that formed during the Covid era, back when the border shuttered. The alliance's primary goal is to find municipal allies across the border who can influence U.S. lawmakers — a trickle-up effort that feeds Canada's provincial and federal efforts. They report their interactions to Canada's embassy and consulates, contributing to a database of key American contacts who could possibly speak up for Canada. Dilkens is looking to maximize speaking engagements in the Detroit area. He says the embassy is 'doing very targeted research so that mayors are empowered with all the right information' when they have the ear of Americans. In Niagara Falls, Diodati says he bought Trump's 'The Art of the Deal' when it hit bookstores in 1987: 'I was a young entrepreneur. I was intrigued by Donald Trump, and I liked his personality and the way he negotiated deals.' When POLITICO spoke with Diodati in February, he told us Trump's annexation talk was a negotiation tactic. 'I get his MO. It didn't offend me, but I can see how a lot of people are hurt by it, because they think we're too close for someone to take a shot like that.' Dilkens says Canadians are braced for the next salvo — a new round of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods scheduled to land next week. 'April 2 will be a telling day,' he said.
Politico
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Trump's trade war hits home on ‘the front line of Canada'
WINDSOR, Ontario — These are complicated times along Canada's border. Whenever President Donald Trump talks about obliterating Canada's auto industry, he takes direct aim at the people who live over the river from Detroit in Windsor. Windsorites recoil from his threats, but few see Detroiters as adversaries. But as they gear up to head to the polls on April 28 in a snap federal election, the focus for Canadians in border towns and elsewhere is increasingly their complicated relationship with their neighbors. As long as there's a trade war, Trump will be the ballot question. Because of where they live and work, Windsor residents intuitively understand what's at stake. 'If you said to them, the Ambassador Bridge is closed and protesters are blocking it, 100 percent of the people in Windsor would say, 'Uh oh,'' said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. 'They know right away that's a deeply troubling issue.' That is not a hypothetical. In 2022, a six-day blockade of the bridge that connects the city to Detroit delayed billions in trade . In Windsor — and all along the Canadian border — the trade war is personal. Brian Masse, a longtime New Democratic Party lawmaker fighting his ninth federal election in the district of Windsor West, puts it bluntly: 'We are expecting to be the front line of Canada in this fight,' he says. Dilkens, who has his own connections to the U.S. — he earned his MBA in Michigan, and his kids were born in Detroit — acknowledged that residents of his city are looking for a federal government that will 'have their back' against Trump's threats. Even if Ottawa and Washington reach some sort of detente, the mayor says, his residents will still be facing the same pre-Trump frustrations. Life is still expensive. Fentanyl use is a major concern in the downtown core. Immigration is putting pressure on housing and social services. He and Masse both identify allies on the other side of the border. The mayor recently visited Bryan Barnett, the Republican mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan — where they raised a Canadian flag in their visitor's honor. Masse namechecked Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a progressive Democrat from Detroit. Both Barnett and Tlaib have offered to help Canada where they can. Others fear the wrath of the White House, and express support only behind closed doors. 'Not everyone is even quietly an ally, because they're just afraid to say something,' says Dilkens. Canadian mayors and Indigenous leaders from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region made their case in Washington against tariffs earlier this month . The Federation of Canadian Municipalities fanned out across the U.S. in February. Windsor is far from the only pressure point. Cam Bissonnette, the owner and operator of a duty-free shop in Osoyoos, British Columbia, choked up last week as he described his business' dire straits during a press conference appealing for targeted federal help for border businesses. 'Right now, it really feels like we are hostages in economic warfare,' Bissonnette said, citing reduced cross-border customers — and a day recently when his only transaction was a refund. 'We know that aluminum, lumber, the automotive industry — they employ hundreds of thousands of people in this country,' he said. 'They can sell their products elsewhere in the world. We can't.' Barbara Barrett, the executive director of the Frontier Duty Free Association, called on Ottawa to provide 'targeted financial support and a plan that recognizes unique vulnerabilities of border-dependent communities — and the businesses that keep them alive.' Border towns are essential economic nodes within massive supply chains, but their interconnectedness is more human than widget. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati says his family is evenly split between both sides. His best friend lives in western New York. In steeltown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Mayor Matt Shoemaker recently told POLITICO that the identically named town across the St. Marys River — a community about one-fifth the size of its Ontario counterpart — lacks a public swimming pool. If Michiganders want to take a dip, many just cross the bridge to Canada. But these days, residents on the Canadian side of the border think twice about crossing over. Take Mayor Allan MacEachern's residents in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, a small town across the St. Croix River from Calais, Maine. 'They're upset. It's a punch in the gut, so to speak, from our neighbors. I'll say neighbor,' he said, referring to Trump. 'That's the problem. Our neighbors are taking the heat for it.' In February, for example, about 500,000 fewer travellers crossed the land border into the U.S. In Windsor, Dilkens points to another factor in any Canadian reluctance to visit Detroit: the weak exchange rate as the loonie struggles against the greenback. 'The high U.S. dollar makes me second guess going over there and spending any money, because it's just not worth it,' he says. Dilkens chairs an upstart Border Mayors Alliance, a fledgling group of three-dozen-plus mayors — and counting — that grew out of an Ontario-only group that formed during the Covid era, back when the border shuttered. The alliance's primary goal is to find municipal allies across the border who can influence U.S. lawmakers — a trickle-up effort that feeds Canada's provincial and federal efforts. They report their interactions to Canada's embassy and consulates, contributing to a database of key American contacts who could possibly speak up for Canada. Dilkens is looking to maximize speaking engagements in the Detroit area. He says the embassy is 'doing very targeted research so that mayors are empowered with all the right information' when they have the ear of Americans. In Niagara Falls, Diodati says he bought Trump's 'The Art of the Deal' when it hit bookstores in 1987: 'I was a young entrepreneur. I was intrigued by Donald Trump, and I liked his personality and the way he negotiated deals.' When POLITICO spoke with Diodati in February, he told us Trump's annexation talk was a negotiation tactic. 'I get his MO. It didn't offend me, but I can see how a lot of people are hurt by it, because they think we're too close for someone to take a shot like that.' Dilkens says Canadians are braced for the next salvo — a new round of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods scheduled to land next week. 'April 2 will be a telling day,' he said.
CBC
28-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Windsor's pothole problem is aggravated by the freeze-thaw weather. Is there anything you can do?
Social Sharing If it's been a bumpy ride for you in Windsor lately, you are far from alone — recent weather has made the city's roads prone to potholes. Phong Nguy, the City of Windsor's acting director of public works operations, assesses the city's pothole situation. He told CBC there are fewer potholes this year than in previous years — "but certainly more drastic" because of a recent freeze-thaw cycle. "As the thaw-freeze cycle continues, we are seeing significant potholes right now. We have two crews night and day to deal with such emergencies," he said. Nguy explained that the recent warm weather allowed ground water to penetrate roads and the following sudden freezing temperatures meant potholes appeared. Sections of Banwell Road, University Avenue, Tecumseh Road and Conservation Road are laden with such potholes. At Monday's city council meeting, Nguy told council that this "year has been extremely challenging" which has put a "lot of stress" on the road networks in Windsor-Essex. Nguy said the city has been diligent about repairing potholes within the times prescribed by the Municipal Act. "But the key is detection," he said, noting that's why the city is currently deploying up to three scouting vehicles equipped with AI scanning technology to find potholes. He also urges Windsorites to report potholes and says drivers should go slowly to reduce potential damage. 'Sometimes, there just is no liability:' City of Windsor Dana Paladino, the City of Windsor's acting senior executive director of corporate services, said the city's liability regarding potholes varies. She argues that it's rare the city would cover vehicle damage from potholes, as the Municipal Act "does not require a standard of perfection" regarding road maintenance. "Even though there may be no wrongdoing on your part and pothole is essentially inevitable on your part as a driver, you may have been doing everything right, it doesn't mean that there's corresponding liability on the city or on anybody else," she said. "So, sometimes there just is no liability." In a similar extreme freeze-thaw cycle in 2021, Paladino said "potholes literally popped up overnight." "We do have a damage claim form and anyone can always submit one. But in a circumstance like this, this is not something that we would pay for," she said. She says drivers should consult their own vehicle insurance provider — even if a claim is submitted by the insurer and there's no liability, the city would still not likely cover it. "When you have the freeze thaw, it would be very unusual to get compensation for damage arising from a pothole," she said, advising drivers to "keep expectations realistic." "It's just beyond reason to have every pothole remedied or fixed within an instantaneous period." Best route is auto insurance: Insurance Bureau of Canada Anne Marie Thomas is the director of consumer and industry relations at Insurance Bureau of Canada, the national industry association representing the vast majority of Canada's home, car and business insurance companies. She said pothole damage is a Canada-wide problem. "Oftentimes it is quicker to get a claim settled through your own insurance company," she said. "Now, the only way that you can make a claim through your insurance company is if you have purchased either collision or all perils coverage on your car." She said damage caused by a pothole would be subject to a deductible and would be considered a single vehicle accident. Thomas debunks the myth many may have that a pothole damage can be easily compensated by the municipalities. She said many online studies show how only a fraction of all submitted claims to municipalities are paid out. If significant damage is done to the vehicle, she said the insurance company might try to subrogate from the city "but again it doesn't happen very often." Teresa Di Felice is the assistant vice president of government and community relations at CAA. She says potholes are a sore spot for drivers and often hears about unsuccessful claims. Di Felice said potholes can damage vehicles, either through wear and tear over time or through immediate damage depending on the speed of the car and size of the potholes. In CAA's survey of members last year, they found the cost of vehicle damage caused by potholes ranged from $500 to over $2,000, with the average repair costing $852. Damage from potholes can vary, she says, from tire blowouts and alignment problems to rim and bumper damage. It's always best to read the fine print on your auto insurance. While the onus lies on the drivers, Felice said road maintenance should also be factored in.
CBC
08-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Windsor and Detroit are old friends. Some worry Trump's tariff threats could change that
Many Canadians are angry at the United States over the threat of tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated jibes about "the 51st state," but those feelings are more complicated in Windsor, Ont., where people are deeply connected to their neighbours across the river in Detroit. "You're throwing away hundreds of years of friendship and hundreds of years of connection because of the few stupid actions of one idiot," said Rino Bortolin, a restaurant owner and former city councillor in Windsor. "[These tariffs are] just a really stupid idea. And we can't take it out on the people," he told The Current 's Matt Galloway. Earlier this week, Trump was set to slap 25 per cent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods, but delayed the move for 30 days after Canada agreed to increase border security and appoint a fentanyl "czar." Despite a temporary reprieve from the trade war, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Trump's threat to annex Canada "is a real thing," none of which has cooled the simmering anger many Canadians are still feeling about their neighbours to the south. WATCH | Canadian patriotism rises following Trump's tariff threats, survey shows: Canadian patriotism on the rise since Trump's tariff threats, survey shows 1 day ago Duration 4:38 The number of Canadians who say they are 'very proud' of their country has risen about 10 per cent in the last two months, according to an Angus Reid Institute survey done in the wake of U.S. tariff threats. University of British Columbia political science lecturer Stewart Prest spoke to CBC News about the findings. "It's kind of like when your best friend does something behind your back, and you're feeling a little hurt by it," said Adriano Ciotoli, who usually runs a weekly dive bar tour to Detroit through his business WindsorEats. "We're taking a step back right now and gaining our composure before we go back to the city of Detroit," he told CBC Windsor this week. For Bortolin, the cross-border connection is just as personal. His parents both immigrated to Canada from Italy, with his mother ending up in Detroit and his father in Windsor. "They met here. They dated on the streets of Detroit, going down Woodward to see Elvis at the Fox Theatre," he said. "I'm a first generation Canadian that sees as much home in Detroit as he does in Windsor." He worries that when some Windsorites talk about pulling back from the U.S., they aren't considering how closely the cities are connected, from their economies to their arts and culture. Dive bar diplomacy Tom Lucier owns the Phog Lounge, a popular live music venue in Windsor. He also runs what he calls unofficial tours into Detroit, aiming to show Windsorites a side of the city he thinks is a "blind spot" for many. "I like taking them to places where, like, real human beings, ground-level Detroiters live … not the shiny parts of the city," he told The Current. That means dive bars, art exhibits and out-of-the-way places to eat, instead of going "shopping, going to concerts, going to sporting events — and then coming right back," he said. Lucier says he's been shocked to hear some of the anti-U.S. rhetoric from his customers, especially when he sees the border as not much more than "a line on the map." "I'm trying to bring people over there to give them the human side, have them meet their contemporaries over there. And this whole mess is messing with that," he said. Lucier acknowledged that his enthusiasm for Detroit isn't always equally reciprocated. He regularly asks people across the river how often they think of Windsor. When the response is only sometimes, he tells them he probably thinks about Detroit 50 times a day. "It's not an exact same relationship, but it's super valuable to me regardless of that lopsidedness," he said Nationalism push 'a slippery slope' Coming in the other direction, Jeanette Pierce brings Detroiters across the border on tours of Windsor and Essex County. She believes each city complements the other. "For a long time, I had to remind people that Detroit has always been a great city," said Pierce. "But one of the things that makes us great is our proximity to Windsor. We get two countries for the price of one." Pierce is the founder of the City Institute, an organization aiming to educate Detroit residents about their city's history, challenges and opportunities. She said it's true that Windsor may not be top of mind for many Detroiters, but insisted they will notice if tariffs and tensions have an impact on businesses and consumers in both economies. She urged Canadians to remember that not everyone in the U.S. supports Trump's policies, and said that "there's more of us that are frustrated and scared than not." A push for nationalism can be "a slippery slope," she said, and "kind of how we got into this mess in the first place." 'Safeguard our economy' Irene Moore Davis was born and raised in Windsor, and has family scattered on both sides of the river. She said it's easy to travel back and forth to be together — for the most part. "There are moments in world history when that border becomes a border," said Moore Davis, assistant curator of the Amherstburg Freedom Museum. "After 9/11, things became much stricter for a while. During the pandemic, it was actually shut down. And now there's a sense of, you know, something lost once again," she said. Moore Davis said it's important to do "the necessary things to safeguard our economy," but hopes that this moment won't cultivate any kind of hatred or division between Windsorites and their American neighbours. "Most American people are good people," she said, adding that it's important to keep working on the region's integrated economies and socio-cultural ties. "It's so important that we don't let those relationships go." Bortolin, the restaurant owner whose parents fell in love while criss-crossing the border, says he thinks that Canada may eventually forge new trade agreements with other countries. But he doesn't want Windsor's relationship with Detroit to change. "I don't want it to be where all of a sudden they do something stupid, like, we need a visa to visit … we want this to be a seamless area," he said.
