Published May 13, 2024 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 33 minute read
Follow Windsor Star reporter Taylor Campbell’s live blog below for up-to-the-minute coverage of Windsor city council’s meeting on Monday, May 13, 2024. Today, council decided to go ahead with a multi-million-dollar plan to revive Windsor’s core.
To read some of the Star’s previous coverage on Strengthen the Core, the proposed plan for downtown revitalization first made public last month, click here, here, and here.
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5:30 p.m. — Meeting over.
5:15 p.m. — Council unanimously approves the budget amendment.
5:08 p.m. — On item 11.1 – 2024 Budget Amendment.
Francis asks Guthrie why the city didn’t include the operating budget item for policing at budget time.
Dilkens says consultation with the chief two years ago wasn’t about this particular plan. At budget time, “we weren’t ready with this plan. I wasn’t going to put a notional amount in the budget until I knew what elements (would be included).”
Under changes to the Municipal Act introduced in Bill 3, Strong Mayors, the city’s budget is considered the “mayor’s budget.” Dilkens has the power to amend the budget through a mayoral decision, which he has done to fund elements of the downtown plan. The plan requires increasing the annual operating budget by roughly $3.2 million.
Francis wants to ensure this doesn’t happen again. He would have liked to see a contingency budget baked into the operating budget, if this plan was on the horizon.
5:04 p.m. — Council votes unanimously in favour of Strengthen the Core, the downtown revitalization plan.
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4:17 p.m. — Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino has a motion:
He moves the staff recommendation to support the Strengthen the Core plan, including
the expansion of hours at the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub from 6 p.m. to midnightthe expansion of police downtown with the addition of 12 officersa dedicated Ward 3 bylaw officer to enforce property standardsthe addition of a project lead to co-ordinate and manage the downtown plan
“This is very gratifying to see this today and have this conversation,” Agostino.
“Action is necessary now. We had over 30 delegates here today, some of them desperate. We know there’s no silver bullet here. We know that no matter what happens, we’re going to be judged by what we do here.”
Ward 10 Coun. Jim Morrison supports the motion and asks for a recorded vote:
“I consider this decision the most important one so far in this term of council,” Morrison said.
“I don’t take spending this kind of money lightly and raising taxes as a result — We have a choice. We could just say no. That means turning our back on downtown to let it continue to deteriorate, to say, ‘I don’t care.’”
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Francis: Supports “I think we will see this make a dramatic impact relatively quickly.
“Last summer was a difficult summer dealing with this issue — we will know within a matter of weeks if this is going to be making a dent, or if this is moving in the right direction or not,” Francis said.
Kieran McKenzie: Supports. “We are facing an unprecedented health and human crisis in our community. We know that. I’ve never seen what I’m seeing in our community — I think today we’re taking concrete steps to make things better.”
Costante: Supports. “We have a moral obligation to lead on this and I’m glad we’re doing that today. I’m glad we’re going to be moving forward in this direction, bringing all parties together.”
Kaschak: Supports. “We do need to get this right. I certainly want to make sure that we work together on this because a lot of people fall by the wayside.”
Mark McKenzie: Support. “I am confident that not only is this going to make downtown safer, I think it’s going to make the whole city safer.
“I did go back and forth on this, but I think it’s going to cost us more to do nothing.”
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Gignac: Support. “The downtown area has proved to be a tough nut to crack for many many years.” She notes a delegate’s comment that investment in favour of holding taxes low was probably “part of the problem that we’re facing today,” but she says there has been “a lot of money” spent in the core.
She says the issues being faced downtown are “health issues,” and the funding to address them should come from the Ministry of Health.
“The frustration grows on my part. The municipal taxes have to be directed to the serves that the other levels of government (do not cover.”
“Once we start assuming the responsibilities of other levels of government, we’re not going to get gold stars on our foreheads — you get no recognition or reward…”
Gignac says that when she entered council chambers this morning, she was not going to support anything except extending hours at H4. She did a 180 after hearing from delegates and administration, but she still has doubts.
Marignani: Support “I think the concerns we have in our downtown core are similar to the concerns you would have in the human body if your heart had a disease.
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“This is us taking that initiative to improve the health of our heart, which in turn will improve the health of our body.”
Sleiman: Support. “I was really concerned at the beginning. I was concerned about the cost. I was concerned about if we tried and it didn’t work, what happens then?
“The downtown is the image of our city — it’s not just part of Ward 3. The downtown, the way I look at it, is the heart and soul of our city whether we like it or not.”
Dilkens: Support. “This plan was informed by so many people who have skin in the game, who are living in downtown … who have their money on the line.
“This isn’t perfect. This is not a perfect plan and it will be a living document. We will have to adjust and adapt accordingly as the situations change.
“I’d rather fail trying to do something than not to try at all.”
“Once we get this right, you’re going to have a whole market of people who will be interested in moving downtown because they will have a sense of, a feeling of safety in their neighbourhood.”
4:07 p.m. — Kieran McKenzie asks how council will be apprised of the plan’s progress. He wants to see a “regular reporting mechanism.”
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Mancina says a more formal report will come back to address that framework.
Dilkens says that if the plan is approved today, “police want to go tomorrow,” and H4 hours will be expanded immediately.
“The intention is not to wait for them (administration) to come back (with a report),” Dilkens said.
Kieran McKenzie said he appreciates the clarification. He still wants to see an accountability framework with “measures embedded in it” for all stakeholders involved.
3:56 p.m. — Gignac asks staff how the city will gain compliance with a health-care partner that isn’t participating in the plan. Dilkens steps in to answer and says there are many facets in the plan that city council does not control.
“There’s work going on behind the scenes with all of the partners now in a way that I haven’t seen in the past,” Dilkens says.
Dilkens says the plan can still be successful without a 24/7 mental health and addictions crisis facility for police to bring people.
“I think we’re going to see a big benefit just from the bones that are in this plan, which are within our control,” Dilkens said.
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Gignac asks if council has the opportunity to make H4 an 24/7 operation.
Daher says the H4 budget would need to increase, and the current facility at Waterworld doesn’t have the space to “accommodate that volume.”
3:50 p.m. — Costante: What framework are we going to use to measure the success of this plan? Perhaps there needs to be a framework ironed out and reported back to council.
He also asks if there should be a chair or co-chair to oversee the downtown plan.
Payne: “The first order of magnitude would be the creation of the framework. … We see this as a living document. We’ve got a good start with 48 recommendations, some very tangible: removal of benches, things that can be done in short order. Other aspects of the plan are much longer-term.”
3:45 p.m. — Marignani asks about timelines. If council approves the plan, what’s next?
City of Windsor Commissioner of Community Development and Health Services Jelena Payne says the city would start by hiring a project lead. Once that person is hired, their first task would be to start working with organizations “to get some benchmarking, identify priority items and which metrics should be tracked initially.”
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“I think we’d start with the data that’s already out there and then we need to prioritize that data, and then identify where the gaps are moving forward,” Payne says.
Payne says this kind of work is similar to what city administration did with the COVID-19 emergency response table, which met regularly and involved multiple players across the community.
3:39 p.m. — Kaschak asks if there’s any way the cost could be split between the 2024 and the 2025 operating budgets.
CFO Janice Guthrie: “We did take a look at that to the extent possible, to mitigate any impact on the resident.”
The average property taxpayer will be paying $23 more, Guthrie says.
3:29 p.m. — Now it’s time for questions of city staff.
Francis asks if council is being asked to support the report in principal, with future approvals at budget time.
City CAO Joe Mancina says that as other elements of the plan come forward with additional costs, those would be up for council approval in the future.
Francis asks about the “stronger together” aspect of the plan. How will the city oversee this plan? “And I’m not talking about the new position (a ‘project lead’) we’re hiring.”
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Andrew Daher, city commissioner of human and health services, says he and others will have to be at the table to ensure steps are being taken collaboratively.
Francis says there “has to be” one person overseeing it and holding others accountable. But he says that doesn’t need to be sorted out today.
Francis asks how the city will look to expand some of the Strengthen the Core initiatives city-wide. For example, property standards, cleanliness, and safety.
CAO Mancina: “The plan is a robust plan intended to look at specifically strengthening the core — it’s a matter of how that plan evolves and how we assess it, looking at metrics, looking at opportunities perhaps to leverage some of the items that have come out of it to be able to look at it more broadly.
“It’s about resources, it’s about our ability to leverage some of the knowledge that we’ve gained here.”
3:22 p.m. — Gignac has more questions for Bellaire. She asks what happens to the new 12 officers if community partners don’t come to the table, don’t do what needs to be done to make the plan work.
Bellaire: “If those partners don’t want to come to the table, then we need new partners.
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“Necessity is the mother of invention at Windsor police.”
Bellaire said he’s “optimistic” that community partners are going to participate.
Gignac says she’s concerned police don’t have a place 24/7 to bring people who need help.
3:08 p.m — Costante asks StrategyCorp’s Sabine Matheson if they’ve seen a strategy analogous to the one before Windsor council. “Have you seen them work? … Or is this something completely unique?”
Matheson: It’s not uncommon to address hot spots. “I think it’s quite common to have special taskforces for dealing with emerging problems.” Brantford and London have both “put a big focus on downtown.”
“I think the most successful strategies are the ones that take a holistic (approach),” Matheson says. Otherwise, “you might feel like a person who’s trying to dig a hole on a beach with the tide coming. You can work really hard with the shovel — likely there’s bigger problems than ones you can solve with any one shovel.
“This kind of collaborative team-based approach tends to have more positive success.”
2:54 p.m. — Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante asks Bellaire about the “criminal facts” of downtown. Has crime downtown increased, or decreased? And where?
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Bellaire says the downtown area — the city centre patrol area — is bounded by Elliott Street, Church Street, Aylmer Avenue, and the river. Crime peaked in 2019 and has held relatively steady ever since, he says.
The city centre patrol officers, he says, “are the busiest police unit in the City of Windsor — and because they’re so busy, they do so much, and because of the daily risk of danger and the issues they have, we basically ask them for a two-year commitment. Some will stay longer, and then others will move on. They’re handpicked.”
Costante asks if the plan can only be successful with partnerships from healthcare and social service providers. Bellaire says yes.
Costante says a “big part of this is perception.” He asks what role “eyes on the street” will play. Bellaire says cameras make a difference and will deter some crime. Having more people (pedestrians), “people tend to behave if they’re around other people,” the chief says.
“Behaviour can be guided by what you’re talking about,” Bellaire says. Investments in the downtown, more people on foot, having social service providers participating, “that will contribute to a better-behaved downtown.”
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2:45 p.m. — Ward 5 Coun. Ed Sleiman asks Bellaire about the movement of homeless people. “How are we going to deal with it?”
Bellaire says police “aren’t going to be in the business of chasing people around simply because they might not have better options. We’re going to be in the business of addressing social disorder, criminal activity, and looking to really aggressively link people who may be displaced or struggling with issues … to support services and provide them with the help they need.”
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2:32 p.m. — Ward 7 Coun. Angelo Marignani asks Bellaire if homelessness and drug addiction is spreading to other neighbourhoods in the city. Bellaire said WPS is still spending more time addressing the issues downtown, but they are not limited to downtown.
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“When we have our strategy aligned in the downtown area, we don’t require a frequent pull of resources from other areas of the city,” Bellaire says.
2:20 p.m. — Ward 4 Coun. Mark McKenzie has questions for chief Bellaire. He said he’s hearing from representatives of the Walkerville, Ottawa Street, and Erie Street Business Improvement Associations who are concerned that the issues downtown will spread to other neighbourhoods.
Bellaire says the issues are spreading. But the presence of H4, the motivation from health sector partners to participate, and the willingness of community partners to step in — those elements will all help to prevent issues from spreading. Instead, individuals will be brought to places where they can receive assistance instead of being dispersed elsewhere.
Mark McKenzie asks the importance of cameras. The plan includes the addition of more security cameras.
Bellaire says footage assists with police investigations. The presence of the cameras also deters crimes. He says cameras may or may not disperse crime.
“But the fact remains, it will provide us far more than what we had in the first place,” Bellaire says.
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1:53 p.m. — Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis has questions for chief Bellaire. He asks about recommendations in the Strengthen the Core plan.
Francis asks how the recommendation to hire 12 officers came about. Council doesn’t direct police.
Bellaire said the recommendation to hire went to the Windsor Police Services Board with the condition that council supports the plan.
Francis asks if adding officers has been discussed in the past. “I find it hard to believe this is coming from a consultant,” Francis says.
Bellaire says he didn’t suggest hiring officers in the absence of the plan. “To meet the needs of what is in that plan is going to require the extra police officers.”
“In order for the extended H4 facility, for the implementation of the mini workforce that’s going to go in there, that’s going to require policing,” Bellaire says.
Francis asks at what point the need for more officers was determined. Bellaire says it was during the consultation process starting about two years ago. Police determined that they would be able to support this plan by adding officers.
Francis asks how quickly the force can hire those officers. Bellaire says it will take about 12 months to get a net 12-officer increase. WPS can currently hire “experienced officers at a pace unlike we’ve ever seen,” he says. “WPS has a “coming home” program where they “shamelessly” approach officers who were born and raised in Windsor, but who did not initially have an opportunity to work in Windsor, and ask them if they’d like to move back to the city.
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There would be an “immediate response” to the plan, even though it will take time to hire officers.
Bellaire: “I think this plan is useful from a command point of view that draws everybody into a centralized responsibility
“This is not all a police problem. The underlying drivers of crime and the underlying issues result in people calling the police.”
“We’re excited to be part of this plan because the other partners are at the table sitting there with us, including the city.”
1:43 p.m. — Kieran McKenzie now has questions for Joyce Zuk, executive director of Family Services Windsor-Essex. He asks her thoughts on the plan and how she feels her organization would fit in. He also asks about police partnerships.
Zuk says homelessness outreach workers have recently partnered with police to address panhandling in dangerous locations, like on busy street medians.
“We want individuals to see the police as a helping service, and I think that we’ve managed to accomplish some of that work,” Zuk says.
Zuk says she supports the plan. “I think we have to be very responsive to what the residents and the businesses in the downtown core are saying.
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“I think we’ve done a very good job in responding to the needs of those who don’t have access to permanent housing.”
While outreach workers work to alleviate a perception that homeless people present a lack of safety, she said, “the reality is that the perception is absolutely there.”
Zuk says she likes that the plan “is building on many of the good initiatives that the city has already worked on — you’re not starting from ground zero, which I think is a critical point. It’s an incremental strategy to build on what you already have.”
1:27 p.m. — Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie has questions for StrategyCorp, the consultant hired to create a plan for downtown revitalization. He asks how this plan will take the city to a different place, considering past efforts to collaborate for the same goal.
Sabine Matheson, Principal/Legal Counsel with StrategyCorp, says the need for collaboration “is greater than it’s ever been, because the acuity of the problems are worse.
“You’ve got two choices. You can throw money at it, or you can throw effort. The best kind of effort is effort that helps you to do things better and intelligently as opposed to just more extensively.”
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1:10 p.m. — Kaschak asks police chief Bellaire about walking beats. Bellaire said the increase in officers downtown won’t “just” be walking beats. He said an expanded H4 with health-care services on site will require a police presence so health-care workers can do their jobs.
“It will be a combination of everything,” Bellaire says.
“Members of the Windsor Police Service deserve to have other partners come and do their job, so that police officers aren’t having incidents that are ultimately going to escalate into violence,” Bellaire says.
“When a police officer goes up to someone and says, ‘I’d like to bring you somewhere to get some help,’ they’ve been around long enough to know that they’re not getting that help.”
Kaschak asks about the 12 officers assigned to the Problem-Oriented Policing unit. Bellaire said those officers are “widely used across the city for crime suppression” and are brought in for “major issues.” They operate in vehicles, on mountain bikes, on foot.
“As the city has grown, so have their responsibilities,” Bellaire says.
1:06 p.m. — Ward 8 Coun. Gary Kaschack has questions for Marra. He asks if police can bring people in crisis to HDGH’s Ouellette facility.
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Marra says most of the hospital’s downtown services will be moving to 500 Ouellette Ave. “We are looking at other models and we will be very very eager to share what that looks like in the coming weeks,” Marra says. He didn’t say whether it would be a place for police to drop off folks in crisis.
12:56 p.m. — Gignac asks Marra what commitments the city can expect from HDGH “in terms of coming out into the community.” She asks how to get “everything working together in the heart on Ouellette Avenue.”
Marra says the action item in the plan “compels” the hospital “to do to some extent what we’ve already been doing.” Marra explains what HDGH is doing with mobile teams.
“I will be the first to acknowledge that more needs to be done. More doesn’t necessarily mean writing checks — it means doing things a different way,” Marra says.
The hospital runs a Crisis and Mental Wellness Centre on Oullette and has a crisis phone line that receives nearly 8,000 calls per year, he said.
“We are willing partners,” Marra says.
Gignac asks if Marra is hearing a willingness from the province to fund mental health and addiction initiatives. Marra says the plan’s success will be less about lobbying the Ministry of Health than it will be about working as a community and getting an endorsement from the regional Ontario Health Team. If all of the players involved endorse the plan and can show that the plan will work, “the funding will come,” he says.
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“Once this plan is adopted and I hope that it is today, the heavy lifting will begin,” Marra says.
12:39 p.m. — Council will now ask questions of the delegates. Several councillors indicate they have questions.
Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino asks Windsor Police Chief Jason Bellaire what makes this plan different from other plans police have implemented.
Bellaire says: “Quite frankly, it’s the first plan we’ve ever had of any depth that was not just hyper-focused police-led,” Bellaire said.
“We participate in this plan willingly and with a lot of positivity and optimism.” He says he has hope and optimism that community partners will be participating “in a meaningful way” beyond calling 911 when there’s something they don’t want to deal with, even if it’s something police should not be dealing with.
Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac says police are supposed to be at arm’s length from elected officials. The chief is supposed to determine where police resources go. Bellaire says that’s correct.
Gignac asks him to go over when various specialized community-oriented policing units were created, like the city-centre patrol, the nurse and police team, etc. He lists them and says what year each began.
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Gignac asks what other collaborations the police has downtown, aside from with Windsor Regional Hospital for NPT. He says they have Safe Beds with CMHA. There are informal partnerships with the Dowtown Mission and other shelters.
“The difficulty that we’ve been having for quite some time is, we can take individuals who are acutely affected with mental health issues (and meet the threshold for being detained under the Mental Health Act)… and we can bring them to the emergency department. That’s where we conclude our involvement,” Bellaire says.
“Where we have an incredible amount of difficulty is, there is really no single place in our city that we can bring anybody that is below that threshold, who is acting disorderly and not criminal and clearly needs help.”
He says the plan speaks to that issue with the extension of H4 hours.
Gignac: “I don’t care if you add 100 officers. If there’s no place to be able to direct the people in need of wraparound services, we’re not going to be able to meet the expectations.”
Bellaire: “We can provide what we can provide. We will only be able to provide it if the partners in this plan commit themselves to doing what was stated.”
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12:35 p.m. — Bill Marra, President & CEO of Hotel Dieu Grace Health Care is the final delegate. He speaks in support of the plan.
“Not only are we supporting it verbally and as part of the consultation process, but we want to be an active participant going forward,” Marra says.
12:32 p.m. — Linda Wasserlein, a downtown property owner and resident, said she’s witnessed many changes in the neighbourhood during her roughly 28 years there.
“We used to feel safe walking alone downtown, but recent events have shaken that confidence,” she says.
“I find myself crossing the street when I see homeless people, something I never thought I would do.” That’s as a result of a few “concerning incidents,” she said.
She says she wants to see more attractions and businesses downtown.
“I love living here and I don’t want to leave, however, the reality is that I am now afraid to walk alone during the day. We need to increase police presence for protection.”
12:29 p.m. — Nicole Sbrocca, Chief Executive Officer Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch, says her organization supports the plan.
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She says CMHA-WECB intends to continue its efforts at the new and expanded H4 location, with the MOST (Mobile Outreach and Support Team) van, and beyond.
“Many of the components of the report align with our efforts to improve population health and advance equitable access to care,” she says.
12:25 p.m. — Sarah Dewar, Business Owner, Maiden Lane, says she supports the plan.
“I feel like I’ve officially entered a phase of desperation and I don’t know what the alternatives are,” Dewar said.
She recounts a recent break-in at Maiden Lane. Read the Star’s coverage of that incident here.
“How many times can you hear someone say they haven’t been to our place because they just don’t come downtown, or this place would do great elsewhere in the city,” she says.
“At first those comments made me angry, and now they’re just sad because I believe them to be true.”
12:21 p.m. — Caroline Taylor, area resident, ward 2, says Windsor has “something very special in our downtown no one else has.” That’s the waterfront.
“I belive the plan will be a great beginning and open huge doors as we begin to work with the many different fabrics that make up our modern society,” Taylor says.”
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12:17 p.m. — Brian Schwab, downtown property owner and philanthropist, says his properties saw positive results with a new security camera initiative. He echoed Wisdom’s words about needing to collect data that shows whether the Strengthen the Core plan is working.
“Spending the money that is proposed today, I think, is a good investment not only for the city, not only for downtown, but really for Canada in general, and I fully support the Strengthen the Core initiative,” he said.
12:12 p.m. — Anna Angelidis, Executive Director of Housing Information Services/Labour Sponsored Community Development Group, and Jordan Nguyen, H4 Supervisor,
Housing Information Services, are up now.
“The innovation and the impact of the H4 program over the past few years demonstrate the potential for positive change in our city, especially regarding safety and community support,” Angelidis says.
Nguyen says that, since extending H4 hours, H4 has been able provide hot meals to its visitors, offer an evening barbershop event, and a patio BBQ event. From Feb 1 to May 10, H4 has logged 524 unique “engagements” with people. Local businesses have indicated fewer people have been sleeping on their doorsteps since H4’s hours expanded, she says.
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“H4 has become a pivotal anchor in our community’s efforts to combat homelessness and surrounding issues,” says Angelidis.
12:05 p.m. — Judy Bornais, Assistant Vice President of External Affairs and Charlie Simpkins, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Business Enterprise, University of Windsor, are next.
Bornais speaks in support of the plan. she says it resonates with UWindsor’s recently released strategic plan, “Aspire Together for Tomorrow.” She says the school is “committed to expanding neighbourhood outreach, partnership, and connection through our downtown campus.” In the last decade the university has invested more than $100M in downtown’s renewal through building renovations and landmarks, she says.
“Our current focus is our interest in growing the downtown core as an innovative space, with a focus on strong student engagement and private sector partners,” Bornais says.
“We share the city’s commitment to creating and sustaining a downtown core that flourishes and benefits everyone.”
12:03 p.m. — Jennifer Matotek, Art Windsor Essex, expresses support for the plan.
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“Now, more than ever, we agree there is an urgent need for investment in our downtown core.
“Investing in public art and streetscaping, creative festivals and creative venues will make downtown a magnet for tourism. It will beautify our streets, it will increase foot traffic and it will transform downtown into a dynamic canvas for creativity where people want to gather and experience something awe-inspiring.”
Noon — Andrew Corbett, Co-Owner/Operator, WKND Hospitality Group, also vice-chair of the DWBIA, is next. He says he and his business partners have invested 10s of millions of dollars into the course over the last several years.
“Once bustling streets have seen reduced foot traffic, impacting revenue and livelihoods,” he says. “… This revitalization plan is a critical step towards ensuring safety and confidence in our downtown area, ensuring is can thrive as a vibrant hub of activity and commerce.
“This is not a ward-by-ward issue. This is a city issue that needs to be addressed and we need your support.”
11:57 a.m. — Vicky Smith, Owner, Tim Hortons Franchise, 80 Park Street East, says much of what she wanted to say has already been said.
“We need help. We’ve got to start somewhere — just invest in our own city and take care of it,” she says.
“The managers and the team members at our Tim Hortons, its so challenging for them, what they deal with every single day.”
11:55 a.m. — Misty Sergi, Business Owner, The Gifting Tree, says keeping staff has become a challenge because people sleep outside her store and use drugs. She says people have harrassed her customers. She encourages council to support the plan.
11:53 a.m. — Sheila Wisdom, area resident and former executive director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, says she wants council to support the plan. She urges council to track data that shows how successful — or not — the plan is once implemented.
“Tracking these results creates incentives for success. we desperately need that here. This plan is vitally important — Let’s make sure that we know that the plan is getting the results that we want by tracking … and adapting where needed.”
11:51 a.m. — Jennie Atkins, Board member, Downtown Business Improvement Association, is next. She also works for the University of Windsor.
“This plan makes so much sense,” she says.
“I look forward to an opportunity where students in my area are not needing to have a key fob to enter the building and we’re able to open our schools to the public.”
11:48 a.m. — Robert Cameron, Executive Director, Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative, says DWCC supports the Strengthen the Core plan. However, he says the plan’s strategy lacks “specific action” and the initiative “could lose steam” if not funded in future budgets.
“We also acknowledge that someone has to step up and lead. We ask this council to be that lead.”
11:46 a.m. — Robert Franz, Music Director, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, says he works and lives downtown.
“We at the Windsor Symphony Orchestra are thrilled with the city’s plan to strengthen the core of our downtown. Downtown is our home,” Franz says.
“Like most other cities, the arts thrive where there’s a population base to engage with it. City centers have been the traditional home of the arts for centuries. As the primary tenant and caretaker of the Capitol Theatre we’re enormously proud of our home and for an orchestra our size, boasting its own home is no small feat.
“Thank you so much for the effort that you’re putting in right now.”
11:42 a.m. — Ray Blanchard, Business Owner, Director of Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, says his family came from the Toronto area in 2018.
“My wife and I both recognized the potential in Windsor and we came here to take part in it,” he says. Although his family lives in the Riverside neighbourhood, “we ar 95% invested in the downtown core.” He says his family has invested more than $4M downtown and plans to invest an additional $2M in the next 12 months.
“I’ve spoken to a bunch of different developers in the downtown core, some that are planning rather large investments in the downtown core. They’ve indicated that should this initiative not pass, they’ll take it as a clear signal that the city is not committed to their downtown and that they will be changing their plans for their investment in the downtown core.
“They’re willing to just pack it up and leave — I urge council to consider what’s the opportunity cost.
“I think the best days are ahead and I really believe that this is a very important day.”
11:38 a.m. — Next up are Elizabeth Thompson, Director Canadian HR Services, and Jasen Sams, Vice
President, Rocket Innovation Studio.
Sams talks to council about the investment and “spirit of collaboration” that worked for his company in Detroit. “We are here to support the same for Windsor because we know what is possible with the right tools and plan in place.”
11:36 a.m. — Nate Hope, Member of Windsor Downtown Neighbourhood Alliance, says he supports the plan. He offers a “friendly criticism” that the plan feels “very business heavy” and could use more engagement from downtown residents. He says the report indicates 17 per cent of survey respondents said they live downtown.
“There are 16,000 people living downtown in this core. Where’s the mention of them in this plan? I look forward to seeing this plan go through and where it takes us into the future, but I just really encourage the city to engage with us, to meet with us, so that we can make this work even more.”
11:33 a.m. — Dr. Vincent Georgie, Executive Director & Chief Programmer, Windsor International
Film Festival, says, “It’s a good day in Windsor.” He’s from downtown Montreal, and he says the challenges in Windsor are the same as in Montreal.
“What is extraordinary today, what we’re seeing from this plan, is leadership happening,” Georgie says.
“I really hope you’ll be supporting this (plan) here today.”
11:29 a.m. — Rob Katzman, Katzman Enterprises, Downtown Windsor Business Person, is next. He talks about a need for consistent events to attract people downtown. He also says a “strong, comprehensive security plan” is “essential.”
“For 35 years, I have operated businesses in downtown, and often it (security) has not been given a high priority on a long-term basis,” Katzman says.
He also encourages council to look into a “strong branding and marketing plan targeting Americans.”
11:25 a.m. — Maggie Chen, President of the Windsor Essex County Association Realtors, calls the Strengthen the Core plan a “forward-thinking approach.” She says expanding housing options downtown is a “crucial aspect” of revitalization.
To increase housing options, WECAR encourages the city to consider reducing or eliminating minimum parking requirements, and to encourage the conversion of under-used commercial properties into residential housing.
11:23 a.m. — Greg Spencer of Spencer Butcher says he supports the downtown revitalization plan. He says his company would like to participate in the revival of the Windsor Arena property. He says his company would commit to investing money in the property and operating the facility at its own expense.
11:20 a.m. — Dartis Willis, President/CEO Windsor Express, is up next. He says his first exposure to Windsor was in 1972 when he was 10. His father, who worked for GM, walked him downtown to purchase a suit.
“A lot of people don’t know that, one of the reasons why I selected Windsor to bring my team was because of the love and the history that came from my city.
“It means a great deal to me to be able to watch Detroit flourish, but it hurts me inside … I don’t see the same things happening in Windsor.”
11:15 a.m. — Shawn Lippert is owner of several businesses downtown over several decades and a partner with Windsor Adult Volleyball League downtown. He recounts how Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino helped to get beach volleyball going downtown.
“We made something happen in a field that, quite frankly, had human feces, needles, and tents,” Lippert says.
“I see people planning meals with the Cook’s Shop because they didn’t know how beautiful their little patio was.”
He says he’s in favour of the downtown revitalization plan.
11:12 a.m. — Chris MacLeod, Chairperson, The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, says he’s “ecstatic” about the plan.
“I think that this is a watershed moment for our downtown,” he says.
“Today, I’m looking for you as councillors to stand up and make a stand for downtown Windsor. We can’t expect our business owners and developers to carry the load — We need to know that the City of Windsor has the back of our developers and our businesses for downtown.”
11:10 a.m. — Brent Klundert, Chair, Windsor Essex Home Builders Association, wears a red tee shirt with an “Our Downtown” logo. He says crime and safety concerns ” deter potential investors and developers” and “undermined the quality of life for our residents and visitors alike.”
He urges council to revitalize downtown and address “security issues head-on.”
“When developers consider new projects, they assess the overall environment, including the safety and the potential for community engagement,” Klundert says.
“Let us work together to create a downtown that not only thrives economically, but also fosters a sense of safety and belonging for all that live, work, and visit here.”
11:05 a.m. — Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin, Executive Director, Downtown Mission of Windsor, tells council she supports the Strengthen the Core plan.
“I’m so glad and grateful we as a community are coming together now to build up our downtown so we can all be proud of it, visit it, and support it if we do not reside there,” Ponniah-Goulin says.
She supports the plan to expand hours at Windsor’s Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4). The Downtown Mission regularly refers its clients to H4 for services.
11 a.m. — Johnathan Foster with the Nurse Police Team (VP of emergency and mental health Windsor Regional Hospital) and registered nurse Yemmi Calito are next up to speak.
Foster says the NPT has done 1,600 calls for service, and 559 of those calls were with people who would have been brought to the emergency department if it weren’t for the partnership between nurses and the police.
“Being out in the community has really opened up my eyes to the needs of the city,” says Calito.
“I don’t think this program would work without the help of them (police),” she says. The team goes to homes, and the Downtown Mission “can be scary.”
“They’re very vulnerable people. (The police) introduce me and then they are very open to come out to me with their issues.”
10:55 a.m. — Council moves on to item 11.2 – Strengthen the Core – Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan. There are 36 delegates registered to speak, though some of them are simply available for questions. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens asks that delegates try to avoid repeating each other for the sake of time.
The first delegate to speak is Stephani Plante, a councillor in Ottawa who grew up in Windsor.
“I want to give a cautionary tale of what can happen if you do not tackle your downtown issues head-on,” she says. She tells Windsor council that her ward in Ottawa has 700 single men shelter beds, four mega shelters, 2.3 million syringes picked up in 2023, and 22 overdose deaths per month. Residents and businesses are moving away from her Ottawa neighbourhood as a result. She says she looks forward to seeing how Windsor’s plan plays out.
10:51 a.m. — Gignac puts forward a motion: she moves the recommendation and asks that data around mental health and addiction “calls start being funnelled to the new oversight body and then on to the Attorney General of Ontairo.” That motion passes.
10:47 a.m. — Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac asks Windsor Police Chief Jason Bellaire how long the force has been tracking statistics related to mental health and opioid-related emergencies, as well as what the force has been able to track.
Bellaire says WPS has been able to track “clearly-defined mental health calls.” Those calls have increased by nearly 40 per cent since 2014, he says. The number of calls relating to people “who are displaced” has increased by about 30 per cent since 2021.
Ontario’s Inspector General of Policing is looking to standardize data analytics provincially, Bellaire says.
In response to another question from Gignac, Bellaire says eight to 10 officers are in the city’s core at any given time of the day.
“When we talk about our operations at work, we treat the downtown as a municipality within a municipality,” Bellaire says.
“Ward 3 takes up a lot of our cars. When we do a good job of policing down there, we require less transit time of coming from other parts of the city to respond to calls.”
10:30 a.m. — On to item 8.2 – Response to CR 198/2023 Windsor Police Services Human Services Issues. The report outlines social issues that Windsor police regularly respond to and what opportunities exist to address those issues — non-criminal issues — in ways that don’t involve law enforcement.
The report on the matter asks city council to advocate to the Ministry of Health for:
“Increased investments in mental health and addiction funding to the City of
Windsor and its community partners that will help support the proposed solutions; Increased investments in supportive housing with health-focused interventions to sustain the tenancy of high-needs residents; Revisions to the Mental Health Act that are more reflective and responsive to the needs that municipalities, police services, and health care providers are currently faced with.”
10:27 a.m. — Council has added the following items to the consent agenda: 11.3 – Capital Budget Pre-Approval and Utility Agreement Signing Authority – Prince Road Storm Sewer Outlet Phase 9B; and 11.5 – 2024 Business Improvement Area Budget & Levy Approval.
10:25 a.m. — On to the consent agenda: Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis asks about item 8.1 — Update National Housing Strategy Funding. There had been concern that the City of Windsor — the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM) for social housing in Windsor-Essex — might not receive $6.9M in housing dollars from the federal and provincial governments (mostly federal). Since this report was created, Ottawa has committed to providing funding directly CMSMs instead of through the Government of Ontario.
Andrew Daher, city commissioner of of human and health services, says recent correspondence from federal Minister of Housing Sean Fraser indicates Windsor will still receive the money it expected to receive. The money can be used to build new and maintain existing affordable housing stock in the region, among other things.
10 a.m. — The meeting has begun. Council kicks off the meeting with a discussion about the communications package — significant correspondence received by the city since the previous council meeting.
If you wish to follow along with today’s meeting, click here for the regular agenda, here for the consolidated agenda, and here for the final consolidated agenda.
A live stream of today’s meeting offered by the City of Windsor can be viewed here.
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