Windsor talk

[north 42]

Very unhappy about that! We were left out last time as many other cities were included, like London.

Windsor should definitely be amalgamated with its immediate contiguous suburbs of LaSalle, Tecumseh and the western half of Lakeshore.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by north 42

Very unhappy about that! We were left out last time as many other cities were included, like London.

Windsor should definitely be amalgamated with its immediate contiguous suburbs of LaSalle, Tecumseh and the western half of Lakeshore.

Would you be fond of the idea of turning the entire Essex County into the City of Windsor-Essex (much like Chatham-Kent)?

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by north 42

Very unhappy about that! We were left out last time as many other cities were included, like London.

Windsor should definitely be amalgamated with its immediate contiguous suburbs of LaSalle, Tecumseh and the western half of Lakeshore.

London actually wasn't part of the Mike Harris merger-mania of the late 90's. We did our annexation under Bob Rae in the early 90's.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Would you be fond of the idea of turning the entire Essex County into the City of Windsor-Essex (much like Chatham-Kent)?

I used to be, but now I feel that Leamington has enough of its own identity to remain separate, even though Essex County is very integrated with the city of Windsor.
Windsor/Essex has an estimated population of about 430,000 now, of which 350,000 reside in the current Windsor CMA.
Combined, Windsor/Essex would be in the same range population wise as Niagara region and Halifax Regional Municipality.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

London actually wasn't part of the Mike Harris merger-mania of the late 90's. We did our annexation under Bob Rae in the early 90's.

Thanks, I didn’t remember that for some reason.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by north 42

I used to be, but now I feel that Leamington has enough of its own identity to remain separate, even though Essex County is very integrated with the city of Windsor.
Windsor/Essex has an estimated population of about 430,000 now, of which 350,000 reside in the current Windsor CMA.
Combined, Windsor/Essex would be in the same range population wise as Niagara region and Halifax Regional Municipality.

In Niagara Region, there are distinct cities like St Catherine’s and Niagara too (probably even Port Colborne as well). Lumping Leamington in might not be a bad idea even right now.

[ericmacm]

I don't think the entirety of Essex county should be amalgamated, as needs are quite different in the far-flung areas like Kingsville and Leamington and Windsor would definitely not be able to provide services adequately. However, I think it's pretty fair game for Windsor to absorb Tecumseh, Lakeshore, Lasalle, and Amherstburg. Most people who live in these areas commute to Windsor for work anyway and the increased tax base for the city will help things a lot.

[Dengler Avenue]

I guess C-K wasn’t a fair comparison after all because that “city” is largely rural.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

I don't think the entirety of Essex county should be amalgamated, as needs are quite different in the far-flung areas like Kingsville and Leamington and Windsor would definitely not be able to provide services adequately. However, I think it's pretty fair game for Windsor to absorb Tecumseh, Lakeshore, Lasalle, and Amherstburg. Most people who live in these areas commute to Windsor for work anyway and the increased tax base for the city will help things a lot.

I would throw in the town of Essex too. I wonder when or if it will be added to the Windsor CMA? I imagine it is already close to being added, commuting wise.

[Blitz]

Amalgamation should occur with Tecumseh and LaSalle (and maybe western parts of Lakeshore) but that's it. The rest of the county has towns with their own identities. Tecumseh and LaSalle are nothing more than bedroom communities and it's completely unfair that those residents pay nothing to maintain a road like the expressway even though they use it every day.

You would think that if any provincial government would do this it would be the Ford one since they have no hope of ever winning a seat here anyway and thus they don't have to worry about the political ramifications from people in Tecumseh or LaSalle (as say the McGuinty/Wynne governments would have).

[Dengler Avenue]

I don’t know about Lasalle, but Tecumseh looks so attached to Windsor that they should just be combined. Also this way the expressway can be extended for a few more intersections or so.

IIRC, Windsor voted orange. Did Essex County as well?

[ericmacm]

When I first came down here, I didn't even know that Lasalle or Tecumseh weren't part of Windsor, I thought they were just neighbourhoods like Sandwich and Walkerville. There's literally no difference when you compare them to Windsor except for the fact that they're generally wealthier. Essex is similar, it's a little more isolated but people commute to Windsor anyway, it won't be isolated for long though if sprawl keeps on happening.

Amherstburg and Lakeshore definitely have a different feel about them but they're mostly Windsor commuters too, they're far from independent of the Windsor area so I think that makes a fair case for their integration as well, although they would not be as high of a priority as the other towns.

[Dengler Avenue]

There's literally no difference when you compare them to Windsor except for the fact that they're generally wealthier.

They’re so gonna be opposed to the merger then.

“STOP REACHING INTO OUR POCKETS FOR MORE MONEY! ”

[Blitz]

In the last provincial election, both Windsor and Essex County voted NDP but they've both often voted Liberal in the past provincially. Liberal governments seem too scared to force amalgamation in the region because there'd be backlash (and one of the ridings straddles both Windsor and Tecumseh which makes it extra touchy). A Conservative government just needs to do it...the backlash would be of no concern to them because Windsor hasn't voted Conservative since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

When I first came down here, I didn't even know that Lasalle or Tecumseh weren't part of Windsor, I thought they were just neighbourhoods like Sandwich and Walkerville. There's literally no difference when you compare them to Windsor except for the fact that they're generally wealthier.

Yeah and even the address blocks in Tecumseh and LaSalle continue the Windsor block numbering system - that's why Tecumseh has crazy addresses like 13500. The best way to tell that you're no longer in Windsor is by looking at the street signs...at first glance they appear to be the same in Windsor and Tecumseh (green and thin) but the city puts the block number on them while Tecumseh doesn't. LaSalle's are completely different (blue and fat).

[Dengler Avenue]

Another way to tell is by the police, i.e. you see a Windsor police, La Salle Police, or simply O.P.P. (Tecumseh).

[north 42]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Another way to tell is by the police, i.e. you see a Windsor police, La Salle Police, or simply O.P.P. (Tecumseh).

Windsor police force is now officially patrolling Amherstburg, perhaps the other suburbs will follow suite?

Transit Windsor is also now running a bus route through LaSalle, the first extension beyond the city’s borders.

[Dengler Avenue]

Windsor police force is now officially patrolling Amherstburg

They worked out a way to do it even with La Salle physically in the way? Wow. I can see La Salle switch police force down the road as that’s the logical next move.

[ericmacm]

The Windsor Express have proposed a new redevelopment of Windsor Arena.

This is a major new proposal for The Barn downtown, which has been sitting abandoned since 2013. The Express intend to include retail and restaurant space to help revitalize the area. These lands also include Water World, that they will likely work with YMCA on to turn into a new branch.

This is honestly huge for Windsor. That section of downtown is entirely dead and needs some serious changes. Having a sports venue downtown again is going to help with a lot of things and will get more people going downtown. The Express have been working on this for 3 years, and intend to be playing here for the 2021-2022 season.

[ericmacm]

I have some updates on construction. The Hive has undergone some demolition, and now appears to be mostly hollowed out. The Piroli Group Apartments are also coming along, can't imagine that they'd be much further away from completion now.

The Hive





Piroli Group Apartments

[DetroitSky]

Nice to see The Hive finally underway.