Our own worst enemy?
Hey all! Remember that nasty MPAC decision, which city council apparently knew ahead of time was coming, that took around 100 employees out of the city core and sent them packing to Tecumseh?
Well, apparently, it’s happening again. This time, it is the WindsorEssex Economic Development Commission (WEEDC), and with it Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI), that is starting to pack it’s bags to high-tail it outta Dodge.
And council’s known about this one for a while as well.
Back in the March issue of BizX magazine (at the end of the “Heard On The Street” section, page 11), they reported on a rumour “with sticking power” that the WEEDC and TWEPI were closing the doors of their offices on Riverside Drive and moving out to the airport.
Well, it’s turned out NOT to be a rumour, as an ad was placed in Saturday’s Windsor Star by the WEEDC asking for expressions of interest for a new location, though the airport was not mentioned.
Ward 3 candidate for council Tristan Fehrenbach has been working on the issue and has laid it out in his blog.
How are we supposed to read this? We’ve been witnessing the apparent cannibalization of our downtown in recent years, highlighted by the movement of key core development to the suburban periphery of the city. The recent MPAC move to the neighbouring town of Tecumseh is fresh in our memory banks, with the arena complex close by that started the ball rolling in 2008. In fact, talk of a “new downtown” being developed on Lauzon Road has been coming true for a year now.
What does it say about a municipalities committment to their downtown core when they allow their development commission and tourism board to flee to hinterlands of the suburbs - land that wasn’t even in the city of Windsor 5 years ago? Especially when it is widely known about the power of Development Commissions in regenerating a city’s downtown core. From the Economic Development Journal:
Development Strategies
Urban Regeneration and Economic Development in Ontario’s City-RegionsTODAY’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS are taking steps to ensure that their urban regional centres are vigorous and dynamic.
Evidence shows that regional economic development depends on such factors as the ability to attract jobs and investment as well as skilled workers, many of whom are concerned about quality-of-life issues. Because of these factors, the attention paid to urban regeneration continues to grow.
Ontario’s large urban centres are responding with a range of revitalization initiatives that enable them to retain and enhance their place among the most competitive city regions in North America and beyond.
In Ontario, and indeed throughout North America, urban regeneration efforts are going beyond business attraction and marketing. They are now addressing many of the circumstances that can act as a barrier to a region’s full economic development potential.
Many creative ideas can be found in Ontario, within mature urban regions that pose particular and unique challenges. These include approaches that address the re-use of former industrial lands (”brownfields” redevelopment), investment tools, changes to the institutional frameworks that govern economic development organizations, extensive community “visioning” consultations, heritage preservation programs and more.
And yet we still seem to want to move in reverse in Windsor.
But the decision is far from being a done deal. According to a conversaion Fehrenbach had with WEEDC CEO Ron Gaudet; “(u)nlike MPAC, Mr. Gaudet has committed to an open and transparent process for selecting a new site and informed me that one of the weighting factors for possible sites will be proximity to Downtown Windsor.” Fehrenbach goes on to request that concerned citizens “drop an e-mail to Mr. Gaudet and the relocation committee and encourage them to choose Downtown Windsor.”
Unlike the MPAC move, which was the territory of the Provincial gov’t (please remember that in the next Provincial election), changing the mind of the City and WEEDC is completely within our control. If they hear of a big enough backlash and the incumbent councillors are threatened politically, we will more than likely hear that the commission is staying downtown.
Maybe even taking a floor or two of Canderel off our hands.
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Just to point out that both entities have “Essex” in their titles. And MPAC represents the county as well. Why do they HAVE to be located in Windsor’s downtown?
Which floors are available Chris?
According to my Freedom of Information request; there is very little space left that is leased to the City - and definitely not 12,000 square feet.
What about the old TD building on the corner of Wyandotte and Ouellette, 500 Ouellette, The Canada building, The Securities Building, the 400-600 block of Pelissier, I think the CIBC building might have that available aswell. The parking requirement is terrible as downtown has more than ample in a number of garages or lots. If they need it onsite, than the writing is on the wall, they aren’t staying. There is a 40 car lot for sale on the corner of Pelissier and Wyandotte. I hope Tristan continues to push hard on the issue.
Not 100% sure, Chris. I heard about the two empty floors on the weekend, and was hoping someone with an “in” would be able to school me.
Windsoreats.com has done more for this city and county in tourism promotion than that supposedly tourist bureau we have now and they only wished that they had 1,000 square feet for a “real” office!!
But hey that’s Windsor for you, someone or persons has an unpublished agenda to develop the east end, to the detriment to the rest of the city.
A friend of mind thought he heard this on his flight as it was ready to land in Windsor, “Ladies and Gentlemen we are about to land in Windsor, can you set you clocks back fifty years!!” — Windsor has always been slow to catch on to any current trends in global thinking on urbanism, let alone of revitalizing the cores of their cities.
Oh screw the writing this newest crap pisses me off!!!!
Don’t beat up on the tourism board, they’ve been in an imposed restructuring for like 3 years. They finally got stabilized funding, a board not made up of politicians and a fine new Executive Director. Give ‘em at least till the end of the year to show their strategic plan.
I was frustrated on that board for 2 years because we just sat through sessions from the province and others on how to restructure.
I could go on for hours about the nuttiness. I pissed off a lot of people cause I fought the branding exercise for months on the basis that political correctness would never allow it to be done properly.
They wanted Windsor to come up with a unique and distinct brand. I told the province and feds that they couldn’t ask us to do something they refused to do themselves.
Feds - Canada - Keep Exploring - Whats unique and distinct about that? what, you can’t explore any other countries like Australia, U.S. etc…
Province - ONtario - Yours to Discover - Whats unique and distinct about that? What, you can’t discover anything in Michigan, California, B.C. etc….
I couldn’t even get them to drop Pelee Island. Love the place but You don’t think Windsor, Essex County and Pelee island is a bit long?
Political correctness stifled Tourism for decades but now they might have a shot at overcoming it
I say put it on the main floor of the Candarell Bldg to announce its presence with authority.
Whats really sad is they’re trying to rush a decision before the election that will impact us for 20 years.
The Location decision should be made by the new council after election.
” I couldn’t even get them to drop Pelee Island. Love the place but You don’t think Windsor, Essex County and Pelee island is a bit long?”
Ontario has left Southwestern Ontario out past London for years.
Just take a gander on advertising for Ontario. Toronto is 80%.
Isn’t it a bit ironic you would choose to omit a greater portion of Essex County?
C’mon Mark, it’s more than just downtown Windsor. Let’s be fair and say the whole is better than your portion.
I don’t want to omit it, it just doesn’t make sense to have any name that long. Marketing basics and all that.
Tourism board used to have every region at the table instead of every industry. and it was a mess. Everyone fighting for their area’s inclusion on everything instead of every industry’s inclusion
For decades we worried about promoting each of
Lakeshore, Lasalle, Tecumseh, Amherstburg, Kingsville, Leamington, Pelee Island etc…
when we should have focused on promoting each of
Golfing, Wineries, Birding, Sports Tourism, Hospitality, boating, fishing, Arts etc…
We had and to some degree still have representatives from every region instead of every potential tourism draw.
We’re reformed towards that goal but we’ve only just begun
How long before we understand that the mayor is emptying downtown for a reason?
Ooooh! Conspiracy theory alert. What’s the reason? I’m at the edge of my seat
(note sarcasm)
Fall back to my famous quote (paraphrased)
“people often attribute poor policy for poor intentions when most of the tine it’s simply poor judgement if the situation”
new td bank, new retailer 2nd floor Peter k Ryan bldg
new renovations Box office on pelissier. New journalism school
new td bank, new tenant in candarell.
I see downtown startin to fill.
Don’t forget the new td bank…
What about the td bank on University? It has 42 parking spots, 12000 sqft available and is a very nice building that was totally updated 2 years ago. The property is being sold through a modified tender, bid date May 12, 2010.
TD Bank would make an awesome Tourism/Development Commission. Although I’d like to see something like this on a street with more prominence.
Wait, it probably would have if Victoria and Pelissier were converted to Two-Way Streets.