Windsor talk

[north 42]

Absolutely crazy numbers, quite a bit higher than what I was expecting, considering that the previous years were updated and increased. Looks like we will easily hit half a million by July 2025, which is pretty crazy.

[DieselXL]

It's borderline misleading though because it's all of Essex County.
Windsor (LaSalle and Tecumseh included) is still around that 300k range I'd imagine

[ericmacm]

I wouldn’t consider it misleading - Essex county is functionally an extension of Windsor, given how many out in the county commute back and forth. Most growth in the future is going to take place outside of the city of Windsor anyway given the limited amount of land in city limits, and Windsor’s hesitance to allow dense development.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by DieselXL

It's borderline misleading though because it's all of Essex County.
Windsor (LaSalle and Tecumseh included) is still around that 300k range I'd imagine

All of Essex County is now included in Windsor’s metro numbers, so not misleading at all. All of the cities listed have this same dynamic of city proper and commuting towns and cities. I would think that Windsor, plus Lasalle and Tecumseh are around 325K now, easily, if not more.

[DieselXL]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

I wouldn’t consider it misleading - Essex county is functionally an extension of Windsor, given how many out in the county commute back and forth. Most growth in the future is going to take place outside of the city of Windsor anyway given the limited amount of land in city limits, and Windsor’s hesitance to allow dense development.

Hesitance... lol... i like the kindness of how that sounds compared how I'd label it.
I understand how the whole CMA dynamic works and how the commuter towns feed the city and vise versa. Perhaps its my inner Windsorite just not believing that we as an area are actually that large. I have a hard time taking Leamington and Kingsville population into Windsors numbers when its a 40 minute drive. A very different 40 minute drive comparitive to say... anything GTA related.
40 minute drives without leaving suburban sprawl versus 40 minutes of driving amongst crops and cattle, entirely different.

[inter777]

The province stopped at Windsor when it came to amalgamation years ago. If they hadn't I think even Lakeshore would be considered Windsor and if you include LaSalle, Tecumseh and possibly Amherstburg then we would be around 400k population as a city. In the long run with the way things are it will force all the municipalities to become denser (as we are already seeing) for tax reasons, demand for aprtments/condos and limited land available in the city. Leamington/Kingsville is definitely a suburb of Windsor. Highway 3 is one of the most congested provincial highways and is finally being widened.

[north 42]

I’m pretty sure that Leamington is considered a secondary core in Windsor’s CMA.

[inter777]

Yeah just far enough I guess and less reliant on Windsor with its large agricultural industry which now exceeds $1 billion in value I heard.

[inter777]

Anyone else find it strange how many fires are happening lately?

Walkerville boutique hotel under renovations catches fire. Third heritage building to go up in flames in less than a month.
https://archive.is/qY9VP

[north 42]

Originally Posted by inter777

Anyone else find it strange how many fires are happening lately?

Walkerville boutique hotel under renovations catches fire. Third heritage building to go up in flames in less than a month.
https://archive.is/qY9VP

Yeah, I was choking on that smoke this morning as the wind was blowing it into the downtown, very sad that it goes up in flames a few days after announcing its renovation. Hopefully it can be saved, but I doubt it. EDIT: Never mind, I just saw some pictures and it looks like a total loss, damn!

Not sure if it’s just the homeless doing this or if there was actual intent to burn it down, very concerning.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by ericmacm

I wouldn’t consider it misleading - Essex county is functionally an extension of Windsor, given how many out in the county commute back and forth. Most growth in the future is going to take place outside of the city of Windsor anyway given the limited amount of land in city limits, and Windsor’s hesitance to allow dense development.

A lot of the recent growth has been in the city as well, as our city population was about 256K, in 2023, up 4.2%, making us one of the fastest growing cities in Ontario.

I think both the city and county will grow about the same rate in the future, especially considering the Sandwich South lands that will soon be developed, that’s a huge area in the city limits with lots of potential.

Windsor, Tecumseh and Lasalle, which I consider to unofficially be the core urban area are now probably around 340K to 350K.

https://x.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1793274355352273259

[Antonio Mast]

https://windsorite.ca/2024/06/big-ju...sity-rankings/

Big Jump For UWindsor In 2025 QS World University Rankings

The University of Windsor has climbed nearly 100 spots in a global ranking examining the world’s top universities.

UWindsor ranked fourth among non-medical universities in Ontario, seventh nationally, and 547th overall in the 2025 QS World University Rankings. This is a jump from last year’s position, which was between 640 and 650.

The QS World University Rankings, compiled by the leading higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluated over 5,600 universities globally for its 21st edition. Only 1,503 universities made the final list, with UWindsor ranking among the top 37%.

“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff and students,” said University of Windsor President Robert Gordon. “Our significant improvements in sustainability and international research partnerships reflect our commitment to addressing global challenges and fostering a robust academic environment.”

The university’s improved performance is attributed to higher scores in sustainability and international research network metrics, which measure universities’ social and environmental impact as centers of education and research, and the diversity of their international research partnerships, respectively. Windsor climbed more than 320 positions in the sustainability metric to 381st overall, a significant improvement from last year’s rank above 701.

Additionally, the University of Windsor ranked in the top 25% globally for research impact, securing the 378th position with an average of 111 citations per faculty member. The university also ranked in the top 30% for employment outcomes, meaning Windsor graduates are among the most sought-after by employers.

[Antonio Mast]

https://windsorite.ca/2024/06/ice-ri...for-city-hall/

Ice Rink Approved For City Hall

After much debate over the rising costs of the new downtown rink in front of City Hall, it was approved by Windsor City Council on Monday. The total cost is $15.5 million, which is $6 million above the original budget.

The rink will replace the now-closed Charles Clark Square outdoor rink. The design includes a 26 x 60 metre oval-shaped ice rink that is centrally aligned with the Civic Esplanade on the north side of ity Hall. A long island is positioned in the middle of the ice rink and provides a skating loop. In the winter, this island can be outfitted with winter and holiday-themed lighting and decorations.

The island also contains a water feature with nozzles positioned in a row along the centreline of the island, allowing for water and lighting activation in the spring, summer and fall. The water feature comprises LED ground spray nozzles that project water vertically up 6-8 feet and can be illuminated at night for visual effect.

A 142 square meter pavilion is situated west of the ice rink and houses the ice resurfacer (Zamboni), ice-making refrigeration system, water feature equipment, storage, office, and two public washrooms. The pavilion will be surrounded by native tree species and landscaping, extending the natural green environment that exists to the north at Senator David A. Croll Park.

The vote was 5 – 5 with the mayor breaking the tie to support the project going forward. Those in support were Councillors Renaldo Agostino, Ed Sleiman, Jim Morrison, Gary Kaschak, Kieran McKenzie, along with Mayor Drew Dilkens.

The hope is to have it open sometime during the 2024-2025 skating season.

[north 42]

Very happy to see the ice rink approved, it will be a very important part of that whole development. This is not the time to cheap out, we need spaces like this in our city. Just look at the rink in Campus Martius to see what an amazing public space can be.

[DieselXL]

https://www.am800cklw.com/news/winds...il-canada.html

International train link between Chicago and Toronto still in progress. Quick little article regarding the continued progress towards the possibility.
There is a tender on the ConstructConnect site for something like 15B dollars labeled under transportation rail tunnel infrastructure. Perhaps they're related.

[inter777]

Originally Posted by DieselXL

https://www.am800cklw.com/news/winds...il-canada.html

International train link between Chicago and Toronto still in progress. Quick little article regarding the continued progress towards the possibility.
There is a tender on the ConstructConnect site for something like 15B dollars labeled under transportation rail tunnel infrastructure. Perhaps they're related.

Great news. Sounds like they're serious. We'll need a much bigger train station to handle an extra 66k passengers a year.