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LOCAL TOURIST / TRANSPORTATION

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Way to go - accessible public toilets now at major Michigan urban venues

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 10 2025

Public restrooms have come to downtown Detroit, after making their appearance in tourist and entertainment hotspots Royal Oak and Ann Arbor MI. The Downtown Detroit Partnership unveiled two such “Throne” toilets at Cadillac Square today. So-called because they’re made by Throne Labs. The handicapped accessible and solar powered restrooms come with sinks and baby changing stations. They don’t need a water hook-up but are self-contained. But you can’t just open a door and enter, unlike porta potties; you need a phone app or pass. But like porta potties the bathrooms can be relocated for optimum use like at more crowded venues. Another feature is that Thrones have multiple sensors to track usage and even determine cleanliness. When in use there is a timer allowing 10 minutes max, a warning is given after five minutes, then lights start flashing in the last 20 seconds before the door automatically opens. Detroit’s toilets will be available around the clock and the Partnership has 24-hour staff available. Royal Oak allows use 7am – 10pm and is experimenting at locations such as the Farmers Market, Centennial Commons and Lawson Park. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation’s free We Can't Wait app provides an interactive map listing public restrooms around the US. In Canada there's the GoHere Washroom Locator App. According to Throne, Canada lags many counties with public restrooms ranking 15th, with 18 washrooms per 100,000 people. The US has only 8/100k. Along Windsor’s riverfront we can think of three public restrooms - at the No. 351 Streetcar Legacy Beacon, Dieppe Gardens and Reaume Park.

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Street murals and a growing "art trail" another reason to visit Chatham-Kent

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 11 2025

There's already the Tecumseh Parkway and Parks Blueberries. Now you can add another Chatham-Kent destination to your travels with the advent of CanJam. The inaugural mural painting event took place last summer and another is planned this year. Eleven murals were painted by artists from around the world who descended on the city's downtown. Now the hope is to expand the number of murals beyond the city itself and into outlying communities like Blenheim, Dresden and Ridgetown, creating an "art trail." "Public art, especially in a downtown core, tends to draw people in and get them talking. Residents and visitors alike are always looking for that unique 'instagrammable moment' and this is definitely the situation with these pieces," Shannon Paiva, Program Manager of Tourism Development with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, said. "They are so captivating, dynamic, and like nothing we've ever seen in Chatham-Kent before, creating a sort of 'art trail' in Chatham now, and a great way to move people around the downtown." Organizers now are seeking building owners who'd like to see a mural painted on one of their property's walls. Last year walls including those of the Retro Suites hotel and Capitol Theatre downtown. "The businesses surrounding the art are just as much on display as the pieces themselves," Paiva added. "While visitors flock to see the art, they will inevitably take in the adjacent restaurants, coffee shops, and boutique stores. This is the kind of economic spin-off you hope comes with an art installation like this."

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Test Track traffic causes headaches

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 28 2025

The City of Windsor hopes to eliminate some of the obnoxious driving behavior of motorists “trying to find parking when the Ford Test Track Park is hosting events.” The massive east side park, long leased from Ford Motor Co., features almost 60 acres including 18 soccer fields, a running track and a dog park. Following residential neighbourhood complaints a traffic study actually didn’t find that much out of the ordinary, a report says. “Overall, the traffic volume pattern is reasonably distributed within the study and meets the accepted volume guidelines for the road classifications,” it said. As well, “85 percent of drivers are driving at speed of 24km/h on local/residential streets.” The exceptions were portions of Milloy Street, Central Avenue and Westcott Road. How about collisions? The intersection of Milloy St. and Westcott Rd. had 11 over six years, followed by the intersections of Milloy Street/Central Avenue and Milloy Street/Chandler Road. Meanwhile while there is nearby on-street parking, lot parking is being increased by 66 spaces to 541 with completion expected this Spring. Nevertheless to help solve the driving irritants staff recommend several “traffic calming” measures such as on-pavement “Slow” marking, and warning signs such as "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" and “Stop Ahead.” Cost is estimated at $7400 with $7000 annual maintenance, money coming from an existing budget for set aside for these purposes.

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Bigger vehicles breed distracted drivers

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 13 2025

A “groundbreaking” study has found that the larger the personal vehicle the more likely a motorist will drive recklessly. "Our research clearly shows that the perceived safety of larger vehicles like SUVs is a dangerous misconception," U Windsor kinesiology professor Francesco Biondi says. "While some drivers may feel more protected behind the wheel of a larger vehicle the data undeniably demonstrate an increased risk of harm to road users." University of Windsor and the Windsor Police Service coordinated the study. It focused on more vulnerable traffic areas like school zones and business improvement areas, niches with higher levels of stores and pedestrians. The research found that approximately 20 per cent of drivers were engaged in some form of distraction. Roadside observations were done in summer 2024 for BIAs and fall 2024 and winter 2025 for school zones. These focused on how factors such as school zone size and traffic volume influenced distraction rates. The research garnered $25,000 in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada with "in-kind" support from both Windsor Police and the university.

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With this 'Aeroplan' scam, even if you don't purchase you can be a victim

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 29 2025

Be aware of a scam whereby fraudsters send a text message indicating points on your Aeroplan are expiring and to redeem them. It offers various merchandise. There is minimal charge for what appears very good deals and the website looks legit. For example, redeem 2550 points for a $100 prepaid Mastercard debit card. You can download digitally or physically. But there is a $2.99 delivery charge. Or claim a “Rugged Bluestock Speaker” for 2640 points. Before ordering you’re asked for your address and credit card number. But here's the scam: even if you think it’s not legit – the offers may seem too good to be true - and you don’t order, the fraudsters already have your information. Thankfully, in one case the bank immediately issued an email fraud alert and cancelled the card. A Mastercard agent said such messages “are very sketchy and they’re actually confirmed as a scam text message.” She said all fraudsters wanted was to have the “credit card details” whether a purchase was made or not. “The card was actually added to a digital wallet.” The card was immediately replaced and sent by courier. Added the agent: “If ever you receive a text message or an email just asking to provide the credit card details never do so because unfortunately this is what happens.”

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No intention to mock US, airport says

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 28 2025

A Windsor airport advertising campaign is not meant to mock or even address the current “51st state” controversy unleashed by US President Doanld Trump. The social media ad, one of several in rotation, shows four images of Canadian nature and urban scenes with the tagline, “REDISCOVER THE LAND OF THE FREE, Plan a Canadian Vacation this Summer!” The phrase Land of the Free is usually associated with the United States of America. It’s in the national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner. “There was no political angle at all to the tagline,” airport manager Mark Galvin said. “Obviously for us it's just trying to keep YQG and Windsor airport, that people will see it and remember that they can fly from here” to various destinations in Canada and abroad. “No, they’re not intended at all to be political, we welcome our American friends, we welcome our Canadian friends for sure, we get a number of Americans who use YQG. A lot of it has to do with our summer season. We’re welcoming WestJet back to Calgary. We fly to Toronto.” The airport hosts Air Canada and Porter Airlines with daily flights to Toronto and soon we’ll be welcoming WestJet with annual seasonal flights to Calgary beginning May 31. It also hosts sun destination flights over the winter season. Galvin added, “Obviously we know there’s some trending that a lot of people want to explore Canada this year.” As for playing on the US patriotic phrase, “There was no intention whatsoever. Like I said we enjoy a lot of Americans who come over to use YQG and we welcome them with open arms as we do our local Canadians as well."

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Resident questions Aburg bus cost

WindsorOntarioNews.com April 12 2025

An Amherstburg resident is asking whether the town's Transit Windsor bus service is worth it. The service, Route 605, is now in its third year, recently expanded to four trips a day. But Rodger Hudson, in a letter to River Town Times, argues relatively few people ride it for the cost. There have only been 26,000 riders and only 9,600 rides “ ’generated bus revenue' through cash or passes purchased from Amherstburg," he says. Moreover, deputy mayor (Chris Gibb) ”indicated 50 per cent ….. are students. When I take a look at the people riding the bus they appear to be young. Are they students from Amherstburg?” Hudson says that in the service’s first two years “we've paid Windsor approximately $560,000,” yet revenue was about $48,000. “Not exactly sure how the mayor (Michael Prue) can say that we have funded our service through the (provincial gas tax refunds) when we are clearly subsidizing it through property taxes." (The town got almost $115,000 in initial gas tax funding.) Meanwhile, student ridership appears problematic. "Fun fact: did you know the University of Windsor and St. Clair College provide student bus passes?" This September tuition will increase to cover such passes but how many will opt out and pay separately? Bottom line, says Hudson, is local residents over the next five years will shell out "over $1,280,000" for transit. "If the ridership numbers stay where they are and we continue to receive provincial gas tax funding we will generate around $300,000 to be placed into our transit service. I'll let you decide if our bus service is successful or required."

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London: you can't get there from there

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 29 2025

Who would have thought transportation in London, a middle class city often envied by Windsorites, would be an issue? But ongoing debates about the difficulties getting around the city of 442,000 are coming to a head. A London Free Press article by a local professor slams the city for delaying building a ring road around it, a concept that even Windsor might have, if you think of the EC Row that way. "Building a ring road today is an opportunity for London to fix historical mistakes," A J Wray from Western University, writes. But it's only the latest example in a litany of missed opportunities for the Forest City, itself a name that was originally an insult. "London is littered with countless examples of missed opportunities to build the transportation infrastructure worthy of a large world-class city: An electric streetcar network sprawling out from downtown to Old North, Old South, Old East Village, Hamilton Road and Springbank, shuttered in 1940. Rail service that once ran all the way to Port Stanley. Highbury Avenue as a stub expressway from the 1960s, the missing Hamilton Road bypass recommended in the 1973 London urban transportation study, Veterans Memorial Parkway as a zombie version of the ring road plan from the 1990s. An international airport with a lack of regularly scheduled reliable flights to any international (or even domestic) destinations. Half of an express bus corridor in the south and eastern parts of the city that is more paint and signage than actual transit infrastructure." Wray blames it on city leaders' traditional "conservatism" in a cultural sense and "aversion to risk." For example, the city's street layout is a "peculiar mix" of core grid and outlying "superblock" exemplified by Oxford St. and Wonderland Rd. "The problem with London's superblock layout, absent of expressways, is that traffic moving diagonally across the city must either take a long circuitous L-shaped route or zigzag left and right at each major intersection. Coupled with the many gaps in the major avenue network, like Adelaide Street, Gainsborough Road, Hyde Park Road and Sarnia Road, that should be continuous across the entire city, it is not surprising London is so congested."

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Two railway museums in day's drive

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 14 2025

This Spring, hit the highway to visit two not-so-distant railway museums, one in Ontario the other in Ohio. The first is the Elgin County RR Museum in St. Thomas, reopening this spring on an undisclosed date, so check its website. St. Thomas has long been a huge RR hub - more than 26 railroads once passed through the city - so the museum highlights the history through displays of rolling stock including locomotives, cabooses, baggage and passenger cars. There's also a massive HO scale model train set showing railway life in St. Thomas - "The Railway City" - during the last century. It includes the Michigan Central Locomotive Shops, the Car Shop, the Canada Southern Station, Roundhouse and Turntable. Meanwhile, if you want to venture further, there's the Corner Field Railroad Museum & Trading Post Train Shop in Middlefield OH., (don't get Corner Field and Middlefield confused) just over a three hour drive and east of Cleveland. It features the largest family owned three rail layout in the US. Check out numerous buildings, 7000 ft. of track, hundreds of freight cars, 250-plus different engines including steam, diesel, electric, even subway. There's over a thousand lights, automobiles and trees.

Photo: Elgin County Railway Museum

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Go Transit announcing 15-minute trains as part of $12B expansion in the GTHA

WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 27 2025

The GTHA's Go Transit is undergoing the "biggest transformation" in its history, the regional commuter line touted in a new promotional video. The service which started in 1967 between Oakville and Pickering now links a wide swath of the Golden Horseshoe and as far north as Barrie, south to Niagara and west to Waterloo. It's now undergoing a more than $12B expansion and upgrade which will see new lines, stations, signalization and more electrification to make the system able to absorb a massively growing population and prime for 200 million riders by 2055 compared to 60 million now. The centrepiece will be a major upgrade of Toronto's Union Station hub to handle four times as many trains (image). There will be wider platforms and better passenger flow through concourses. But beyond physical improvements is scheduling. "Imagine not having to look at a schedule because you know a train will be along soon on a network with the capacity for service every 15 minutes or better," the narrator's upbeat voice says. "Imagine waking up on a weekday or weekend knowing so many destinations are just a quick train ride away." Go Transit is run by Metrolinx, the GTHA's regional transit authority, which has had a checkered history regarding projects. Just witness the long delayed opening of the Eglinton LRT line. So the glowing video has led to skepticism. "Top execs there should be required to ride GO as part of their job," said Ron McCracken on social media. "I see buses pull out of GO stations moments before a train arrives with hundreds of passengers. This is not rocket science in 2024 with the hi tech resources available to you to co-ordinate schedules."

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Mob theme for rebranded D'born Hyatt

WindsorOntarioNews.com Feb 13 2025

Look for a distinctly Sopranos theme when the former Dearborn Hyatt reopens later this year with the theme of The Tony Experience. Municipal authorities this week approved a plan by a New Jersey based group to convert the crescent shaped 1970s-era building into half hotel rooms and half apartments. The hotel, at one time owned by a Toronto-based Canadian, is next to the Fairlane Town Center shopping mall. According to one description, the new hotel will being "an immersive, Jersey-inspired adventure that combines mobster charm with upscale accommodations." Upon arrival guests will be welcome by Tony. "The first rule? Keep your door locked. 'You don’t know who’s out there,' " he'll will them. A welcome package will contain an antique watch (don't ask where it came from) and a velvet pouch with cash. "It’s not a bribe,” Tony insists. “It’s just family business.” There will also be The Tony Diner served by Tony's cousin, Sal, natch. And mind the check out time. Says Tony, "You don’t leave yet, capisce? You’ll sleep with the fishes if you try,” he’ll casually mention before hanging up. And when you do leave you'll be given a mysterious package. “This is from the family,” he’ll say. “Don’t ask too many questions. Just take care of it.”

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Detroit People Mover buying replacement rail cars from Toronto

WindsorOntarioNews.com Jan 29 2025

Perhaps a little-known fact but the Detroit People Mover, the almost three-mile elevated loop that partly encircles downtown Detroit, was built with Canadian technology. It uses rail cars manufactured in Kingston Ontario. Basically, the system is the same as Vancouver’s Skytrain. Now the Detroit Dept. of Transportation (DDOT) is replacing its first-generation cars which date from the 1980s. And it is purchasing more Canuck vehicles, this time from the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The cars ran on the Scarborough elevated line but which was closed following a derailment in July 2023. That line is to be replaced by an extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway. Detroit is paying $6 million for the train sets, saving several million dollars by purchasing secondhand instead of new. It expects the fleet to be replaced by 2026. Meanwhile $10 million has been spent on upgrading the People Mover stations and technology. And in an effort to boost ridership the People Mover continues to offer free fares into 2025. It’s a scheme that helped ridership hit more than one million people last year matching pre-pandemic levels. The People Mover has also increased its operating hours. The system’s technology was developed by Kingston-based Urban Transportation Development Corp. owned by the Province of Ontario.

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Residents - even one ex-Windsorite - speak against cuts to tunnel bus

WindsorOntarioNews.com Jan 14 2025

Several residents – and even one Torontonian – spoke out against proposed cuts to Transit Windsor including the only city to city international route in North America, the tunnel bus. They appeared before city council this week after a leaked report showed the city is looking at cuts including eliminating the cross-border service. “Ex-Windsorite” Alim Nathoo called the tunnel bus a “very vital service” and used it as recently as last summer. Eliminating would be “a big mistake” and “detriment,” he said. It’s “low cost, affordable” and people rely on it “for school, medical appointments and for sports and family connections” and he said the city would also “lose a lot of tourism dollars.” Representatives with Activate Transit, a lobby group formed in 2022, said the city's $1.4 million cut is “not very transparent” about what reductions would take place, citing a further $2 million fare increase but “no new net investment” in service. This on top of a fare increase last year of 15% making the city “the most expensive” for transit among “comparable municipalities” at $3.75/ride. And Windsor also funds transit “the least operating dollars per capita.” Further, there is a proposed fare increase this year of 3.23%. The group said there has been “no consultation” with the community and that the tunnel bus has already had reduced service and increased fares. A rider survey by Activate Transit found “frustration” as buses sometimes “bypass” or “don’t show up at all.” Stephanie Taylor, disabled, uses the tunnel bus for family connections and pointed to a petition of more than 3500 names to save it. “It is essential that I have the support of my father and my American family” and said the loss would be “devastating and discriminatory.”

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CBSA to roll out new phone app in 2026 to pre-submit personal travel info

WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 16 2024

Starting in 2026 people travelling to the United States will be required to submit photos and license plate numbers before arriving stateside. It’s part of the new Traveller Modernization initiative to help streamline cross-border movements. The program was first reported by the website Blacklock’s Reporter. According to the report Canadians will have to “provide their biographic, biometric declaration and other border related information prior to arriving at the port of entry.” They will do this through a new phone app and submit a digital photo, advance declaration and licence plate information. A similar system will be rolled out for marine passengers in 2027 and for airline passengers in 2028 according to the report. This is separate from the current ArriveCan app, launched during Covid but still very much in voluntary use. The CBSA says the new app is designed to deal with security threats and economic and migratory trends among the increasing number of travellers. The agency says this will improve border crossing efficiency. It has also taken “careful steps” to alleviate concerns about privacy. “When you provide your information as you enter Canada we make sure to protect and secure it,” the agency said. “We do not keep it for any longer than we need to.” There is already data collection on travellers exiting the country. In 2019 the CBSA was permitted to work with US border officials to do so. Called the Exit Information Regulations, the program compiles travel histories of all people leaving the country by land and air. CBSA contains info from US Customs with the record of entry into the US serving as a record of exit from Canada and in the case of air travel from the commercial airlines.

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T-Rex travelling show at Mi-Sci

WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 1 2024

The Michigan Science Center (Mi-Sci) this weekend opened the traveling exhibit, "Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family. There are various fun-filled activities to channel your inner dino. In Mi-Sci's interactive Play Lab exhibit, kids can build dinosaur block structures. At the Gamer's Village, they can test their skills in a building challenge “designed to inspire young engineers.” Kids and families can also enjoy fossil tracing activities and explore owl pellet bones in the Portal to STEM area, where they’ll uncover even more info about prehistoric life and ancient creatures’ ecosystems. On level three, the public can experience the all-new Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family exhibit itself. It showcases an :extraordinary collection of towering life-size tyrannosaur skeleton casts, fossils and interactive elements, transporting guests back millions of years to the Cretaceous Period when dinosaurs roamed the Earth,” says the museum. The travelling exhibit is supported by Ford Philanthropy, first created by the Australian Museum and is toured internationally. Other features include Scotty: A 15-foot skeleton cast from a fossilized T. rex discovered in Saskatchewan. T. Rex Cousins: Stand next to life-sized replicas of Daspletosaurus, Albertosaurs, and Lynthronax. The are also displays that show the fascinating connections between birds and dinosaurs. Check out real fossils, augmented reality and interactives. Anddon;lt forget IMAX® with Dinosaurs of Antarctica. Mi-Sci is located at 5020 John R. Street in Midtown, Detroit and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday and until 8 p.m. the first Friday of every month. For details visit www.mi-sci.org.

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This winter wonderland is interactive

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov. 15 2024

Glenlore Trails lets you get outdoors and be interactive with nature at the same time. It’s Michigan’s largest and longest illuminated walk-thru forest. The annual holiday-themed experience transforms a one-mile forest trail in Commerce Township just northwest of Detroit. This year's Winter Wonderland theme, "Aurora" blends technology with nature “creating a magical hands-on adventure,” say organizers. Visitors will encounter touch-sensitive light installations, motion-triggered displays, enchanted holiday sounds, interactive games, and a unique twist – magic wands that unlock hidden surprises. Aurora is aka the Northern Lights, so this experience is similarly designed to captivate guests “under a shimmering sky of brilliant lights.” Glenlore Trails is located at 3860 Newtown Road in Commerce Township, MI 48382. Tickets are on sale now at www.GlenloreTrails.com. It takes about an hour to navigate the trail, which opens at dusk. “Glenlore Trails Aurora's Winter Wonderland experience makes for an unforgettable family outing, a fun-filled hangout with friends, or a magical date night,” the organizers, Bluewater Technologies, say. This is the fifth year for the experience where the award-winning team have transformed a natural forest landscape into an immersive wonderland with interactive LED walls, projection mapping, synchronized audio systems, and responsive lighting.

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Get ready for I-375 changes

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 1 2024

Get ready for some design changes when exiting the Windsor-Detroit car tunnel into the streets of Detroit. Construction will soon begin (unspecified date) on converting the longtime I-375 freeway into a six-lane boulevard with natural median strips. It’s part of the Reconnecting Communities project. When I-375 was built it usurped the storied Black Bottom and Paradise Valley African-American business and entertainment districts and created a mote between the downtown core and near eastside residents. And, says the Michigan Dept. of Transportation, the freeway is “old and doesn't meet current standards for safety and reliability.” Changes will see new connections including from the riverfront, Greektown, Eastern Market and the current nearby entertainment districts. As for commuters and Canadians who often take I-75 to northern suburbs, an “upgraded interchange” will be built “for getting traffic on and off I-75 safely.” Ironically, says MDOT, mainline I-75 motorists “will benefit” as the 25 and 30 mph ramps will be removed and replaced with a more gradual curve to access I-75. The boulevard will be accessed from a new diverging diamond interchange. Currently in both directions, commuters have to exit off the mainline when approaching I-375. Heading to I-75 north, the mainline freeway continues for a short distance to Gratiot Ave. while I-75 north is a sharp 25 mph exit. On I-75 south, the mainline turns into I-375 while I-75 exits onto a 30-mph ramp.

Photo: MDOT

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City exploring bike parking options

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 2 2024

The City of Windsor will explore more options to make it easier for cyclists to park their bikes. This could mean retrofitting existing city facilities including parking garages and installing bike lockers. It follows a discussion this summer at city council’s transportation committee. Various options, some more costly than others, were explored. These included adding bike parking for a fee, especially at public events. The city has already done this but there is a “significant cost” for security to monitor bikes. Councillor Kieran McKenzie wondered if the city could “incentivize or compel” business to provide parking. Shawna Boakes, city operations director, said the city is “looking at policies for new construction, but for existing businesses it is an ongoing discussion,” according to meeting minutes. As for new developments the city is updating bylaws to strengthen parking requirements. McKenzie also wanted to know “the rationale” for not recommending bike corrals in on-street parking during winter months. Boakes said bikes would have to be removed for snow clearance but staff can report back on the cost. McKenzie also wanted to know if BIA partners are “looking at opportunities” to provide parking in city owned garages. Boakes said there’s space in the Pelissier St. garage but the Goyeau St. garage doesn’t have first floor parking. Those garages are staffed and monitored but surface lots are not. Councillor Renaldo Agostino said the city could generate “significant” revenue by charging $15 per bike for one parking space with 20 bikes vs. $130 for one car. Meanwhile, Boakes said the city currently owns just one bike locker “and it is rarely used.” Agostino wondered if the city is “discouraging” bike rental companies from locating at city events. But Kathleen Quenneville, the Active Transportation Coordinator, said those firms in fact are “discouraged (because) it may not be safe for pedestrians.”

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Cabana Road to extend past airport

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 18 2024

City Council is being asked to approve a change in the street names of Division Rd. and County Rd. 42 east to the city limits, just past Windsor Airport. The reason? “Consistency” a city report says. It comes as plans for improvements to the adjoining Lauzon Pkwy – which ends at County Rd. 42 - are in the works. An earlier report also called for improvements to the roadway, which would be called Cabana Road East. At present, Cabana Road East begins at Ouellette Ave. and ends at Devonwood Ave. At the Devonwood Ave. intersection the road’s name changes to Division Rd. (photo) which extends past Walker Road to the CN Tracks. At the CN Tracks the name changes again to County Rd. 42 extending to the city’s eastern boundary. It’s not expected that street address numbers will change. “The current street numbering system from Devonwood Avenue to the east city limit increases in sequential order,” the report says. Residents don’t have to be notified under the city's street renaming policy. However, public notice must be sent out and a newspaper advertisement published, which have been done. “No objections were brought forward from the planning department regarding the name change,” the report says. The change will cost the city $28,000 for items like removing existing signs and installing new ones, public notices and bylaw registration.

Photo: Google Street View

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Detroit luring tourists with its murals

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 12 2024

On the heels of a public art initiative at last spring’s NFL Draft the City of Detroit wants its multitude of public murals to become a permanent tourist attraction, Crain’s Detroit Business reports - “Detroit aims to use its hundreds of murals to open doors for tourism." The initiative may be fresh but Detroit has been known for its growing mural scene for years. The city has an online app called Detroit Mural Guide curated by Viranel Clerard who has documented the city’s public art scene since 2015. According to Visit Detroit, Clerard “is on a mission to tie in the history of Detroit (and) document public art.” Clerard photographed more than 1000 public art murals and researched details about artists and why the murals were commissioned. "Part of my definition of a mural is whether it is publicly accessible,” he says. “It has to be on an exterior wall of a building." He says the difference between graffiti and murals is the latter benefit the community and not the artist, "Is the artist giving their time and effort to the community? Or are they tagging their names and self-promoting?" The Guide includes a mural by famed Mexican and DIA artist Diego Rivera’s last living assistant in southwest Detroit. There’s “Aretha Franklin” by Desiree Kelly on the corner of Winder St & Russell St in Eastern Market, “Stevie Wonder” by artist Richard Wilson – “a full-fledged tourist attraction” – outside the Music Hall downtown. “Girl with the D Earring” is at Grand Boulevard and Woodward Avenue in Milwaukee Junction. It re-envisions Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” There are the Mexicantown Murals, one of the most beautiful at the Plaza del Norte Welcome Center in Mexicantown near the Ambassador Bridge - a celebration of Mexican culture.

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Head east to visit these Badlands

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 13 2024

When it comes to badlands you might think of the Wild West. But badlands exist only a few hours drive from Windsor in of all places the GTA. They’re the Cheltenham Badlands, a “geological gem” according to the ministry of tourism. The brown coloured desert like humped series of terrain – 36 hectares altogether – is locate just northwest of Brampton in Caledon. They originated 450 million years ago as an ancient sea bed. But they became visible only over roughly the past 100 years. That’s when settlers cleared homesteads, leading to soil erosion and the “distinct Queenston shale formations.” They're now preserved as a natural site run by Ontario Heritage Trust. “It is a soft and ancient stone, easily eroded and especially fragile,” Trust spokesman David Leonard said. “While it exists all over sections of southern Ontario it's usually covered by a harder overlaying rock, so you can't usually see it.” How did it form? Glaciers scraped off the harder layers of stone above the shale, leaving a thin layer of topsoil easily eroded when the land was being cleared for farming and logging. Once uncovered, more erosion from rainwater and snowmelt defined the distinctive hills and gullies. People can view from a boardwalk or an adjacent trail or even from the Bruce Trail above. Book ahead to visit at heritagetrust.on.ca/badlands. “We use the Parkpass platform to create and manage bookings,” Leonard said. Timeslots are for either 1.5 or 3 hours and guarantee a parking spot that's a short walk away. “When you arrive, our system will scan your license plate, which you provide at time of booking, and the parking lot gate will open up for you.”

Photo: Ontario Heritage Trust

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Kayaking opportunities abound locally

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 29 2024

Kayaking is a great summer pastime. And the region doesn’t lack spots to dip a rented lightweight watercraft into our streams, harbours, rivers and lakes. And you don’t have to own a kayak to participate. Among places where you can rent a kayak – or canoe and sometimes the increasingly popular paddle board – are River Canard Canoe Co., Urban Surf Co. in Lakeshore, Pelee Wings on Pt. Pelee and Sup & Sun in Belle River. Kayaking doesn’t require a lot of skill. All you have to do is basically get in one – which can be awkward but a crew member helps – and learn to use your single double blade paddle, which doesn’t require much learning. It can feel slightly unnerving at first because the craft is so lightweight and a slight shifting in weight and make you feel like you’re flipping. But it takes a lot of weight to flip. Should that occur you’ll be wearing a life jacket as all licensed rental companies mandate you wear them. You also have to sign a waiver before getting in the boat. Fees vary but usually start at $25 for the first hour. River Canard has a flat $48 fee for four hours. Urban Surf and Pelee Wings start at $25 and add $10 for each subsequent hour. ($15 weekends for Sup.) Each offers a different experience. Paddling the Canard River is serene but slightly choppier as you head west to the Detroit River. Moving inland it’s as serene as can be. Urban Surf starts you off in the Pike Creek harbour where your sharing space with motorized craft (you keep to the right going out and in). Once on Lake St. Clair you can maneuver by some of the fanciest homes on Lake St. Clair and paddle by Beach Grove Golf & Country Club. Sup & Sun at County Rd. 22 and the Belle River harbour also offers a cruise out to the lake and the packed Lakeview Park Beach on summer weekends. At Pelee Wings there are a couple of choices. You can rent and dip into open Lake Erie or pay the entrance fee ($7.90 day pass) at the national park and pick up a kayak for cruising along the Pelee marsh. They’ll also shuttle you (for a fee) to nearby Hillman Marsh and Cedar Creek.

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Peche Island: bucolic, yes, but some extras for walkers would be helpful

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 16 2024

By RON STANG/WON publisher

The first thing you notice about Peche Island is how close it is to mainland Windsor. The island, which the city took over from the provincial government in 1999, is 86 acres of small-scale rustic wilderness. But it does have a history beyond flora and fauna. It was once the summer estate of whisky baron Hiram Walker. The City of Windsor last week restarted tours of the island after completing emergency protocols there. I showed up for a tour Saturday as the only pre-booked guest thinking I might find a crowded boat. At first I was the lone passenger and then three walk-ins came. The tour is only $10 though there is a guided tour around and on the island for $30. A pontoon boat takes you from Lakeview Park Marina the 330 meters across the Detroit River channel to a dock with an attractive Peche Island sign, picnic pavilion and restrooms. From there, there are a few trails that take you through the island to the northern tip (about a half hour walk). The trails start out groomed but are less so as the walk goes on. There’s also, surprisingly, a general absence of trail markers and one can get the feeling of losing one’s way. At one point, at the remnants of an elegant bridge from the Walker era, the trail breaks into two. There is also a trail down to the west side beach though I couldn’t find the beach and turned back, worried about making the last boat back. But it was fun to see so many pleasure craft docked alongside, their passengers lazing on a hot sultry afternoon. I was a little disappointed that there is no trail around the island’s circumference, that basically you’re walking through woods near the island’s centre. Another passenger, Kirk, said the same. “I thought it was good,” he said of the trails. “They just need to put a little more signage up and a few things like that.” There was signage, including one stating some trees are 175 years old. But there could have been more and they could have been in better condition. Fellow passenger Susan loved the visit. “It’s quite lovely, the birds were unbelievable,” she said. “And you can do that thing that the Japanese do - forest bathing - where you walk through trees and you just zone out. It’s good for mental health.”

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Via's new trains comes with new fees

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 3 2024

With Via Rail’s new fleet of Venture trains introduced in Windsor last week expect to pay for seat selection and baggage. The fees had been suspended when the company’s new reservation system was launched late last year. The fees were reintroduced last month. A $7 fee will be applied on the cheapest Escape fare ticket. Those in Economy, Economy Plus and Business Plus won’t have to pay extra. However, the single seats in the new trains will command an additional fee. “Passengers travelling on a regular Business fare will have to pay a seat selection fee to pick one of the single seats, although picking any of the paired seats will remain free or charge, and it will still be possible for passengers to automatically be assigned one of the single seats,” Transport Action Canada, a passenger lobby group, says. Meanwhile baggage fees have been reintroduced at a lower rate. The second bag fee for Economy passengers now varies by fare type, with a $25 fee for Escape, $20 for Economy, and only $15 for passenger travelling Economy Plus rather than $25 for all passengers. “This is lower than the $40 fee for a second bag that applied before November 2023,” the lobby group says. And “the perk” of a free second bag for students has not been brought back due to lack of train car space. Meanwhile Via is now charging for parking at smaller stations in southwestern Ontario including Chatham and Woodstock. Fees are being collected by Indigo, which charges at Windsor’s station. “For shorter journeys these new parking charges could add significantly to the cost of choosing the train,” Transport Action says.

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