Executive Director's Message

Welcome to Downtown Windsor

There’s no question that the year 2009 brings many challenges for business operators across North America, including those of us who live and work in downtown Windsor.

But with every challenge comes opportunity, and as executive director of the Downtown Windsor BIA, my goal is to envision the possibilities of what our downtown can be, and find innovative ways for us to get there.

Our board and staff have been working tirelessly to improve the face of downtown, with our innovative “Fresh Fronts” storefront improvement grants. We have our “Clean Team” on the street daily, cleaning and sprucing up after our evening visitors. Perhaps our most visible contribution is the on-going streetscape initiative with our partner, the City of Windsor, which will include a revamping of Ouellette Avenue from Park Street to Wyandotte in 2009.

These programs and many others are designed to create a more attractive downtown for shoppers, tourists, merchants, residents, and potential investors.

With our close proximity to the United States, downtown has earned a reputation as a hospitality and entertainment district. The opening of Caesar’s Casino in 2008 brings the potential for tremendous synergies in the downtown core.

In 2009, the DWBIA will initiate a Hospitality Resource Panel, whose stated goal is to work together to create a safe and vibrant place for people to socialize. This panel will include an alliance of business owners, municipal staff, council members, police and community representatives.

Downtown Windsor has gone through at least three main commercial and cultural shifts in the past 35 years, from a traditional “Main Street” featuring a strong retail base to “Party Central” for young adults from surrounding U.S. states with higher age-drinking limits who frequent our nightclubs and restaurants.

The third phase, which is happening today, offers tremendous potential. We envision a downtown that features a mix of entertainment, culture, art, entertainment and business - a people place where we live, work and play. How we manage this mix is critical to our city’s future, because, after all, downtown is a reflection of our city and of our future.

Chris Edwards, M.A.