LIVE: Windsor council to debate spending $6M more on downtown ice rink

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Published May 27, 2024 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 6 minute read

Windsor city hall is seen on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Photo by Taylor Campbell /Windsor Star

Follow Windsor Star reporter Taylor Campbell’s live blog below for up-to-the-minute coverage of Windsor city council’s meeting on Monday, May 27, 2024.

11:19 a.m. — On item 8.30 – Traffic Signal at Tecumseh Road E and Robinet Road, Ward 7 Coun. Angelo Marignani puts forward a motion to restrict left turns at Robinet Road and Tecumseh Road East. City engineers recommend against this. Shawna Boakes, executive director of operations, says the restriction could cause additional traffic in other neighbourhoods and can prompt further safety concerns.

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Marignani says he’s heard from residents who think left turns should be prohibited at that intersection out of concern for safety.

11:14 a.m. — Patricia McGorman speaks on 8.9 – South Cameron Park Trails – Approval of the Conceptual Plan. She’s opposed to paving trails throughout the natural area.

Asked for a response by Coun. Kieran McKenzie, executive director of parks and facilities James Chacko says lighting will be along the perimeter, not within the natural area, and the trails will use environmentally friendly materials and take into consideration species at risk.

Chacko says all of the trails would be Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act compliant and will be consistent with what’s at Ojibway Park.

Council supports the South Cameron Conceptual Trail Plan, which would require additional expenditures which are not currently included in the 10-year capital plan. Council directed the treasurer to bring forward a capital budget issue in the amount estimated to be $2,634,240 as part of the 2025 10-year capital plan for consideration.

11:03 a.m. — On the Caboto Club development (item 8.19), area resident David Girard expresses concern about vehicles exiting the proposed development onto Marentette Avenue. He wants vehicles exiting the new apartments to be directed to Parent Avenue, where there is a traffic light.

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Council approves the recommendation to approve the OPA and ZBA.

11 a.m. — The delegates for item 8.9 – Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment Site specific regulations forMultiple Dwelling – Z 005-24 [ZNG-7174] & OPA 183 [OPA-7175] 1027458 Ontario Inc. 0 Wyandotte St E. are not present. Council approves the requested OPA and ZBA.

10:57 a.m. — Ward 7 Coun. Angelo Marignani asks that 8.30 Traffic Signal at Tecumseh Road E and Robinet Road be removed from the consent agenda.

Marignani also notes his opposition to consent item 8.29 – Response to CQ 9-2024 – Deficient Roads and “Like for Like” Policy.

10.53 a.m. — Ward 8 Coun. Gary Kaschak asks about 8.11 – Asylum Claimants Transferred to Windsor Hotels by Immigration, Refugees andCitizenship Canada (IRCC) Update.

He asks whether the City of Windsor has any say in what hotels are used to house asylum claimants.

Andrew Daher, city commissioner of human and health services, says the federal government fully funds the food and housing of these asylum claimants and therefore has control. However, city officials do meet with IRCC officials and can pass along requests. Daher says neither of the hotels housing asylum claimants are downtown, but he will not state which hotels are being used.

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10:39 a.m. — Council adds 8.22. Sandwich Street Infrastructure Enhancement Heritage Permit to the consent agenda.

Read the Star’s coverage of plans for the city to fund nearly $400,000 in improvements to Sandwich Street — improvements that go alongside upgrades being done by the Gordie Howe bridge team — here.

Council also adds 8.2 – Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment Site specific regulations forMultiple Dwelling – Z 004-24 [ZNG-7171] & OPA 182 [OPA-7173] 1027458 Ontario Inc. 0 Clairview Ave.

10:33 a.m. — Council moves on to the consent agenda. Ward 4 Coun. Mark McKenzie and Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino declare conflicts of interest on Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment Applications for 835 Tecumseh Road East, 2148 Marentette Avenue, and 2175 Parent Avenue. Both men are members of the Giovanni Caboto Club, which is requesting the ZBA to build housing on the property.

Read the Star’s coverage here and here.

10:30 a.m. — Francis asks when residents will be heard and when they can speak to these developments.

Payne says it would be when the EOI process happens. No date has been set.

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10:27 a.m. — Francis refers to a line in the report that indicates developers approach folks at city hall about building on city-owned properties. He wants to know how those conversations are disclosed.

Payne explains: “Whenever developers come to us, what we typically do is we hear them out, we listen to what their what their ideas are. We provide guidance based on the expertise of various departments, but ultimately we always direct them back to our formal process which is either an RFP or an EOI process that is then open and transparent.”

Francis asks if a developer spoke with anyone at city hall about developing the Roseland property before council decided to make it available for residential development.

Payne says she is not aware of any such conversations. City CAO Joe Mancina says the same thing.

10:25 a.m. — Francis asks Ray Mensour, city commissioner of community service, when the results of the public survey about development on the Roseland property will come back to council. Mensour says it will come back in a report about the EOI for that property. The survey results will inform the EOI, Mensour says.

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10:15 a.m. — Francis has questions on the Housing Solutions Made for Windsor. He asks any residents in the gallery who are present because of the Roseland petition to raise their hands. At least two dozen people put their hands up.

Francis asks about the public consultation process. Residents want their voices heard. Francis notes that the council majority voted to build housing on these city-owned properties without hearing from the public first.

Jelena Payne, the city’s commissioner of economic development, explains that the expression of interest process will allow the city to gather ideas/vision from developers. Once the city has architectural renderings from developers, “viable concepts related to residential developments,” they will be brought to council for “further refinement.”

The process can take years, Payne says. “We want to make sure we do our due diligence. We want to make sure we consult the public throughout the process. We have multiple touch points with council throughout the process to, ultimately, hopefully, get the best development possible for the community.”

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Francis says he thinks the public should have been engaged before council made its decision to move forward with any residential development on city-owned land.

This elicits a short round of applause from residents in the audience.

10:08 a.m. — Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie is asking about 7.2 – Housing Solutions Made for Windsor – The Expression of Interest Process. He wants to know when the public can become more involved in the process of building housing on city-owned land, like Roseland and the W.D. Lowe school building.

Administration says there will be opportunities for public consultation as the process progresses for each lot individually. The report is about issuing requests for expressions of interest (EOI) from developers interested in building housing on several city properties.

Check out the Star’s coverage of city council’s decision to build housing on five city-owned properties here.

10:03 a.m. — Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis makes a motion to move a petition from residents of the Roseland neighbourhood and surrounding area to a future council meeting as a regular business item so residents can delegate.

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City clerk Steve Vlachodimos says Francis cannot do that, procedurally, because he voted against the related item about building a luxury condo on Roseland Golf and Curling Club property. A councillor who voted in favour of that item could reopen that debate, Vlachodimos says, but Francis cannot. It would technically be a “motion to reconsider.”

10 a.m. — Today’s city council meeting has begun.

If you wish to follow along with today’s meeting, click here for the regular agenda, here for the consolidated agenda, and here for the final consolidated agenda.

A live stream of today’s meeting offered by the City of Windsor can be viewed here.

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