City hires dedicated bylaw officer as part of ‘Strengthen the Core’ initiative

Bylaw property standards enforcement lead Nicole Brush in Windsor, Ont. (Source: City of Windsor)

The City of Windsor has hired a dedicated by-law officer for the downtown core.

In May 2024, city council unanimously approved the Strengthen the Core: Downtown Windsor Revitalization Plan (STC) to address safety and security; improve cleanliness through improvements and activations; and attract new investments, businesses, residents and visitors to the city’s core.

The plan’s second initial action item, High Standards, highlighted the need for improved enforcement of property standards, and called for the hiring of a dedicated bylaw property standards enforcement lead in the downtown core.

Nicole Brush has been hired for the position. She has worked as a bylaw officer at the City of Windsor since 2015. In her time with building bylaw, the city says Brush has demonstrated the leadership and expertise required to address some of downtown’s most challenging property files.

Through her new role, and in alignment with the STC revitalization plan, Brush will prioritize properties within the downtown core as well as high-traffic business zones, and will review them for by-law infractions.

“Establishing a dedicated by-law officer in the downtown core is an essential aspect of the Strengthen the Core initiative. Enforcing by-laws is critical to ensuring safety, preserving the integrity of buildings, safeguarding property values, and nurturing a dynamic community. Providing consistent and impartial enforcement is key to creating an environment where businesses thrive, residents feel secure, and visitors are attracted to the area,” said Jelena Payne, commissioner of economic development.

Where a building or property is deemed to be non-compliant with city bylaws, owners will be given a reasonable timeline to bring their property into compliance. In cases where an Order to Repair must be issued, owners will have 30 days to comply. Efforts will be closely monitored, with escalation to Provincial Offences Court if necessary to enforce Orders.

This position will also focus on canvasing the surrounding downtown area to address by-law concerns as needed.

The city’s building department receives an average of over 3,000 service requests per year. For 2023, 120 of those involved the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Area. Specific to the city’s BIAs, Ward 3 and the downtown accounts for 17 per cent of all building-related service requests. Across all nine City BIAs, the Downtown Windsor BIA accounts for 52% of all service requests.