‘Art Alley’ projects encourage health and community in Windsor
Art Alley joins WIFF Alley in breaking the conventional definition of a thoroughfare.
“This is a welcoming space and this is for the community,” said Pat Papadeas, vice chair of the Downtown Windsor Business Revitalization Association who unveiled the new space with the BIA.
The alley is found between Pelissier Street and Ouellette Avenue behind the parking garage.
“We can activate, we can expand the night market and the farmers' market so that brings people down here. That creates events,” said Papadeas.
The two-phase project features art installations, graffiti art and better lighting. It’s still an alley but more inviting, especially for businesses on Ouellette Avenue who have the space.
Papadeas suspects many will look to take advantage of the opportunity.
“You're going to start seeing them putting out tables in the back or opening up the back entrance and so it really creates activity down the alley,” said Papadeas.
According to Lisa Kolody, the executive director of Windsor-Essex Community Foundation, about 15 different projects have been funded with support from the federal government and Community Foundations of Canada.
“They reach from Pelee Island to the Town of Tecumseh to right here in downtown Windsor,” she said.
Kolody says data from their vital signs survey was used to decide funding priorities.
“If the community says we need more places to gather, we need more walkways, we need safer biking opportunities, we need to work on our environment, then that's what we invest in,” said Kolody.
The Windsor Public Library put a bookmobile named Betty on the road with the funding. Betty has attended many events and provided various library services according to team leader Sue Perry.
“We go to the market once a month. Pretty much anywhere where you can expect a community to gather. We can show up. We already made a library card here today,” said Perry.
Another project soon to be developed thanks to funding is a community patio at the Accelerator on Howard. The area will be a relaxing work/gathering area with Wi-Fi.
“We envision having markets in the parking lot and things like that. Bigger things showcasing. Very much like they do on Pelissier but specifically focused with the businesses we work with,” said CEO Arthur Barbut.
Kolody says only about ten per cent of the submissions received funding but encourages those with ideas to keep posted for opportunities on the Windsor Essex Community Foundation website.
“It is about making our community stronger and to build a sense of belonging,” said Kolody.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.