'It’s not the same as it used to be': concerns with Windsor’s downtown core

Dozens of people attended a town hall meeting at city hall in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)

Having lived in Windsor’s downtown core for 30 years, Kyle Reid says he’s seen the area take a nosedive.

He says he’s reminded of it every night walking home from work.

“There’s needles, there’s people spinning out of control, they have no idea where they’re at. Constantly, every day. People sleeping in door ways. Defecating in doorways. I mean I have to take a bucket of water once a week and wash,” he says.

Reid was one of dozens to attend a town hall meeting at city hall Wednesday night.

The latest in a series of discussions curated by downtown councillor Renaldo Agostino. This time, focused on bolstering the tourism and hospitality sector.

“There's a lot of bright minds and I want to get all those minds together so we can have a frank discussion on the direction that we're going in moving forward post COVID,” says Agostino.

About half of those in the crowd Wednesday night were business owners, like Jim Arbour, who owns Lefty’s on Ouellette.

He says he’s appreciated a stronger police presence in the core as of late, but that’s not enough.

“I’ve been working downtown since 1991 and it’s not the same as it used to be,” said Arbour. “I know it never will be but there are some changes that need to be made.”

Physically cleaning up downtown was mentioned a lot at the town hall.

Everything from needles and human waste, to trash and unruly grass.

The councillor is encouraging all residents and business owners with issues to call 3-1-1 consistently, to make sure every complaint is recorded.

Agostino says the squeaky wheel gets the grease and hopefully it gets downtown rolling in the right direction.