New report focuses on building community wealth in Windsor

Residents attend a public meeting on Tuesday to learn more about the Gordie Howe International Bridge project. (Angelo Aversa / CTV Windsor)

Windsor, Ont. -

A new report, Building Community Wealth: What is possible in rural, small and mid-sized communities, looks at ways communities, like Windsor, can recover, revitalize, and reconnect by building a more inclusive local economy.

The report found large-scale community benefit projects like the Gordie Howe International Bridge have revealed an opportunity to scale these kinds of benefits, right-sizing them to bring prosperity to any community, regardless of size.

“This report is the hopeful start of a larger conversation in rural, small, and mid-sized communities like Windsor-Essex County around community wealth building and inclusivity,” says Lorraine Goddard, CEO of United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County. “Every community, no matter the size, can find ways to become more prosperous if we work differently and collectively.”

The report, formed by the United Way/Centraide and the Windsor-Essex County the Windsor-Essex Community Benefits Coalition hopes to drive home the point communities across the country have created local employment and training opportunities, small business supports, affordable housing, better community amenities by community projects.

The report has been endorsed by 25 different agencies and groups across the province and is available to download at www.windsoressexcb.ca.