Rental listing catches eye of councillor, off-duty WPS officer charged, Unifor and Ford ratify deal: Top Windsor stories this week

A “disturbing” rental listing caught the eye of a Windsor councillor, an off-duty Windsor police officer has been charged with assault in Ottawa, and Unifor members narrowly ratified a new three-year collective agreement with Ford.

Here’s a look at the top stories on ctvnewswindsor.ca this week.  

'An exploitation of the housing crisis': Windsor councillor calls rental listing disturbing

A picture from a recent rental listing in Windsor, posted to Facebook Marketplace, advertised as a six-bedroom, one-bathroom unit. (SOURCE: Fabio Costante/Facebook)

As Windsor-Essex and cities across the country deal with an affordable housing crisis, one rental listing in Windsor is catching the eye and ire of one city councillor.

A listing on Facebook Marketplace, which has since been taken down, advertises a six-bed, one-bathroom unit for $330 per month.

What you see is multiple beds crammed into a single room.

“I think what we should call this as an exploitation of the housing crisis,” said Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante, who highlighted the listing in a recent social media post. “You have a landlord who has clearly taking advantage of the shortage of housing and specifically affordable housing in our community.”

Warning graphic: 'Multiple trauma': Causes of death of London truck attack victims confirmed in terrorism trial

Surveillance video depicts the arrest of Nathaniel Veltman at a northwest London, Ont. shopping mall parking lot on June 6, 2021. (Source: Superior Court of Justice)

WARNING: The details in this article may be disturbing to some readers.

A Windsor jury heard another agreed statement of facts Wednesday in the ongoing trial of Nathaniel Veltman, 22.

He’s charged with four counts of terrorism-motivated first-degree murder and one count of terrorism-motivated attempted murder.

Crown Attorney Jennifer Moser read the agreement on causes of death for all four members of the Afzaal family.

Grandmother Talat, 74, her son Salman, 46, his wife Madiha, 44 and their daughter Yumnah, 15, all suffered "blunt force injuries."

Talat Afzaal “likely died on impact,” Moser told the jury while saying the victim also suffered fractures and internal bleeding.

Off-duty Windsor police officer charged with assault in Ottawa

Windsor Police Sgt Deler Bal. (CTV News Windsor)

Windsor police say a member of the Windsor Police Service has been charged with assault after an off-duty incident in Ottawa.

Windsor Police Sgt Deler Bal was charged by the Ottawa Police Service following an alleged physical altercation at a restaurant on Sept. 23, 2023.

Police say he has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of assault causing bodily harm.

Garbage dumped outside for weeks sparks calls for improved bylaw enforcement

Items on the curb in Windsor, Ont. (Source: Caroline Taylor)

Torn-up couches, scattered trash and mattresses propped up against tree trunks have become all-too-familiar sights for Caroline Taylor — and the west-end resident says the amount of garbage being left on city curbs for weeks on end is growing everyday.

It's everywhere in the core neighbourhoods. It's everywhere in the vulnerable neighbourhoods. Garbage needs to be picked up and it's never picked up," she said.

For Taylor, the issue has worsened in recent years.

During the most recent Open Streets event, Taylor and husband took multiple photos of trash being left outside along their path.

Canadian autoworkers ratify deal with Ford Motor Company

Signage for Unifor’s auto talks is shown in Toronto on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. Unifor is holding formal contract talks with the Detroit Big Three automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

Five days after reaching a tentative deal, Unifor members voted this weekend and have narrowly ratified a new three-year collective agreement with the Ford Motor Company.

Over this weekend, thousands of Ford workers across Canada cast their vote(opens in a new tab) regarding whether or not to approve a new contract offered by Ford, which the union called the “largest negotiated general wage increase in Unifor and CAW history.”

"Our bargaining team showed exceptional leadership and successfully pushed Ford of Canada on every front," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "This contract will change lives in a profound way. It fundamentally transforms pension plans, provides protections during the EV transition and includes the highest wage increases in the history of Canadian auto bargaining."