Windsor to be focus of Canadian Urban Institute virtual conference
While COVID-19 steals many headlines these days, our cities face a whole host of problems that existed before the pandemic and will remain problems we will still face well after it’s over.
The Canadian Urban Institute is hoping to tap into that through a series of conversations being hosted in Windsor this week.
Focusing on issues from poverty to active transportation, the environment and the economy, a series of virtual conversations and round-tables are being held from June 15 to 17 to get a picture of the challenges we’ll face, and how to solve them post-pandemic.
“The CUI local program is really a great opportunity to hear your stories and hear where you think the future is and engage and be part of it with you,” says Mary Rowe, the president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute.
Hosted over three days, the virtual listening tour will zoom in on these issues, learn best practices to deal with them and maybe even export some ‘Made in Windsor’ solutions.
“What’s the sort of collective hunch that you’re forming up there about what the future should look like and how you get ahead of what the new economy will look like,” says Rowe.
Anneke Smit — the director of Windsor Law’s Centre for Cities — is a local organizer who helped bring the conference here.
”Thinking about good city building, building more housing has to go hand-in-hand with dealing with the climate crisis, for example, it has to go hand-in-hand with building walkable communities,” says Smit.
The public will be able to listen in on conversations with ex-pats who left — but still love the city. There will also be a fireside chat with the city’s CAO Jayson Reynar, as well as a discussion among Windsor’s youth.
“Really wanting to hear to just from those who are making the decisions now, but those who are going to be making the decisions not too far down the road about what their futures will look like,” Smit says.
One of those panelists is Julian Villafuerte.
“Having these conversations is absolutely critical to be able to come up with the best possible solutions, the best way forward and building those connections as well,” Villafuerte says.
Smit says the week of events is “a starting point, not an end point in the conversation” but hopes Windsor’s panelists can put forward a handful of ideas that can be shared across the nation.
After this week, the Canadian Urban Institute has virtual stops in Halifax and other medium-sized cities.
“The people who know the cities best are the ones that live in them... I’m really looking forward to telling the story about Windsor to the rest of the country,” says Rowe.
A link to the schedule can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.