Windsor Launches New ‘Concierge’ Investment Support Program for Eligible Investors

The City of Windsor has launched a new Investment Support Program [ISP] for eligible investors. By including stakeholders from a number of departments and external organizations, the program helps guide strategic investment projects through all aspects of the city approval process. In doing so, the City is putting on its white gloves and rolling out the red carpet for potential investors. It’s akin to a couple getting married and hiring a wedding coordinator who becomes the couple’s single point of contact for the numerous components of their wedding day.

“We’ve seen a significant improvement in our local economy over the past two years. This program builds on that success and provides a first-class concierge service to investors,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens. “The program provides a single point of contact, establishes a feedback loop for investors, and enhances Windsor’s ability to expand and retain business.”

The objective of the ISP is to work proactively with strategic projects. An investment is categorized as “strategic” based on its economic significance for Windsor. Examples of projects that may be eligible for the ISP may include developments that generate knowledge-based jobs, office orientated/industrial business parks, and major redevelopments of existing vacant properties.

The intent of the program is to navigate potential investors through municipal requirements on a first-come first-served approach. The ISP is intended to be initiated to facilitate the investment of strategic projects that comply with Provincial and municipal standards.

To be eligible for ISP, strategic projects must meet one or more of the following characteristics:

1. creates or retains a minimum of 50 jobs within the manufacturing sector or creates more than 20 jobs or retains a minimum of 30 jobs within any other targeted sector(s).
2. Is a major tourism investment expected to draw a minimum annual attendance of 100,000 visitors;
3. is uniquely complex with multiple priorities and stakeholders; and,
4. adds to the diversification of the local economy by developing a targeted sector identified by the City.

The city’s economic development officer, currently Matthew Johnson, is assigned to each strategic investment and works proactively with other departments and external agencies to guide projects through the municipal process. This includes, but is not limited to planning approvals, construction permits, licensing requirements, utilities, technology requirements, tax and free estimations, etc. There will also be participation by the senior levels of government for issues within their area of responsibility.

Joining the Mayor for this launch was Matthew Johnson, Economic Development Officer for the City of Windsor; the City’s Senior Management team made up of the Department Heads; Helga Reidel, CEO of Enwin Utilities; Stephen MacKenzie (CEO) and Rakesh Naidu (COO) from the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation.

Asked if this type of concierge service for potential investors is being done by other cities in the Province, the Mayor responded, “I’m not sure if it is, but it is certainly being undertaken by many US jurisdictions, a number of whom are in the Great Lakes region – cities and states with whom we are in direct competition for potential investments.”

Interested investors are encouraged to visit the City’s website to learn more.

Feature photo: Back Row is Rakesh Naidu – Windsor Essex Economic  Development Corporation (Chief Operations Officer). Front Row: Matthew Johnson –The City of Windsor – (Economic Development Officer); Mayor Drew Dilkens;  Stephen MacKenzie –  Windsor Essex Economic  Development Corporation (CEO). Photo by Joe McParland – Biz X magazine

To view the Mayor’s full announcement from today, click on the YouTube clip below.

Photo and video by Joe McParland – Biz X magazine

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“We can have a bright future, but to get there we need to shape and plan our tomorrows.” —20-Year Strategic Vision, Windsor City Council

City Council is committed to Windsor being the absolute best that it can be. To see our community thrive, we laid out three main goals for the 20 year strategic vision, more jobs; addressing our City’s reputation; and improving quality of life for our citizens.

These carefully chosen objectives are building blocks that help make and keep cities great.

A city is, first and foremost, a home for its residents. Like any home, a city needs infrastructure, stability, security and functionality; but it also needs colour, warmth, vibrancy, laughter and love to be a place where we can grow, and where we can proudly open our door to welcome visitors.

To be strong, a city must be more than its streets and sewers; more than its buildings and services. A strong city is a dynamic place of civic pride and a hub for innovation, culture and creativity. A strong city has a “we can make it happen” attitude, a diversified economy, and meaningful opportunities for employment. It is a place where caring neighbourhoods, green spaces, multiculturalism, tourism and healthy living are all key priorities.

Windsor is a very strong city.

Through decisions, investments, initiatives, partnerships and planning, 2016 was a year of growth, development, achievement and celebration.

For the first time in 15 years, Windsor’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.7 percent; one of the lowest jobless rates in the country. The focus and investments made with respect to economic development are paying off. Fiat Chrysler’s continued growth and investment here is critically important. The push to help provide access to quality employment opportunities also plays an important role in this positive shift.

Both the City and County committed to raising our local 10 percent contribution required to fund the new Windsor-Essex Hospital System, sending a clear message that we are united in support of a shared vision, and demonstrating that Windsor wants to attract the best and brightest healthcare professionals to our City. This project will transform our regional healthcare system, spur economic development, create jobs and benefit all of us in countless ways for decades to come.

The “Rio Olympics” illustrated how past, present and future investments in our sports and recreation infrastructure allows athletes to train in Windsor and find success at the top levels. Focusing on Sports Tourism as an economic driver that can also change the stories that are told about our City, we played big in 2016 and kept Windsor on the world stage.

Large-scale international events like the upcoming “13th FINA World Swimming Championships” (25m), along with local and national competitions of all sizes, give us the opportunity to show the world what makes Windsor a world-class destination.

Our city is now known to excel at hosting sports competitions while providing unforgettable experiences for participants. We see solid proof of this in our successful bid to co-host the “2017 MasterCard Memorial Cup” with the Windsor Spitfires, and in being shortlisted to co-host the 2019 “World Juniors” with London.

20 Year Strategic Vision continues HERE

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Transforming Healthcare In Windsor-Essex

In April 2016, Essex County Warden Tom Bain and I sent a letter to the Honourable Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, advising him that our region is ready to move to the next phase in planning for the new Windsor-Essex Hospitals System.

Following receipt of overwhelming approval by both City and County Councils on an agreed upon cost-sharing plan, it was important for us to give the Minister our commitment to take the necessary steps and raise the mandatory local contribution of 10% of overall project costs. This was an opportunity for us to clearly state that our community has united in support of a shared vision — One System. One Focus. One Community. Countless Strengths.

“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” — Winston S. Churchill

I am proud of our elected representatives and administrators from the City of Windsor and County of Essex for showing true leadership, making bold decisions and reaching consensus on these important community support measures.

I am not surprised to see this support and assurance from our councils. We know that our existing facilities are out of date and hard-pressed to meet current healthcare needs — let alone our future service needs. In short, we know this project is needed for our region.

Our new single-site acute care hospital will be a 1.6 million square foot, 10-storey, state-of-the-art facility that includes emergency/trauma services, cancer centre, obstetrics, pediatrics, regional cardiac services, critical care, inpatient units, surgical services and outpatient clinics. The new hospital will open with nearly 500 beds, and will modernize regional healthcare delivery in Windsor Essex.

The new single-site acute care hospital is only one piece of this larger healthcare revitalization in our region. The Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Tayfour Campus will see redevelopment of the existing site to add a new 60-bed acute mental health wing, which will give patients direct access to mental health assessment and treatment 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, along with the addition of dialysis services and the expansion of diagnostic imaging.

Story continues HERE

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In my inaugural speech back in December 2014, I indicated I would be asking Council to undertake a 20 year strategic vision exercise.

After a nearly year-long development and consultation process, a 20 Year Strategic Vision has been approved that will serve as a cornerstone for Council and City administration when making decisions with respect to programs, services, and infrastructure, and provide the community with an avenue for input on the future of the City.

John Naisbitt’s quote above is indicative of the reasoning behind the strategic visioning exercise. The City has numerous long-term plans and reports that have been developed, ranging from individual infrastructure projects, such as the Central Riverfront Implementation Plan, to the Parks & Recreation Master Plan, which guides the direction of the park system and its operational management. These plans, however, cannot be left to sit on a shelf. Plans require a vision to help direct their implementation and to ensure that they remain relevant to today’s needs.

Twenty years may seem like a long time when you compare it to our four year election cycle or the rapid pace of technological advancements, but there are many projects that require years of planning.

With the data available to us today, we have the ability to forecast things such as when the space in our landfill will run out, an issue that will cost significantly more to deal with if we do not start planning for it now. A 20 Year Strategic Vision is also in line with the long-term planning practices of other cities such as Edmonton, Toronto, Copenhagen, our sister city Gunsan, and Vancouver, Washington, which have all engaged in long-term planning exercises of 10 to 25 years.

As a new Mayor, and with a Council that has several new faces, it was important to me to develop a common goal that could be used as a rallying point for the rest of our term, as well as a reasonable picture of where the City is headed over the next 20 years to help guide our decision making.

Story continues HERE

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Representing Canada, Hosting The World,FINA World Swimming Championships

Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Athens, Moscow, Shanghai, Manchester, Dubai . . . what do these cities have in common? Most people, when asked, would probably identify them as famous cities, or maybe even world class cities. Let’s add Windsor to this list. Now what do they have in common? They are all host cities of the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m).

Windsor may not have the population of Toronto, or Vancouver, or Montreal, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the expertise, the facilities or the civic pride to represent Canada on the world stage. The FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) is the largest international swimming-only competition in the world and is an extremely prestigious event Windsorites should be proud and excited to be hosting.

The Championships will attract up to 1,000 of the world’s best swimmers from over 175 countries, many of whom will also compete at the “Rio Olympic Games.” These athletes, competing for 46 gold medals over six days, are expected to attract more than 35,000 spectators and to showcase Windsor to millions more around the world.

In addition to the FINA World Swimming Championships from December 6 to 11, 2016, Windsor has also been chosen to host the 2016 “FINA World Aquatics Convention” December 3 to 5 which includes the “FINA Gala Awards Dinner,” the “FINA Swimming Coaches Golden Clinic” and the “FINA World Sports Medicine Congress.”

These events will attract an additional 700 to 800 delegates from the global aquatics industry as well as senior representatives of National Swimming Federations, high performance swimming coaches and sport scientists from around the world.

It is anticipated that FINA’s “4^th World Aquatics Convention,” the first ever in North America, will be the biggest yet, due to Windsor’s strategic location and readily accessibility for all involved in the world’s largest aquatics marketplace.

Story continues…

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