Posted on by Mike Chase
Port Windsor Bezhigoyaak Pier - Biz X magazine
22
May

Biz X Was There – Port Windsor Opens Bezhigoyaak Pier Overlooking the River in Sandwich Town

Photos and video by Mike Chase of Windsor Aerial Drone Photography

Wednesday May 20, 2026 was the grand opening date for the new Queens Dock in Windsor.

The highly anticipated opening brought together community and Indigenous leaders, local residents, businesses, and visitors to celebrate a transformational addition to Windsor’s waterfront and tourism landscape.

“The Gordie Howe International Bridge team is proud to provide Community Benefits Plan funding to the Queen’s Dock Cultural Pier, a new legacy landmark in Sandwich Town. The pier will provide residents and visitors with a safe place to enjoy the Detroit River shoreline and learn about the Indigenous peoples that have called this area home.” – ” Chuck Andary, Interim CEO and Chief Legal Officer of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority

Steve Salmons, President and CEO of the Windsor Port Authority adds: “Windsor’s only waterfront pier access just became the number one viewing location for both the Ambassador Bridge and the new Gordie Howe International Bridge all in one location.”

The Queen’s Dock, located at the foot of Mill Street, is expected to become a major attraction for residents and tourists alike, offering unmatched waterfront access and spectacular views along the Detroit River. The pier will also provide a space to continue the tradition of recreational fishing, often a means of food security for many people.

Bezhigoyaak (“bje-a-goy-ak”…waters are becoming one) Pier is the name recommended and supported by Walpole Island and Caldwell First Nations. The importance of recognizing the joining of two lakes was known for thousands of years by Indigenous Peoples in Canada. They have gathered along these shores for not only fishing and hunting, but to trade across the narrow of what we now call the Detroit River.
Even today, with two bridge crossings, and both train and vehicular crossings, they recognize the advantage of our geography for trade and transportation.

The project is partially funded by the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan.

Port Windsor and several other community minded businesses have also contributed to the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of the pier within this project. These include partnerships with Haddad Morgan and Associates Ltd engineers, Studio g+G Architecture, Design and Restoration, knowledge keepers from Walpole Island First Nation, Caldwell First Nation as well as generous community contributors Atlas Tube, St Clair College, Victoria Steel, SouthShore Contracting, Surveyors on Site, C.T. Soils and Materials Engineering, PBS Engineering and Bezaire and Associates.

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Mike Chase

A lifelong resident of Windsor Essex, Mike has been an integral part of the community over the years. He has served as a Director for both the Leamington and Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce, the local Better Business Bureau as well as the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus. Mike has also worked with the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce serving on committees and recently as as judge for the Business Excellence Awards. He has owned and operated a few companies in the past and now enjoys his regular “flights” around the county with his latest business, Windsor Aerial Drone Photography. As a member of the Biz X team since 2023, he utilizes the latest drone technology to offer a unique perspective when it comes to aerial photography and videography for the magazine. Today, Mike and his wife Darlene are residents of the beautiful little town of Amherstburg.