City of Windsor, St. Clair College and Friends of the Court Partner to Improve Landscaping at Mackenzie Hall

Under sunny skies and balmy springtime temperatures, Mayor Drew Dilkens, joined Patti France, President of St. Clair College, for the official announcement of a new community partnership landscape scholarship in support of Windsor’s Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre.

Stressing the importance of the project, Mayor Dilkens said, “Old Sandwich Towne is the oldest part of our community and this building has a significant historical connection with Old Sandwich Towne and the greater Windsor area. It is only fitting that along with the building being kept in good condition, the grounds should also be kept in good condition.  Mackenzie Hall is an area that hosts a number of weddings and other outdoor events each year and is a significant part of our community.”

The Friends of the Court, in cooperation with the City of Windsor and St. Clair College, discovered an opportunity to employ a part-time gardener apprentice through a scholarship to be awarded to an outstanding student in the St. Clair Horticulture Program.  With support of valued sponsors and community partners, the Mackenzie Hall Landscape Scholarship in the amount of $5,000 has been established. Financial sponsorship is provided by The Keg Steakhouse & Bar and two other local companies who wish to remain anonymous.

In late 2015, the Friends of the Court, a non-profit body appointed to inform the City of Windsor on matters pertaining to Mackenzie Hall, voiced concerns about ivy encroaching upon and overwhelming the building, and patches of Virginia creeper smothering bushes and trees. City parks and horticulture staff have seasonally maintained the property along with several others throughout the city, however The Friends of the Court recognized that regular, more frequent attention by a gardener was needed to manage ongoing landscaping and upkeep needs.

Phil Roberts, Executive Director of Parks and Dave Tootill, Manager of Horticulture, met with Friends of the Court and others, including volunteers, to discuss opportunities that would contribute to the enhancement and preservation of Mackenzie Hall’s landscaping. This discussion raised awareness and revived the intent to produce an upgraded master plan for the grounds, while recognizing historic plantings and the appearance of the parkette and other natural amenities surrounding the building.

“Providing students with experiential learning opportunities is essential to preparing them for entrance into the workforce, and programs offering mentorship with hands-on experience benefits the student, while also strengthening and improving our community”, said President Patti France.

“The development of this scholarship was a team effort, shared among the City of Windsor’s Parks and Horticultural departments; Sponsor Windsor within Communications; CUPE Local 82; St. Clair College and the St. Clair Horticulture Program; Friends of the Court and our scholarship sponsors”, said Mayor Drew Dilkens.

Feature photo: Mayor Drew Dilkens, Patti France, President of St. Clair College, Owen Jones, Board member of the Friends of the Court, Phil Roberts, Executive Director Of Parks, Leilani Logronio, representing CUPE Local 82.

Video of Mayor Drew Dilkens and Patti France, President of St. Clair College at Mackenzie Hall.

Story, photo and video by Joe McParland.

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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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Becoming Even More Accessible to Canadians, the IKEA Windsor Pick-Up and Order Point Officially Opens

As part of a global test pilot, the Pick-Up and Order Points offer another option in bringing IKEA closer to where our customers live…welcome IKEA Windsor!

IKEA Canada announced that the Pick-Up and Order Point in Windsor, Ontario located at Walker Commons (4115 Walker Road), is now officially open to the public!

In IKEA’s continued ambition to become even more accessible to its Canadian customers, the 2,845 square metre (30,623 square feet) location gives customers who have shopped online or at an IKEA store the option to pick up their products closer to where they live.

Customers are also able to browse the range, place orders at the Pick-Up and Order Point, have access to services to support their purchases, sit at a computer station to browse the range, as well as being able to purchase a selection of IKEA’s most popular items available for immediate takeaway.

IKEA Windsor’s Pick-Up and Order Point is now the fifth location of its kind open for business, following Quebec City, Quebec and London, St. Catharines and Whitby in Ontario, which have been very successful showing that Canadians are looking to IKEA to be more accessible and to shop our brand.

IKEA currently has 12 stores across Canada, as well as a recently announced plan to open a 13^th store in Halifax, Nova Scotia in late 2017, and an eCommerce store. In addition to Windsor, St. Catharines, Quebec City, London and Whitby locations, the Kitchener Pick-Up and Order Point location will open later this spring.

The company sees growth potential in opening Pick-Up and Order Points, a format which is part of a global test pilot in markets where there are currently no stores, ensuring IKEA is accessible to more people, faster.

“IKEA’s growth through Pick-Up and Order Points in Canada is a crucial part of our business and allows Canadians to have increased accessibility to our products. The Pick-Up and Order Points are allowing IKEA to expand quickly into markets that have been identified as having potential, resulting in IKEA becoming more accessible to Canadians.” –  Stefan Sjöstrand, President, IKEA Canada.

Customers in Windsor-Essex and beyond now have another option in interacting with the IKEA brand in a smart and convenient way. The Pick-Up and Order Point location, which is one-tenth the size of a store, will significantly reduce delivery costs for customers while at the same time delivering inspiration and services.

The IKEA Windsor location features a home furnishing inspiration area as well as stations to support customers with their planning process.

“I want to welcome IKEA to the City of Windsor,” states Mayor Drew Dilkens.  “Our residents have been eagerly waiting for the Grand Opening of this popular and well-respected brand.  Thank you, IKEA, for your confidence in the Windsor market and for your investment in our city.”

IKEA Windsor has hired 31 co-workers to support the new Pick-Up and Order Point. Co-workers have been welcomed into an engaging environment with a strong focus on people and their professional growth.

Photos by Rod Denis – Biz X magazine

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