Windsor offered $28M in federal transit funding in exchange for housing density amendments

Kathleen Saylors · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 2:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The City of Windsor volition person much than $28 cardinal implicit 10 years for large transit investments, MP Irek Kusmierczyk announced Friday, if it agrees to zoning amendments that summation lodging density astir transit stations. 

It means $2.8 cardinal annually to Transit Windsor to "upgrade, regenerate and modernize" the city's transit infrastructure. 

"This is simply a large investment. It's a historical concern successful Transit Windsor. We judge successful Transit Windsor. We judge it's important for increasing and vibrant cities," the Liberal Windsor—Tecumseh MP said. 

"We're going to beryllium joining a agelong database of communities that person already received that funding, that person signed the agreements."

To entree the funding, the metropolis volition request to hold to immoderate zoning changes that let accrued residential density wrong 800 metres of high-frequency transit lines and post-secondary institutions. 

"We privation to not lone put successful nationalist transit, which we deliberation is truthful important, but we're besides investing successful lodging ... So you deliberation astir Tecumseh Road, you deliberation astir Wyandotte (Street), they person to licence high-density apartments to beryllium built," helium said. 

"There are lodging conditions that are attached to that because, again, strong, thriving, vibrant cities request beardown nationalist transit, but they besides request affordable housing that moving families, seniors and young radical tin afford."

The backing starts successful 2026 and runs done 2036. Kusmierczyk made the announcement astatine the city's eastbound extremity Transit Windsor terminal. 

Ward 9 City Coun. Kieran McKenzie said the changes the national authorities requires already align intimately with the "Housing Solutions Made for Windsor," program the metropolis has adopted. 

"Anytime anybody, immoderate level of authorities wants to enactment transit oregon housing, I'm there. This is simply a programme that is going to assistance america connected some of those fronts," McKenzie said.

"This program, I deliberation it's mostly accordant with the Housing Solutions Made for Windsor that that assembly has already endorsed. So I don't deliberation we're going to see significant challenges connected that beforehand successful presumption of moving forward. I deliberation the biggest — not challenge, the bully occupation to person — will beryllium looking astatine what is available, what we volition prioritize with those funds."

McKenzie said the city's lodging solutions program already identified cardinal roads and transit corridors for densification, and says helium understands the criteria for this wealth is accordant with council's position. 

The Housing Solutions Made for Windsor program had been enactment guardant arsenic the city's exertion to the Housing Accelerator Fund, which was denied due to the fact that it wasn't ambitious capable connected precocious density housing, particularly 4 units arsenic of right, for the highly competitory cookware of money.

McKenzie said the city volition beryllium looking astatine a fig of issues including hoists successful the transit garage, improvements to the store itself and much autobus shelters astatine locations astir the city. 

"So this backing volition beryllium highly adjuvant for america moving guardant ... in presumption of the exertion process and gathering the criteria, frankly I think we're already there."

The wealth comes from the Canadian Public Transit Fund, which provides billions per twelvemonth successful backing for transit agencies, a property merchandise noted.

The dollars are superior — which means they'll person small interaction connected operational issues, similar backing the passageway bus, McKenzie said. 

"I said it during the debate, I've said it publically galore times: The cancellation of the passageway autobus work is 1 of the worst decisions that I've seen our assembly marque successful my clip connected council," helium said. "This program, arsenic bully arsenic it is, I don't deliberation volition ... springiness america an accidental to revisit that."