Windsorites say they care about supportive housing, parking in upcoming city budget
Council needs to pass the city budget before Feb. 7
Councillors heard a desperate pitch to keep a supportive housing centre open, passionate pleas to replace the bandshell in Jackson Park and were urged to stop a planned increase to paid parking hours on Monday.
People had their chance to address council with their thoughts on the proposed budget, which includes a 3.93 per cent increase to residential property tax bills.
More than a dozen people presented their priorities on over the course of three hours with time for questioning from council.
Council heard from and asked questions of delegates Monday before an expected second meeting next Monday where city staff will answer questions about the budget.
IRIS house 'on the brink' of shutting down
Council was told that a supportive housing program for people who have persistent serious mental illnesse needs more money to operate.
IRIS House in Windsor has been asked to expand operations by family members of individuals on the waiting list, according to the chair of the board.
"But we can't expand and do more until we are sure that we can keep the wheels on the bus of what we're doing," said Karen Soulliere.
"It really hurts my heart because I'd like every person to access this program," she told council.
Soulliere said they get money from the province through the city of Windsor and after a four-year financial freeze received an increase last year.
They have asked the province for a five per cent increase immediately with ongoing increases annually.
"I think that they're happy with the status quo just operating the homes on the brink," said Anne Ryan, the executive director.
They've extended the request to the city in hopes that some level of government will make up the funding shortfall.
"We need to be properly funded," said Soulliere.
"We've proven it's not going to fall apart. We're keeping 67 very vulnerable people off the streets," she said.
After the budget request, Ryan said the home will do whatever it needs to, to make sure Iris House stays open.
"We're also realists. The city can also say, 'No,' and so we will have to look at our budgets and make some adjustments if that's the answer," she said.
"So of course we would always rally and we'll find a find a way to keep pushing through like we've always done so."
Council told to rebuild bandshell in Jackson Park
Leaders in Windsor made another passionate plea to councillors asking them to recognize the importance of Black history to the city by establishing the Jackson Park bandshell as a performance space.
The issue returns to council because of increased costs to a study previously approved that would look at future options for the bandshell.
A staff report estimates costs have increased from $100,000 to $300,000 because of heritage registrations.
The push to re-activate the bandshell as a performance space has been led by Leslie McCurdy and Lana Talbot, who have spent years advocating that the decaying performance space be resurrected for its historic value.
The new report also highlighted how a fire suspiciously burnt down the original structure where influential civil rights leaders gave speeches in Windsor, which led to the bandshell being moved to where it sits today.
Talbot and McCurdy reiterated their support for the bandshell to be rebuilt, believing that the building was burnt down to make room for an overpass that now stands in its place.
"If you want to get rid of something, burn it down," said Talbot.
Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac pitched Talbot on "a more amazing" approach that places a replica bandhsell in front of city hall that recognizes the previous versions of the performance space.
"Why does it have to be downtown? Everything happened in that park. Why not reconstruct what was there?" replied Talbot.
"It needs to be where it was created at."
McCurdy said that there's a great sentimental attachment to the space and that removing it from Jackson Park would be an example of erasing Black history in Windsor.
"It would be a cheap trade off," she told council.
Ditch extending paid parking, says business owners
A group representing downtown businesses in Windsor told council to stop pushing an increase to the time when people need to pay for parking at city meters.
Council is once again looking at extending the hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and increasing flat fees at city owned parking lots to $5.
If approved, the city believes it could get another $400,000 a year after costs.
But business owners have told the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association that it's a bad idea.
"We just think that additional paid parking is another thing we'd have to overcome," said Chris MacLeod, the chair of the BIA's board of directors.
"We see it as a hindrance to people coming downtown. It's another roadblock to people coming," he told council.
Coun. Fred Francis, who did not support this push last year and said he likely won't this budget, asked if there is enough critical mass of people going downtown to approach parking from a turnover perspective.
MacLeod agreed that the approach should be to bring people downtown and that turnover of vehicles in parking spots isn't an issue.
The BIA said that main streets offer one-hour parking limits, with two hours and three hour options on second and tertiary streets.
"Two hours is insufficient," said Debi Croucher, the BIA's executive directer, sharing stories of people eating downtown to race out to the meter to avoid a ticket.
She said that the BIA would support increasing parking time limits within the current 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. operating hours.
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