Windsor Star
DANGEROUS COLD SNAP
People gather near the Downtown Mission on a bitterly cold Thursday. With Environment Canada warning of the season's coldest weather for the region, the city has expanded emergency shelter capacity to ensure anyone in need can get out of the cold and...
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Constitution advocates slam arrest of protester
A peaceful on-ice push for budget transparency landed a Windsor man in handcuffs this month, an arrest that caught the attention of a legal charity that defends Canadians' constitutional rights and freedoms. Spencer Allossery, 50, told the Star he was...
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`Weight of the world lifted' by murderer's conviction
Five years after the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Windsor woman at a Fort Erie Airbnb party, guilty verdicts in a murder trial have finally brought a sense of relief to the victim's family. “I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my...
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Essex County makes latest pitch for help with $105M overpass
Essex County Warden Hilda Macdonald has hopes the province will come through with millions of dollars in funding assistance to build a $105-million overpass at one of the most congested intersections in the county. Macdonald and county chief...
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TREACHEROUS TRAVEL
A tractor-trailer on Manning Road in Tecumseh makes its way through blustery weather Monday, with winds gusting up to 60 km/h. Environment Canada issued a squall advisory as drifting and blowing snow across the region made for challenging driving...
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Pacifica refresh coming by late spring
The much-anticipated facelift of the popular Windsor-made Chrysler Pacifica minivan is coming in the second quarter of 2026, the head of American brands for Stellantis confirmed to the Star. “It's coming this year,” Tim Kuniskis said in an interview...
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Health unit boss slams bus fare hike
A City of Windsor budget proposal to hike the cost of bus rides could harm residents' health, the head of the local public health unit warned city council this week. “Transportation is a social determinant of health, just as much as housing, just as...
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NO COLD FEET HERE
Daylene Trudell and Sheldon Cadotte's wedding was “something to remember.” The hockey fans became the first couple married at a Windsor Spitfires game when they tied the knot at centre ice during Thursday's showdown against the Erie Otters at the WFCU...
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Hospitals warn of longer wait times
As the local health unit sounds the alarm on “the worst flu season in years,” residents heading to emergency departments in Windsor-essex are being warned they could face longer than usual wait times as local hospitals cope with increased patient...
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Local Venezuelans express fear, hope for the future
As turmoil continued to unfold in their country of origin over the weekend, nearly a dozen members of the Windsor area's Venezuelan community, rosaries in hand, gathered at a home in Tecumseh on Sunday for a group prayer. “We are praying and hoping...
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THRILL OF THE HILL
Chris Farrer and his children Liam 11, and Kylie, 8, fly down Hope Hill in east Windsor on Friday. The snow on the ground in the region is likely to last with the forecast calling for sub-zero weather through the weekend, but it should disappear next...
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New bridge hailed as `game-changer'
The new year brings with it an iconic addition to the local landscape and skyline — and a vital additional economic and social link between two cities and two countries caught in challenging times. “It's going to have a tremendous impact. It's a...
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WINDSOR REGIONAL'S NEW CEO
Leadership shakeups are coming at two major local hospitals after the announcement Monday that Erie Shores Healthcare CEO Kristin Kennedy will soon take over the reins at Windsor Regional Hospital. “I am humbled and excited to join WRH and very much...
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HIGH WINDS HIT REGION
Tim Lucier checks the damage to his car after a tree snapped in front of his home on Homedale Boulevard in Windsor on Monday. A wind warning was in effect Monday as gusts reaching 80 to 90 km/h moved through the region. Environment Canada said strong...
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IT WAS A TUMULTUOUS YEAR
Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war, and his threats to make Canada the 51st state, dominated the Windsor news story headlines throughout 2025. While his administration's actions presented — and continue to present — an...
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CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS DELIGHT
It's hard to miss the sparkle this time of year, as Windsor-essex homeowners flip the switch on bold, bright and sometimes overthe-top holiday displays that light up neighbourhoods after dark. From Amherstburg to Belle River, the glow of lights have...
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Fate of Sand Point Beach hinges on safety review
Whether or not swimming will be allowed again at a popular local summertime destination — Windsor's only public beach — will depend on the results of a review from Ontario's Lifesaving Society. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said recommendations from that...
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`WE'VE BECOME A NECESSITY'
Volunteers with the UHC – Hub of Opportunities handed out 700 Christmas food hampers this week — another example of how the happiest season highlights the hard times for many. “We were here for emergency situations, but now we've become a necessity...
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A TOWERING TASK
Workers take in the view as they install telecommunication equipment on an old water tower on Crawford Avenue in Windsor on Tuesday.
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Free mobile pet care clinic is on a roll
Barks and meows filled the hallways at a 920 Ouellette Ave, highrise on Monday morning as the Windsor/essex County Humane Society welcomed furry companions for the first day of a new mobile veterinary clinic. The pilot program, Helping Paws: Pet...
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FIRE DESTROYS HOUSE
Arson teams are investigating a massive blaze that gutted a downtown property near Mercer Street and Wyandotte Street East. There were no reported injuries.
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TOYS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Santa and Sparky were on hand as Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant employees donated $18,000 worth of new toys during the Windsor firefighters' annual Sparky's Toy Drive this week. Nearly 3,000 children from about 1,200 families are expected to receive...
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WARMTH IN WINTER
The Salvation Army is expanding shelter services in downtown Windsor through the winter to give more vulnerable people — and their pets — a place to sleep during the coldest months of the year. “This temporary expansion is intended to help us meet the...
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SNOWY SURPRISE
Residents in Windsor and Essex County awoke to a heavy snowstorm Tuesday morning as a wide band of precipitation that formed over Lake Michigan made its way east. A weather bulletin warned that up to another 10 cm could fall in the region overnight,...
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FESTIVE GREETINGS
Santa and Mrs. Claus wave to the thousands of children and families who turned out for Windsor's 58th annual Santa Claus Parade on Saturday night.
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NEWEST RECRUIT
Windsor Police Service Const. Rylan Salmon puts his K9 partner Smoke through his paces at the Major FA Tilston Armoury & Police Training Centre. Smoke is one of two new K9 units that graduated to duty this week, Trevor Wilhelm reports,
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Downtown skating rink set to open
With Lasalle skaters already enjoying that municipality's new wintry outdoor ice “loop” offering, what's happening with Windsor's new downtown ice rink? “We're getting very close,” city manager James Chacko told the Star on Wednesday. While a grand...
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PULLING INTO PORT
Crew members of the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Samuel Risley docked the ship at the Dieppe Gardens Park in downtown Windsor Tuesday, just before a frosty turn in the area's weather. Sub-seasonal temperatures — not to mention frequent...
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What is Windsor's role in national fentanyl trade?
In an underworld of criminals, guns and deadly fentanyl, Windsor is a national nexus. Windsor's place in Canada's booming fentanyl trade was recently highlighted with a record-shattering 46-kilogram drug bust. The $6.5-million fentanyl seizure, a...
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SPREADING CHEER
Santa Claus and elf Ralphie had a busy weekend delighting people young and old across Sandwich Town. Santa met with families and participated in a pancake breakfast, story time at the library and in a tree-lighting ceremony at Prosperity Place.
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FINDING HELP AND HOPE
Bill Marra, Hotel-dieu Grace Healthcare president, shows off a room at Windsor's HART Hub, which officially opened Friday. The provincially funded program provides a variety of supports to those experiencing homelessness, mental health and addiction...
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Residents can downsize blue bins
Following a flood of complaints, residents overwhelmed by the size of their new recycling bins should soon be able to request a smaller replacement, according to Windsor's mayor. During Monday's city council meeting, Drew Dilkens said the company...
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OPP investigating theft of cross
An investigation has been launched by Essex County OPP in hopes of recovering a historic church cross dating back more than 130 years that was stolen in the Town of Tecumseh earlier this month. The religious artifact, believed to date back to 1891,...
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Crowley introduced as city's new police chief
Another familiar face is taking the top spot at Windsor police with the announcement Monday that Jason Crowley is the city's new police chief. Crowley, a 32-year Windsor police veteran and deputy chief since 2022, begins a three-year contract as chief...
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A CITYWIDE CONCERN
Family and friends of Donna Whyte and Paul Gilbert, who were killed while walking along a sidewalk on Walker Road a year ago, gather for a memorial event on Tuesday. Collisions that result in pedestrian injuries and death remain a problem across...
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SHOWING THEIR METAL
Brian Banwell, left, and Miles Matthews prepare a massive steel plate for loading onto a tractor-trailer at Anchor Danly in Windsor on Monday. Rechie Valdez, Canada's minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State for Small Business and...
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`Freedom comes at tremendous cost'
“Thank you for your son's sacrifice.” That heartfelt sentiment from a young stranger was expressed to Theresa Charbonneau after he was introduced to Windsor's Silver Cross mother next to the downtown Cenotaph ahead of Tuesday's Remembrance Day...
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MUDDY-BOTTOM BUOY
An almost 24,000-tonne bulk carrier that ran aground in the Detroit River Friday was successfully refloated Saturday afternoon. The Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin — a 225-metre freighter, equivalent in length to more than two football fields — became lodged...
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HONOURING SACRIFICE
A bagpiper leads a ceremonial `first walk' along a commemorative sidewalk that pays tribute to veterans outside Royal Canadian Legion Branch 255 in east Windsor on Oct. 31. Several events are planned in Windsor-essex to mark Remembrance Day.
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Calves a 1-in-11.2-million miracle
This cow had a better chance of getting struck by lightning. Abram Knelsen celebrated a moo-ving moment at his Kingsville hobby farm on Tuesday, when one of his Angus cows gave birth to four calves. The reported odds of that happening are one in...
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STANDING STRONG
Local ironworkers protest near the site of a new firehall under construction in Amherstburg on Tuesday at Meloche Road and Simcoe Street. The workers claim non-unionized labour who are not from the area are working at the site.
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Merging conservation areas bad for region: ERCA chair
The proposed amalgamation of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario to seven is "heartbreaking,” says Essex Region Conservation Authority chair Molly Allaire. Ontario Environment Minister Todd Mccarthy said Friday the Ford government plans to...
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Windsor-detroit Tunnel celebrates 95 years
One of North America's busiest border crossings is celebrating a milestone anniversary. The Windsor-detroit Tunnel, which operator Windsor Detroit Borderlink says sees more than 12,000 vehicles each day, turned 95 on Monday. “Ninety-five years is a...
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A NEGOTIATING PLOY BY TRUMP?
Local business and industry leaders think `there are other things at play' in U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to cancel trade talks with Canada. Some believe it's a move to increase leverage in the negotiations, rather than just a response to an...
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STAYING SPOOKY AND SAFE
An elaborate Halloween display sets the seasonal tone for a home on “Chill-ver” Road. The OPP are offering safety tips for trick-or-treating on Friday night.
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EYE OF THE HURRICANE
As one of the strongest hurricanes in history pounded the island of Jamaica, four Windsor-essex friends huddled in a hotel room with couches and mattresses barricading the balcony doors. Before losing contact with the outside world, Stoney Point's...
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`STARTING A CONVERSATION'
Street artist Daniel (Denial) Bombardier is the mastermind behind a campaign to plaster empty storefronts in downtown Windsor with Spirit Halloween posters, which he says is meant to draw attention to the profusion of vacant buildings in the city's core.
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Poilievre slams federal EV mandate, temporary foreign worker program
In a vow to fight for Canada's auto sector, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre renewed his push to scrap Ottawa's EV mandate and to kill the federal sales tax on made-in-canada autos during a trip to Windsor-essex. “We want the auto jobs to be...
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FALL FAIR FOR FISHING
Mike Denapoli tries his luck along the Detroit River in Windsor on a cool fall day on Tuesday. Sunny skies are in the forecast for the coming weekend with temperatures in the normal range — in the low teens with temperatures at night closer to freezing.
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`IT'S ALARMING'
Windsor-essex is near the top in Ontario when it comes to new cancer diagnoses, with a 10 per cent increase in new cases every year. “We are among one of the highest in terms of growth projections and growth year over year,” said Jonathan Foster,...
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`Downtown will be buzzing' as WIFF kicks off
WIFF is rolling. A keenly anticipated annual tradition for thousands of movie lovers began Thursday morning when the big screens lit up for the start of the 21st Windsor International Film Festival. “The fest will be going all 11 days from 9 a.m. to...
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Advocate seeks renewed action on Ojibway park
A Windsor environmental advocate is taking his group's message to Queen's Park and Ottawa over the next couple weeks to press both levels of government to follow through on the long-promised Ojibway National Urban Park. Mike Fisher, chair of the...
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Funding boost to add border officers in Windsor
As part of Canada's ongoing effort to beef up national security, funding earmarked in the upcoming Budget 2025 will add new Canada Border Services Agency officers in Windsor. While visiting Windsor's port of entry at the Ambassador Bridge on Friday,...
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TWO CHARGED IN DEATH OF MISSING CITY MAN
Police have charged two people and are searching for a third in connection with the suspected killing of David Pavao, who has been missing since August. Pavao's remains have not yet been recovered but investigators believe he was the victim of a...
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Gordie Howe International Bridge opening delayed to early 2026
Windsor-essex travellers hoping to cross the new Gordie Howe International Bridge will have to wait a little longer. A spokesperson for the Windsor-detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) confirmed to the Star on Wednesday that construction on the...
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Another bin? Explaining the new system for recycling
Ontario is changing its recycling system. For Windsor-essex residents, that means a new blue bin and a streamlined process. Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the region will transition to a single-stream recycling cart system as the province requires companies —...
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County rejects bus funding request
Essex County will continue looking into starting its own regional transit system, but a vote to help the current financially troubled Leamington-to-windsor bus service failed despite an impassioned pitch from supporters. “If we want to be a regional...
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OFFERING A HELPING HAND
Street Help social worker Aman Jod, left, and board chair and volunteer Anthony Nelson, serve up Thanksgiving meals at the centre's newly-opened indoor dining room Sunday. The kitchen and dining room served 300 to 400 people daily over the weekend.
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CONNECTING WITH CANADIANS
Shoubin Zhu snaps a photo of the Royal Canadian Navy offshore patrol vessel Margaret Brooke at Dieppe Gardens in Windsor. The ship is on an outreach tour as part of the effort to boost recruiting in the navy. Crew members are offering tours of the ship...
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ALL ABOARD!
Cross-border travellers who relied on Windsor's now-defunct public transit service to Detroit can now hop on a new tunnel bus to cross the border. This week, just over one month after Transit Windsor's regular tunnel bus ceased operations,...
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Locked-out Titan Tool workers reject firm's latest offer
Locked-out workers at Titan Tool & Die in Windsor have rejected the company's latest offer, which the union describes as a long list of concessions, including frozen wages, mandatory overtime, and eliminated seniority. “We are at a stalemate with the...
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Pernod Ricard investing in Windsor
As Crown Royal's parent company plans an exit from Essex County, its chief competitor has doubled down on the region with $115-million in recent investments at its Hiram Walker distillery. And even more investments are coming to the Windsor...
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HELPING BUILD BRIGHT FUTURE
JJ McMurtry, president of the University of Windsor, speaks at an official opening ceremony for the new Rodzik Hall student residence on Monday. The six-storey residence means more opportunities for students to connect and thrive and also helps address...
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MARKING A MILESTONE
Don Livermore, master blender at Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery, works in the fermentation area of the facility. The Wiser brand, which has given livelihoods to generations of local families, is celebrating the 200th birthday of founder J.P. Wiser.
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St. Clair College cancels classes amid labour dispute
Classes and exams at St. Clair College's main campus ground to a halt Thursday as striking support staff ramped up pressure during the fourth week of a provincewide labour dispute. “With the escalation of the job action today, we made the decision...
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`MARTYRED FOR HIS FAITH'
There were prayers and songs as hundreds of people gathered along Windsor's waterfront Tuesday night at a vigil for slain American far-right activist Charlie Kirk. Considered a divisive figure by many for his views on contentious topics from abortion...
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INVESTIGATORS PROBE POLICE SHOOTING
A member of the Ontario Special Investigations Unit photographs bullet holes in the windshield of a Windsor Police Service vehicle in the city's Remington Park neighbourhood on Friday. A 58-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after he...
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Search for missing man expands
Windsor police continue to search for a man missing since August. David Pavao, 37, was last seen more than a month ago on the city's west side. Police expanded their search areas Thursday, with officers combing sites at 675 Tecumseh Rd. E. and at...
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Film fest builds buzz for Capitol screenings
The movies, for sure, but it's going to be all about the “experiences” as the Windsor International Film Festival gets set to roll out the red carpet in just a few weeks. “It's really about giving people experiences, that's what it's about,” WIFF...
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FURRY, FUN AND HELPFUL
Massimo the ferret visits the Windsor/essex County Humane Society's first-ever shelter-wide open house on Saturday. The free event gave guests the opportunity to learn more about fostering, adoption, volunteering and donor opportunities.
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HONOURING A HERO
Participants hold a banner during the Tecumseh Terry Fox Run at Green Acres Optimist Park on Sunday. Jan Wright, chair of the Tecumseh Terry Fox Run committee, said the volunteer-driven local event collected almost $91,000 for cancer research.
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ON A WING AND A PRAYER
The future looks dire for the monarch butterfly. Authors of a new paper are warning that food and habitat loss have caused the population of the butterflies — which fly through Essex County during migration season — to decline so drastically they face...
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ON THE PICKET LINE
A large crowd of striking St. Clair College support staff workers carry signs along the school's main campus entrance on Cabana Road on Thursday. Across the province, 10,000 full-time college support staff went on strike after failing to reach a new...
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Stellantis to bring back third shift
Stellantis has confirmed it will reinstate the third shift at Windsor Assembly Plant in early 2026 after a six-year pause. The announcement was made public Tuesday afternoon by Unifor Local 444. Local 444 president James Stewart said the announcement...
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