Windsor-Essex has a well earned reputation as a North American advanced manufacturing powerhouse.
Not only is it Canada’s automobility capital, but Windsor-Essex is a place that builds the things that builds things.
Built on manufacturing but driven by innovation, Windsor-Essex is the heart of automotive research that is leading into the connected, autonomous and electrified future.
It is clear that Windsor-Essex ticks all the boxes when it comes to what it takes to be a great place to live, work, do business and advance innovation.
The list of business advantages in Windsor-Essex is long.
The Windsor-Detroit border crossing is the busiest commercial crossing in Canada, handling a staggering one-third of all trade between Canada and the U.S. – about $1 billion per day.
Windsor is also home to an international airport, the third-deepest Great Lakes port and well-connected highways and rail corridors. The region is a true gateway to one of the continent’s largest markets. More than 200 million people live within a 13-hour drive.
The city and surrounding municipalities offer a deep inventory of affordable industrial-commercial buildings and land ready for development and the cost of doing business, such as property taxes, leasing rates and development charges, are highly competitive in Windsor-Essex.
The region is served by a strong warehousing, transportation and logistics sector that is built around the proximity of two cities on each side of the border. Other sectors of strength include agriculture and food processing, robotics and automation, information and communications technologies, and life sciences. There is a growing tourism and hospitality sector, too.
Transformational projects are underway, including the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, a $6-billion megaproject scheduled to open in 2024 that will improve travel times and significantly heighten Windsor’s strategic geographic advantage, a $2-billion injection into Windsor’s regional hospital and new and expanded facilities at the University of Windsor and St. Clair College.
That is being matched by private-sector investment across the region, including the nation’s largest EV battery manufacturing plant, retail developments, hotel and hospitality expansion, and residential growth.
People are drawn to the region’s climate. It is Canada’s southernmost community, located on the same latitude as northern California and southern Italy.
Windsor-Essex is also Canada’s fourth-most diverse community and ranks third in attracting immigrants. Residents speak more than 70 different languages, with 150 ethnic origins represented.
The region is surrounded on three sides by 160 kilometres of shoreline, offering unrivaled recreational opportunities, and has an enviable number of parks, trails and gardens.
Windsor-Essex also features a thriving arts and culture scene, an award-winning wine region, and affordable real estate, whether buyers are looking for an urban home, a revitalized small town, a heritage neighbourhood, a waterfront condo, a lakeside village or a country home.
Residents enjoy the best of both worlds: a small town vibe in a mid-sized city that offers a kinder attitude and a slower pace of life, combined with a 5-minute drive to Detroit, and all its amenities in shopping, dining, nightlife, entertainment and major league sports teams.
Windsor-Essex’s quality of life is gaining recognition. Every community in Essex County is ranked within the top 30 per cent of all communities in Canada in Maclean’s Best Communities Feature in 2019. The full version of Windsor Essex from the Globe and Mail is found below. Connect with Windsor Essex Economic development here InvestWindsoressex.com
