Warden highlights seasonal events

Warden Hilda MacDonald highlighted all the Christmas parades and seasonal light displays in local municipalities to kick off Wednesday’s meeting of County Council.

“It’s always a pleasure to participate in these festive parades and to see such a strong County presence, with our bright orange Roads trucks and the ambulances of Essex-Windsor EMS,” said MacDonald. “Our residents are lucky they get to experience so many parades and festive displays in multiple municipalities over the holiday season.”

MacDonald also urged residents to provide feedback on the proposed 2026 County of Essex Budget and the Transportation Master Plan.

Check out the Holiday Events guide from Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island!

Check out TWEPI’s 7th Annual Holiday Gift Guide!

Funding model approved for Invest WindsorEssex

Council voted to support the continued delivery of economic development services by Invest WindsorEssex and committed to a three-year funding model with annual support of $1.122 million.

“Eliminating economic development services for Essex County may save money in the short term but it will create risks that may lead to greater financial burdens in the future,” said CAO Sandra Zwiers in a Council report.

“A resilient region needs a strong balance of investment, business retention and expansion and employment opportunities. Coordinating these efforts across all seven county municipalities, and more broadly in conjunction with the City of Windsor, will undoubtedly increase our competitive advantage, maximize our access to upper levels of government funding and improve our return on investment in economic development services.”

Read the report!

Refreshed Safety and Well-Being Plan has 3 pillars

Council approved an updated Windsor Essex Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, for 2026-29.

The refreshed plan, which updates the plan approved in 2021, is centred around three pillars, each with an overarching goal supported by specific activities.

·         Pillar 1: Engaged Activities

o   Overarching Goal: Empower residents of all ages and backgrounds to build meaningful connections, foster shared responsibility, and encourage community safety and well-being.

·         Pillar 2: Safer Public Spaces

o   Overarching Goal: Enhance the safety, accessibility and inclusivity of public spaces by identifying local risks, implementing practical safety solutions, and fostering shared responsibility.

·         Pillar 3: Coordinated Systems

o   Overarching Goal: Strengthen community safety and well-being through coordinated, system-wide approaches that embed equity and collaborative planning into municipal services, community engagement and frontline response.

No additional 2026 budget dollars have been allocated specifically toward the goals outlined in the updated Plan.

Any additional costs arising from the implementation of the plan’s goals would be addressed through Council reports and approval, once specific requirements and financial impacts are communicated to the County, said a report to Council.

Read the updated Community Safety and Well-Being Plan!

Council approves revised Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan

Council voted to receive a revised Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for 2025, in compliance with the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

The updated Plan reflects ongoing efforts within the County to enhance regional emergency preparedness and response capabilities across all municipalities.

As part of these ongoing efforts, the Emergency Management portfolio has moved from Essex-Windsor EMS to Corporate Health and Safety within the Human Resources Department. This organizational change is intended to foster collaboration, leverage county-wide synergies, and better support the County’s core strategic goals and values, said a report to Council.

Read the Emergency Management Plan!

Council approves Large Scale Industrial Grant Matching Program

Council voted to adopt a Large Scale Industrial Development Grant Matching Program so that it could join with local municipalities in offering incentives, on a case-by-case basis, to promote industrial growth and “facilitate new investment, leading to significant job creation and diversifying the tax base.” Currently, incentives are only offered by local municipalities with established improvement plans.

“By providing top-up funding to support municipal Community Improvement Plans, the County strengthens its competitiveness and positions Essex County as a more attractive location for significant industrial development,” said the report. “These benefits include increased property assessment and tax revenues from new or expanded industrial facilities, as well as the economic spin-offs associated with job creation and growth in related local industries.”

Read the report!

Read the proposed Large Scale Industrial Development Grant Matching guidelines!

Development Charges By-law deferred

Council voted to receive a report from Melissa Ryan, County Treasurer and Director of Financial Services, outlining the rationale for deferring final consideration of a Development Charges By-law for the County of Essex.

“New information regarding provincial legislative developments and consultant advice has prompted the deferral,” said a report to Council. “To ensure the County adopts a fully informed, compliant, and technically sound By-law, Administration has decided to defer final consideration to the new year.”

Council also voted to authorize the use of up to $5,000 from the Rate Stabilization Reserve to cover any additional consultant work required to update DC rates and the By-law, in response to Bill 60 and related regulatory changes.

Read the report!

Road rationalization study update

Council voted to receive a report on the road rationalization study and directed Administration to come back with a final report with recommended updates to the regional and local road network.

“Although the road rationalization study may result in a net reduction of approximately 35 lane km from the County Road network (net reduction of 33 km of County Road and 2 km of Connecting Link), the projected cost savings associated with this reduction must be considered in the broader context of service delivery expectations,” said a Council report. “The County continues to face challenges in meeting its established level of service across the existing network. A slightly smaller network does not inherently reduce the operational burden, as the remaining infrastructure will still require sustained investment to maintain and potentially enhance service standards.”

Read the report!

View a list of recommended changes to road segments!