Citizens' group hopes Windsor council will change direction on plaza canopy, Legacy Beacon

A local group that opposes the City of Windsor's plan to place a structure containing a historic streetcar and build a massive canopy on the Windsor waterfront hopes council will overturn previous decisions it has made about the projects.

"Because of the methods they have used and the very flawed public consultation process, it has been nothing but a brick wall," Mike Cardinal of the group Rally for our Waterfront told the CBC of the city's responsiveness to concerns about the projects.

• Windsor Council presses pause on Riverfront Festival Plaza canopy decision — for now

City council paused the decision making on the $32.5-million canopy and the $8.4-million plan to put a historical streetcar at the Legacy Beacon site at a meeting in early October and deferred the issues to city administration to report on how both projects could be linked to a proposed city hall promenade. 

Administration has now referred the report back to council with a recommendation that the projects be approved on their original timelines. A decision on the matter is on council's agenda for Monday afternoon's council meeting. 

"Administration does not see how the projects can be further connected beyond what is outlined in this report," the report reads.

New site, new issue

The proposed location for the streetcar changed because the height of the structure at the Celestial Beacon site at Askin Avenue was too high.

The city would now like to use the Legacy Beacon site at the base of Caron Avenue, which used to be home to a historic CP Railway station and control tower.

"The problem is that nothing at this site currently informs people about [a] kind of awesome piece that... these walls that have been standing here for over a century are part of a significant part of Windsor's history," he said, adding that the streetcar would be a perfect fit in a spot beside the Chimczuk Museum.

"It's got all the attributes that city council wanted with regard to that streetcar," Cardinal said. "But a far better place to give it year-round access to the public, not just a walk by, but they could actually see it, touch it [and] learn about it."

He also said if they do go ahead with something like the canopy at Festival Plaza that it should come along with balances that will protect the riverside park.

"Like strengthening the rules that protect the park in perpetuity as well as lengthening out the park perhaps towards and  underneath the Ambassador Bridge into Sandwich Town," he said.