Windsor-tecumseh NDP candidate committed to acquisition of Riverside land
The Ontario NDP candidate for the Windsor-tecumseh riding says provincial New Democrats are committed to working toward public acquisition of vacant waterfront property in Windsor's Riverside area.
Gemma Grey-hall said securing such land would help in efforts to prevent shoreline erosion, reduce flooding, and protect green space.
“In Windsor, we have a precarious situation with regard to shoreline erosion and flooding due to being surrounded by water,” Greyhall stated on Wednesday.
“Windsor-tecumseh, particularly in the Riverside neighbourhood, is prone to flooding. Climate change has exacerbated the risks and impacts as residents of this community know all too well.”
Grey-hall said her party would work collaboratively with all stakeholders on the issue.
She pointed to an example of such a property: The shoreline area at Riverside Drive East and Lauzon Road, which she described as “vacant and underdeveloped.”
The property is owned by the Detroit International Bridge Company.
Grey-hall said she has spoken directly to officials with the Essex Regional Conservation Authority about how adding “shoreline resilience” to the property could be “a critical component” in mitigating the impacts of climate change and preventing flooding in the Riverside area.
According to Grey-hall, the property could be “adapted quickly” with natural infrastructure to fight erosion and flooding provided that “political will and the community come together to make this a reality.”
“Today, I am stating my commitment to working with any and all stakeholders, with the full commitment of the Ontario NDP, to work toward bringing this property into the public fold,” Grey-hall said.
The property in question was previously the location of Abars, a hotel and restaurant built in 1904.
During the Prohibition era of the 1920s, the location was notoriously tied to the alcohol-smuggling efforts of organized crime.
The Detroit International Bridge Company acquired the building and its land in 2002.
In 2015, Abars permanently closed as a result of an owner-tenant dispute.
Despite the building 's inclusion on the Windsor Municipal Heritage Register, it was demolished in July 2016.