City of Windsor seeks to expropriate dozens of Ambassador Bridge-owned properties in west end

The City of Windsor has begun the process of expropriating 45 derelict or vacant properties in the Sandwich Town area — and all of them belong to the company behind the Ambassador Bridge.

Mayor Drew Dilkens and other council members made the announcement on Thursday on Indian Road near the bridge, standing alongside multiple boarded-up houses that had been allowed to fall into disrepair decades ago.

A dead raccoon needed to be removed from a yard before the announcement began.

“This is what we are fighting for here,” Dilkens said. “To west end residents, hang on just a little bit longer. We will not give up.”

During the announcement, Dilkens waved away hornets that had descended from a nest nearby.

City council unanimously made the decision behind closed doors in July. Notices were served to property owners on Monday, the municipality said.

According to information obtained by CBC Windsor under the Freedom of Information Act, each of the 45 properties on the expropriation list is owned by the Canadian Transit Company (CTC) — who control the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge — or a company trustee.

Dilkens would not provide details on how much the expropriations will cost the City of Windsor, or what deals have been made to embark on the process.

“I’ll let the property owners talk about it. But, you know, we think it’s fair,” Dilkens said.

WATCH | Windsor seeks to expropriate boarded up, vacant west end properties:

Windsor seeks to expropriate boarded up, vacant, west end properties

The City of Windsor has begun the process of expropriating 45 derelict or vacant properties in the Sandwich Town area — and all of them belong to the company behind the Ambassador Bridge.

The Canadian Transit Company responded to the city’s announcement by saying the expropriations “will only result in unnecessary conflict, delay and taxpayer expense.”

According to the CTC, the company has been willing for years to demolish the structures on its lots at its own cost — in exchange for city-owned portions of roadway necessary for the Ambassador Bridge plaza expansion project.

The CTC said the municipality is “well aware” of this proposed transaction.

“Now the city appears to be deciding that it would rather litigate than negotiate, a decision that could cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” the company said.

In the city’s announcement, it said derelict homes in the west end have been a problem for many years, and the issue “has created adverse impacts on the Windsor community in general and Olde Sandwich Towne in particular.”

The city’s chief building official has ordered emergency demolition of houses on several occasions — including in July, when 17 residences were identified as “significant community safety hazards.”

But the Canadian Transit Company said Windsor leaders have consistently rejected demolition requests and “used the presence of boarded-up houses to demonize CTC.”

According to the company, past decisions by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice point to the City of Windsor’s bylaws as the only obstacle to demolition.

The company said the city has been “unwilling to meet [us] in 2026.”

“CTC is ready, willing and able to demolish any remaining vacant houses and complete the transaction with the city, saving everyone time and money, and finally putting an end to the saga of the vacant houses in Sandwich,” the company stated.

Without naming the Canadian Transit Company specifically, Dilkens told reporters that “some of the owners wish to just create blight and buy up more properties next door … That’s called block-busting, and that’s exactly what’s happened here.”

“Now is the time where this is over. This is where city council says, ‘We are rebuilding the west end. We are getting control of the residential properties that have been boarded-up.'”

Ward 2 Coun. Frazier Fathers agreed with the mayor that “the time to act is now.”

“We’ve waited long enough to move forward, in my opinion,” Fathers said. “This isn’t the end of the process, though.”

Neither Dilkens nor Fathers would estimate how long it will take for the expropriations to occur.

Dilkens said property owners have 30 days after being served notice to ask for a hearing with the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Dilkens added that council intends for the lots to return to active use. Selling to housing developers will be a priority.

Fathers said the specifics of this process will be the responsibility of the next council — which will be elected on Oct. 26.