By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
The City of Windsor, as the Service Manager of Social Services for the region, will send a representative to speak to County of Essex Council at the September 16 meeting.
This announcement from the City was made in response to a request County Council made in October of 2025, asking the City’s administration to come before County Council to talk about Social Services for the Windsor-Essex County region, including concerns and opportunities related to the social housing stock and social housing operations.
Sandra Zwiers, CAO for the County of Essex, said the report on the matter recommends making sure it is a fruitful conversation for everyone.
She asked that any questions members of County Council may have for the City be forwarded beforehand. That way, they can be compiled and forwarded, so the City can be well prepared for the questions that will be asked that evening.
Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers is looking forward to that meeting, noting having City of Windsor reps come to County Council has been a request for a while. He asked who from the City will be attending, as there are levels of staff members who can contribute more than others.
County Solicitor David Sundin said it was his understanding it will be the Commissioner, in addition to two members of her team.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy made the motion to ask the City to come to County Council to talk about Social Services for the Windsor-Essex County region last fall. The majority of County Council supported her motion.
“I think this is one of the files that we are not making any gains on,” Bondy said last fall.
One of the files that seems to be stagnant, however, is the region’s social housing stock.
“My fear is, it is not going in the right direction,” Bondy told County decision-makers then.
At the time, she spoke of how the City of Windsor was removing County reps from the Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation (CHC) Board, which was taking the County’s voice away from that table.
She and Tecumseh Deputy Mayor/ Deputy Warden of the County of Essex, Joe Bachetti, sat on the CHC Board previously.
The County, Bondy added then, was not seeing an increase in its social housing stock. She wanted to start having more conversations around the County decision-making table about housing, in particular geared-to-income housing.
She added that in 2024, there were 9,500 individuals on the waitlist for social housing. 36 of those individuals received access to social housing. In 2023, 52 people got into social housing.
It was noted then that the agreement between the County and the City was created in 1999, and Bondy said it was outdated.
It was noted at that time that there had been a number of meetings to try to get a better handle on what the priorities are, what is being spent, and what the direction is, and the County had received very little in terms of answers.
Zwiers at that time said conversations with the province had directed the County to have discussions with its service provider. “We are trying to follow the direction of the province, and I think we have also shared with our provincial friends that those conversations sometimes are challenging and it is slow to see some action.”
Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey added at that time she “would be embarrassed to think the City would have a meeting tomorrow that echoes the comments around the table about us sitting this way.”