Windsor, Ontario
Windsor (42n18, 83w01 EST), the southernmost city in
Canada, is located in
Essex County,
Ontario and lies across the
Detroit River and
Lake St Clair from
Detroit,
Michigan,
USA. The population of Windsor is over 208,000, with a metropolitan area population of over 307,000. Windsor's motto is "The river and the land sustain us". Interestingly enough, it is the only point along Canada's southern border where crossing to the United States involves heading north.
Windsor's nickname is the "City of Roses", and it has several large parks on the waterfront, extending uninterrupted from the
Ambassador Bridge to Hiram Walker's Canadian Club plant. Of particular mention are the gardens at Jackson Park, where an actual
Lancaster Bomber is mounted on a concrete pedestal. It is also home to the
University of Windsor. The campus is just east of the
Ambassador Bridge.
Windsor is recognized as the automotive capital of Canada, having achieved this status mainly by its proximity to Detroit. Its industries include
DaimlerChrysler's minivan assembly plant, several
Ford Motor Company engine and casting plants,
General Motors' transmission plant and
Hiram Walker's Canadian Club plant, along with a myriad of smaller manufacturers that supply the larger plants. Windsor tourist attractions include Casino Windsor, a lively downtown, the Odette Sculpture Park,
Ojibway Park, and nearby
Point Pelee National Park. Windsor was a major entry point into
Canada for
refugees from
slavery via the
Underground Railroad and a major source of liquor during American
Prohibition.
Windsor is linked to the United States by the
Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, and a
Canadian Pacific Railway tunnel. The Ambassador bridge is North America's #1 international border crossing in terms of goods volume: 27% of all trade between Canada and the United States crosses the Ambassador Bridge.
Every summer Windsor participates in the 2-week long Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival that culminates in a gigantic fireworks display that celebrates
Canada Day and the American
Independence Day. The fireworks display is on the Wednesday before Canada Day, on the Detroit River between Detroit's Renaissance Center and Windsor's Festival Plaza, and each year attracts over a million spectators to Windsor's riverfront parks.
Labour union membership is very high in Windsor, and both of the city's current federal Members of Parliament are members of the
New Democratic Party.
Because of Windsor's proximity to the Detroit media market, radio and television broadcasters in Windsor are accorded a special status by the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, exempting them from many of the
Canadian content requirements most broadcasters in Canada are required to follow.
Paul Martin, Canada's current
prime minister, was born in Windsor.
External link
Category:Ontario communities
