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The company that owns the Ambassador Bridge says the city is blocking its efforts to demolish long-vacant homes it owns on the city’s west side.
Late last month, city officials issued emergency demolition orders for 17 of the remaining 37 Canadian Transit Company (CTC) properties in Sandwich.
But CTC’s vice president of operations says it wants to demolish all the vacant homes it owns as it looks to expand its inspection site at the foot of the Ambassador Bridge.
“This is the only way to effectively improve safety and realize the benefits of significant investments in the community,” Randy Spader said in a statement to CBC News.
The bridge belongs to J.L. Forster High School, which has been vacant for a decade and last year asked the city for permission to demolish it. (Chris Ensing/CBC)
He did not answer additional questions about what CTC plans to do with properties located outside the proposed site, including the old J.L. Forster High School, which CTC has sought permission to demolish on Feb. 12, 2025.
City officials confirm they are considering the demolition application for Forster.
“The application is currently under review and cannot proceed until a technical report and additional supporting information are provided,” a City of Windsor spokesperson wrote.
They add that 102 demolition permits have been approved for CTC-owned properties in recent years, with six applications rejected.
The struggle for abandoned houses has been going on for several decades.
Those permits were denied because they did not meet the requirements set forth in the Sandwich Panel Demolition Control Ordinance, city officials said.
The council introduced the ordinance when CTC first began buying up property in the early 2000s to make way for the second span of the Ambassador Bridge.
Any property owner wishing to demolish a residential building was required to submit redevelopment plans, which required council approval.
The CTC-owned homes have been vacant for decades and have been the subject of numerous lawsuits due to the impact the boarded-up homes had on the neighborhood.
One of 120 homes owned by the Ambassador Bridge Company in West Windsor in 2010. (Dale Molnar/CBC)
A permit for the second span has been approved by the federal government, but CTC said it is not moving forward with the project at this time.
But it is moving forward, expanding the secondary inspection area at the foot of the Canadian entrance to the Ambassador Bridge.
The plaza would extend to Felix Avenue along the existing railroad track and extend to Mill Street.
These plans show where the expanded truck plaza on the Ambassador Bridge will be built. (Canadian Transit Company)
“(CTC) has long fought to demolish the remaining vacant, boarded-up homes in Sandwich and subsequently invested in improvements to Ambassador Bridge Square,” Spader wrote.
He said the current demolition orders are insufficient because they do not cover all houses owned by CTC.
“CTC wishes to demolish all vacant homes and continue our plaza improvement project,” he wrote.
Neighbors hope demolition will provide momentum
West End resident Bill Vokes says that when the boarded-up houses were still standing, it “just wasn’t something that was attractive”.
Now, he says, people in the West End keep looking at each other and saying the same thing.
“Time!”
But Vokes sees it a little differently.
“I’d rather just put it (like this): Let’s just keep going guys, just keep bringing these things down and we can clean this up,” he said.
Borough Councilman Frazier Fathers could not explain why the city is issuing emergency orders now that the buildings have been in disrepair for years.
He said houses located outside the area could only be built on cleared land.
“If they showed up tomorrow, they could get permission to build a house here. I would not be opposed to new housing being built in West Windsor. It’s not bad,” Fathers said.
Ward 2 Councilman Frazier Fathers said building inspectors continue to monitor bridge properties to determine whether demolition should be ordered. (Chris Ensing/CBC)
Last year, Windsor’s mayor hinted at improving relations with the owners of the Ambassador Bridge as homes along Indian Road were demolished.
“We have a great relationship with the Ambassador Bridge, with Mr. Moroun, who is trying to get to the other side of this issue,” Dilkens said in March 2025.
But a lot has changed since those comments appeared in the spring of 2025.
Last winter, the New York Times reported that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met with bridge owner Matthew Moroun hours before US President Donald Trump first said he would not allow the new Gordie Howe International Bridge to open unless the United States owned half the bridge.
A day later, Dilkens said he had a good relationship with the bridge owner, but said “in some ways it really feels like one step forward and two steps back.”
WATCH | Here’s the latest on the potential opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge:
Gordie Howe Bridge’s $6.4 billion price hasn’t increased, even with delays: WDBA
Although the cost to Canadian taxpayers of the Gordie Howe International Bridge dates back to 2024, that figure remains the same today, even with opening delays, according to the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority. CBC Windsor’s Emma Loop explains why.
Later that month, he told reporters that city officials would stop seeking solutions with the company over the boarded-up homes.
The fathers were unable to provide any additional details about discussions about what happens next with the bridge property or the plaza.
But he said the demolition of these homes is a victory for neighbors who persevered.
“We are removing properties that are perceived negatively by neighbors and the community, and that’s a good thing.”