Home › Weekly digest › Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, 2026
This week in Windsor News
Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, 2026. 45 stories from the week, newest first, each with a one-line summary. Every story links its sources.
News
- Voting myth vs. fact: Windsor's Oct. 26 municipal election
Voting myth vs. fact: You don't need your voter card. Bring ID with your name and address. Vote at any location in your ward. Voting Day is Mon Oct 26, 10 a.m., 8 p.m. Eligible voters ride Transit Windsor free. Source: City of Windsor.
- Four Essex County minor hockey teams picked for RONA Rookies
Four local minor hockey teams, the Belle River Canadians U18, Tecumseh's Suncounty U11, and Kingsville's Lake Erie North Stars U18 and U15, are among 150 teams across Canada picked for the 2026-27 RONA Rookies program. Each gets a $3,000 sponsorship, including a $1,000 grant.
- Then and now: the Ambassador Bridge opened to traffic in November 1929
Then and now: the Ambassador Bridge opened to traffic Nov. 15, 1929. Its 1,850-foot main span was the world's longest suspension span until 1931. Nearly a century later, it still links Windsor and Detroit.
- Generals beat Spitfires 5-1 at the WFCU Centre
Generals 5, Spitfires 1 at the WFCU Centre Saturday. Ryan Hedley had a hat trick for Oshawa; Bogdan Yakushevsky scored 19 seconds into the third for Windsor. The Spits (3-4-1-0) host Saginaw Monday at 2:05 p.m.
- You asked, we checked: the hospital levy and the Fancsy gift
You asked, we checked: Windsor's 1% hospital levy was approved in 2016 for 14 years, not 10. The final year is unconfirmed, and we've asked the City. The Fancsy name comes from a about $40M estate gift that earned the naming rights. The province pays about 90%.
- Lancers football upsets No. 3 Queen's 25-22 in Kingston
No. 7 Lancers football upset No. 3 Queen's 25-22 in Kingston. Cotton 284 yds and 2 TDs; Ginn 8-182 and 2 TDs; Patrinos 3 FGs. Spits fell 5-1 to Oshawa; host Saginaw Mon 2:05 at WFCU.
- Kingsville's 57th Migration Festival runs Oct. 16 to 18
Kingsville's 57th Migration Festival runs Oct. 16 to 18: Friday kick-off at Grovedale, a walking parade at Lakeside Park Saturday at 10 a.m., and a pancake breakfast, car show and art show and sale Sunday at the Jack Miner sanctuary and Grovedale.
- No line at the WFCU Centre advance poll Saturday afternoon
No line at the WFCU Centre advance poll around 3:15 p.m. today, Windsor News saw. In-person and drive-thru voting at 8787 McHugh St. runs until 6 p.m. Bring ID with your name and Windsor address. More advance days Oct. 14, 15, 17 and 19.
- Public school trustee races: 18 candidates for 6 Windsor seats
18 candidates, 6 seats: Windsor's three English public school board zones each elect two trustees, with six names in each. Four Catholic board seats and one French Catholic seat are contested too. Your school support decides which race you get.
- Lancers hockey opens OUA with 3-2 win over Lakehead
Lancers hockey opened OUA with a 3-2 win over Lakehead. Faust and Hamlin scored before a late power-play winner; Donoso 37 saves. Soccer swept Algoma (W 4-0, M 3-2). Women beat McGill 65-48. Tonight: Spits vs Oshawa 7:05 at WFCU. Football at Queen's 3 PM.
- Run With Responders 5K raises $11,250 for three local charities
More than 400 runners and walkers, three cheques of $3,750: the fourth Run With Responders 5K raised $11,250 for CMHA Windsor-Essex, the Windsor Firefighters Benefit Fund and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Ontario.
- Windsor Police HQ front counter hours change Nov. 2
Starting Nov. 2, the public front counter at Windsor Police headquarters will be open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., including stat holidays, replacing 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Windsor Police said more reports will move online.
- Students can vote in Windsor and at home: what to know
Studying in Windsor, but home is somewhere else? Ontario election law lets students vote in both municipalities. Here, bring ID with your name and local address; a campus residence document or transcript counts. Advance voting is on now at WFCU Centre.
- Lancers women beat StFX 68-57 in Toronto
Today: volleyball hosts Seneca (noon) and Trent (6 PM), women's soccer vs Algoma at 6, men's hockey opens OUA vs Lakehead at 7:30 at Adie Knox, men's soccer Senior's Day at 8:15. Saints softball nationals in Oshawa.
- Windsor council races by the numbers: 43 candidates in 10 wards
Two names on the ballot in Wards 8 and 9, seven in Wards 1 and 6. Windsor has 43 certified council candidates across 10 wards, and no ward was acclaimed. On Oct. 26 you pick one councillor, at any polling place in your own ward.
- First structural concrete poured at Fancsy Family Hospital site
First structural concrete at the Fancsy Family Hospital site: a Sept. 30 pour for a tunnel linking the education and administration centre to the main hospital. Phase 1 takes about three years. CEO Kristin Kennedy doesn't expect the hospital done before 2033. (CTV, CBC)
- Advance voting starts in Windsor: dates, locations and hours
Windsor's advance polls open today: WFCU Centre, gym or drive-thru, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and again Saturday. Then Oct 14 Capri Pizzeria Rec Complex, Oct 15 All Saints' Anglican, Oct 17 Mic Mac Park drive-thru, Oct 19 Most Precious Blood. Bring ID with your address.
- Ward 10 candidate Masanovich proposes mobility and safety plan
Ward 10 council candidate Mark Masanovich released a Mobility and Safety Plan: audits of Grand Marais, Dominion, Northwood, North Service, Labelle and Edinborough, plus a review of unbuilt road links. A campaign pledge. Three others are running in Ward 10.
- Where Windsor's 11 mayoral candidates stand on housing
Housing, candidate by candidate: we checked platforms, campaign sites and coverage for all 11 Windsor mayoral candidates. Ten have a housing or homelessness position, from co-ops to Housing First. One does not. Pledges, not City policy.
- The pattern behind the Stellantis impasse
Ford and GM deals this summer set 3% yearly raises. Unifor says Stellantis tied that pattern to closing Brampton. "Right now anything they talk about comes with conditions," Local 444 president James Stewart said (AM800). Stellantis says it is bargaining in good faith.
- Fanshawe sweeps St. Clair Saints baseball doubleheader
Fanshawe swept St. Clair baseball 9-7 and 3-2 at Lacasse Park. Erick Arosemena hit a three-run homer in a five-run seventh in game one, and Tyler Brown-Amlin struck out 11 in game two. The Saints are 9-6. Today, Lancers women's hoops faces StFX at 4 PM in Toronto.
- Your Windsor ballot is more than mayor
You also pick a ward councillor and school board trustee(s). Four trustee seats here were acclaimed: Valentinis, Kenny, Brooks, Richez. Advance voting starts Fri Oct 9 at WFCU. Am I on the list?
- Essex County Council has ratified the tentative deal with CUPE Local 2974.2
Essex County Council has ratified the tentative deal with CUPE Local 2974.2, the County said tonight. The union's 300+ Essex-Windsor EMS paramedics and support staff vote Thursday through Tuesday. Terms stay private until then.
- Labour council lists endorsements for the Oct. 26 municipal vote
The Windsor & District Labour Council has endorsed Fathers (Ward 2), Acton (5), Renaud (6), Marignani (7), Racine (8) and McKenzie (9) in Windsor's ward races, plus 12 in the county. No Windsor mayoral endorsement: it says Dilkens and Francis didn't seek one. (CTV Windsor)
- Lancer women take silver at the U of T Invitational, four strokes back of Guelph
Kennedy Fremlin and Ella Harris shot 87 each. Tyler Hurtubise's 74 was third best as the men tied for fifth. Tonight, St. Clair baseball hosts Fanshawe at 5:00 and 7:30 PM.
- Unifor sets Stellantis strike vote for Oct. 17 and 18
Stellantis strike vote: Unifor members, including Windsor Assembly workers, vote Oct. 17 and 18. Results Oct. 19, the same week the plant starts three weeks of downtime Stellantis ties to tariffs and demand. A yes vote allows a strike. It doesn't start one.
- In their words: closing pitches from Tuesday's CBC Windsor mayoral debate
Dilkens: "stability in the face of adversity" Francis: "new leadership with a fresh perspective" Pasquach: "a city hall that puts people first" 8 other candidates weren't on stage.
- WECOSS says 30 opioid overdoses were seen in Windsor-Essex emergency departments Sept
Overdose alert: WECOSS says 30 opioid overdoses were seen in Windsor-Essex emergency departments Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, 17 involving fentanyl. If you use, don't use alone, start low and go slow, avoid mixing and have naloxone ready. Overdose? Call 911.
- Free meet and greet with Windsor's mayoral candidates Wednesday, Oct. 7
Mayoral meet and greet: a coalition of Black-led groups is hosting Windsor's mayoral candidates Wed., Oct. 7 at the Caboto Club's Galileo Hall. Organizers say all 11 were invited and six had confirmed. Doors 5:30 p.m., presentations 6 p.m. Free and open to all.
- We asked Dilkens, Francis and Pasquach whether all 11 mayoral candidates should be on
No reply: We asked Dilkens, Francis and Pasquach whether all 11 mayoral candidates should be on stage at today's 4 p.m. CBC Windsor debate. None responded by our noon deadline. CBC Windsor hasn't answered our Oct. 4 question on how the three were chosen.
- Tentative deal for Essex-Windsor EMS
Tentative deal for Essex-Windsor EMS. The County of Essex and CUPE Local 2974.2 reached a tentative three-year agreement ahead of a possible strike. It still needs ratification by County Council (Wednesday night) and union members. Terms not released yet.
- Not on stage: CBC Windsor's mayoral debate today at 4 p.m
Not on stage: CBC Windsor's mayoral debate today at 4 p.m. has 3 of 11 candidates: Dilkens, Francis, Pasquach. Danyluk, Graves, Grayer's campaign, Morencie and Sutherland say CBC didn't invite them. Vaupotic: "I think it was a no." CBC did not respond by publication.
- LaSalle Fire Service: Charge into Fire Safety, Oct. 4 to 10
LaSalle Fire Service marks Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 4 to 10) with NFPA's Charge into Fire Safety theme. Right charger, hard surface, unplug when full, e-bikes outside away from exits. School visits and smoke-alarm door knocks planned.
- Security Building: 31 downtown apartments, $50,000 City grant plus a tax rebate
The Security Building at 267 Pelissier is now 31 apartments. City records: a $50,000 conversion grant plus an estimated $40,540 in tax rebates, about $2,900 a unit, on a $5.05M cost estimate, about $163,000 a unit. Final cost and occupancy not public.
- Late heartbreak at Alumni: Brock beat the Lancers men 2-1 on an 89th-minute goal
Late heartbreak at Alumni: Brock beat the Lancers men 2-1 on an 89th-minute goal. The women tied Brock 1-1 on Olivia Corazza's penalty kick. Women's hoops won 78-57 at Calgary in an exhibition. Golf is at the U of T Invitational today.
- CBC Windsor hosts live mayoral debate Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 4 p.m.
CBC Windsor mayoral debate: Dilkens, Francis and Pasquach, Tue. Oct. 6, 4 p.m. Topics: homelessness, cost of living, jobs. Watch on CBC Windsor online or YouTube. 11 are running. We've asked CBC how the 3 were picked and invited the other 8 to respond. More Tuesday.
Things to do
- Rain Sunday, sunny Thanksgiving Monday in Windsor forecast
Thanksgiving weekend in Windsor: rain moves in overnight, with a risk of a thunderstorm Sunday morning (high 19). Then Monday looks sunny, high 25. Environment Canada forecast, issued 3:30 p.m. Saturday. No alerts.
- Thanksgiving weekend family fun:
Thanksgiving weekend family fun: Fri 6-8:30 PM: Stroll the Street, Belle River Sat 10-3: Pumpkin Spice Fest, Colasanti's, Kingsville Sat 11-5: LaSalle Autumn Market + pumpkin carving Sat 7:30 PM: Charlie Brown movie night, Chrysler Theatre Where are you headed?
- Early look at Thanksgiving weekend weather in Windsor
Early look at Thanksgiving weekend in Windsor: sunny and 21° Saturday, 22° Sunday, then 23° Monday with a 30% chance of showers. Before that, Wednesday hits 24° with west gusts up to 50 km/h. Turkey on the patio this year, or still indoors?
Witching Hour
- Le Griffon: the ship that sailed past Windsor and vanished
Aug. 10, 1679: Le Griffon, the first sailing ship on the upper Great Lakes, passed through the Detroit River. Weeks later, loaded with furs, it vanished. The Great Lakes' most hunted wreck. More than 20 claimed finds; none proven. Source: Windsor Star
- Winter didn't stop Prohibition smugglers
When the Detroit River froze, they drove across or skated over with sleds. Wayne State archivists say 75% of the era's U.S.-bound smuggling crossed this "Windsor-Detroit Funnel." It bred gangs and violence.
- Fort Malden and the legend of the circling warriors
Aug. 13, 1812: Brock reached Fort Amherstburg, now Fort Malden, and met Tecumseh. Days later Detroit fell. Legend says Tecumseh's warriors circled a clearing three times to look like a bigger army. The Canadian Encyclopedia says that lacks evidence.
- The space beneath the floor at Sandwich First Baptist
Not a ghost story tonight. Sandwich First Baptist Church was built in 1851 by its Black congregation, partly with bricks of Detroit River clay. Oral tradition says freedom seekers hid under its floor from slave catchers as people sang. (UWindsor)
- Windsor's oldest house has a dog nobody can find
Windsor's oldest house has a dog nobody can find. Caretakers at the 1798 Duff-Baby House in Sandwich have told of barking and paws on the floors at night. They say it stops when they call out that it's only them. No dog has been allowed there in years.
- Amherstburg's oldest building came by water
Amherstburg's oldest building came by water. Park House was built near Detroit and is said to have been taken apart and floated downriver in 1798. Staff have long told of a woman in black upstairs and a rope bed that looks slept in. (CBC Windsor)
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