The head of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce agrees with Windsor's mayor around 'playing the long game' when it comes to navigating economic challenges facing the community.
During his State of the City address Thursday at a Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Mayor Drew Dilkens emphasized the city's long game in navigating U.S. tariffs and the negotiations around the Canada-US-Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement and other global factors impacting the local economy.
Dilkens highlighted a number of important projects that will help that effort, including the eventual opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the jobs created with the opening of the NextStar Energy battery manufacturing plant, the upcoming construction of the new Fancsy Family Hospital, and the planned extension of Lauzon Parkway to a new interchange at Highway 401, which will also play an important role in opening the Sandwich South lands for development.
He also noted that Invest WindsorEssex is also working on 15 leads that could bring in an estimated $1.6 billion in investment while creating 1,500 new jobs.
Chamber President and CEO Ryan Donally says the optimism is there, but we just need to get through the U.S. tariffs and negotiations around the Canada-US-Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement, because in the long game, and even the short- to medium game, we're going to be okay here.
Donally says this is a short arc in the relationship between Windsor-Essex and Detroit and Canada and the United States.
"That optimism was discussed a year ago and continues to be said day in and day out. As the mayor alluded to, it's not optimism based on just being happy-go-lucky that we have project optimism, so everyone listens. No, there are real leads and real optimism in our economy," he says.
Donally says when a global company is looking to expand, they look at places that have a stable government and long-term focus, like Canada and Ontario, and they see Windsor-Essex.
"We're not changing out geography; we're always going to be neighbours to the United States, so we will still always have that geographic access," he says. "Plus, you layer on the Carney government now trying to create more trade relationships around the world; we've got a great geographic location within the Great Lakes Seaway system that not only allows access to the United States but also the rest of the world."
Donally says while there are challenges, we have a skill set that's not matched in many places in the world around people who can build things and a place where people can grow things.
"When you've got those two things layered together, do I think we're building cars 30 years down the road? Maybe, maybe not. Do I think we're building AI robots? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe they're humanoids. Who knows? When you have the capabilities to produce products and goods better than a lot of other places in the world, definitely in Ontario, then Windsor-Essex, Windsor will always be a viable opportunity and have a strong economy," he says.
United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says he doesn't expect negotiations on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade to be resolved by July 1.
That's the required deadline for the United States to notify its neighbours about its plans for the trilateral trade pact, known as CUSMA, as the review sets up a three-way choice for each country.
The Trump administration began its formal negotiations with Mexico last month, but official talks between Canada and the United States have not launched.