A former city councillor is reflecting one year after leaving Windsor City Council to lead the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation (WECHC).
Fabio Costante took over the organization last July after resigning as the ward 2 councillor.
In late October 2025, Frazier Fathers won the byelection and was elected as Costante’s replacement in ward 2.
The housing corporation now manages about 5,000 units, serves roughly 12,000 tenants and oversees more than $1.1-billion in assets.
At the end of May 2026, Costante stated that the demand for affordable housing continues to grow, with more than 7,000 people still on the region’s waiting list.
Costante says one of the biggest challenges has been maintaining an aging housing portfolio.
“We still have challenges with our capital infrastructure, ongoing maintenance challenges from time to time and in small pockets, we’ll have challenges with tenant and tenant behaviour in some of our units. And so, dealing with that and making sure staff feel safe and our communities are safe is always a priority for us.”
He says there are days that he misses being on council, but he also enjoys the focus of the CHC.
“I’ve been so enveloped in the work here day-to-day that I’ve been so busy here and just so energized by all the things that we’re doing that it’s kept me going. But I will say from time to time, there are some things certainly that I’ve missed. But councillor Fathers, my replacement, is doing an excellent job and it’s great to see council moving forward on many initiatives in our city.”
He says looking ahead to year two the focus is on keeping the organization financially stable, continuing major repairs and setting the course for the future.
“Next year, I think the big focus midway through the year is to look at our strategic plan and begin the process of redeveloping a new strategic plan. I look forward to working with the board, with our senior leadership team and our stakeholders in developing that and kind of setting out a vision for the Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation for the next five years.”
Constante adds that while he’s enjoyed the challenge, the job has also come with unexpected realities such as making tough decisions that he can’t talk to many people about.
He was first elected to city council in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. He also served on a number of boards and committees, such as the Windsor Essex County Housing Corporation and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
-with files from AM800’s The Shift with guest host Kyle Horner