A former Essex MP and long-time member of the community is packing his bags and heading out west.
Jeff Watson will be putting more than 11 years of service behind him, as he and his family start a new chapter in their life in Alberta.
Watson says he is hunting for a position with a "major national organization" in the Calgary area, but he views the move simply as a new adventure for the family.
He says this decision was a difficult one to make.
"Our family is here, our roots are here, we were born and raised in Windsor-Essex County," Watson say. "With leaving always comes grief because it's loss. Our friendships, our church, even the relationships in the community I served for a long time, and I have a political family here as well that we've worked in the trenches all these years together."
He says he'll always remember his local supporters.
"We've had a bunch of tears the last couple days since the house sold," Watson say. "The moving date is looming very quickly on November 14th. We'll miss a lot. The people are amazing, they are strong, they are resilient. It's good to see the good times are coming back to the Windsor-Essex Region. I'd like to think we sowed a lot of seeds into that through the years as well."
Watson says there will be an open house, where he and his family can say their goodbyes to people in the community.
People are welcome to visit the Buono Bar and Lounge at the Verdi Club on Thursday, November 10 between 5-8 p.m.