The city's Strengthen the Core(STC)--Downtown Windsor Revitalization plan has been given its own dedicated web page on the Let's Talk Windsor platform.
The web page provides an overview of all the milestones reached since the $3.2 million program was announced by mayor Drew Dilkens back in the spring.
The plan included seven action items that focused on creating safe streets, enforcing property standards, seeking improved wrap-around programs for vulnerable community members, incentives to bring more businesses downtown, and an improved promotion of the core.
City council was presented with the first STC progress report on Monday, that included updates across all seven action items.
Speaking on AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, mayor Drew Dilkens says the community is seeing progress.
"We're seeing a dozen new police officers, we've hired 40 new auxiliary officers who will patrol parks throughout the city. They're all trained and ready to go. I think there's been 5,000 new 311 calls that people have made saying 'Hey I want to report this, I think this will make it better, this issue has been ignored, so lets look at it'. We have a dedicated bylaw officer now dealing with those complaints."
He says the results show that what council is doing is working.
"We're seeing great improvements downtown, the plan is working, and we'll continue to tweak it and fine tune it and make sure that it's affective moving forward as well."
On Monday, council approved a plan to temporarily increase the number of emergency shelter spaces in Windsor-Essex for those experiencing homelessness.
Dilkens says an additional 73 spaces will be available at the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) between the newly expanded hours of 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.
"As long as I'm around here, I'm going to continue to say, no one needs to sleep in a tent or in an encampment or on the street's in the City of Windsor. We have shelter space available for everybody and anyone who is looking for such a space."
An overview of STC program highlights and milestones so far are below provided by the city: