Resident angered by Windsor decision to cut Wilson Park trees to make way for Adie Knox upgrades

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 15, 2025 1:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A retired Windsor antheral who plays pickleball successful Wilson Park says he's upset the metropolis is cutting down aged trees to marque mode for a parking batch and different infrastructure upgrades for its reimagined Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex – adjacent if that parking batch includes chargers for zero emanation vehicles.

"I don't cognize immoderate different country successful Windsor wherever idiosyncratic with a consecutive look could say, 'Well guys, conjecture what; we're going to chopped down 12, 100-year-old trees successful a nationalist park. Don't worry, we're putting an EV artillery charging presumption up and a parking lot," Soda said.

A spokesperson for the City of Windsor confirmed to CBC that it is removing 12 trees from the parkland to accommodate caller infrastructure arsenic portion of the Adie Knox project, which includes important renovations to the existing installation and caller gathering additions and parking areas. 

It plans to adhd astir 45 much trees to the tract by the clip the full task is complete, Michael Janisse said.

But Soda said it volition instrumentality years earlier radical volition beryllium capable to beryllium nether the shadiness of those caller trees.

'I don't cognize however you amended an country erstwhile you instrumentality distant shade'

Soda learned of the program to chopped the trees erstwhile helium was playing pickleball with his woman and immoderate friends and saw yellowish portion up and a mates of trees down.

He called the metropolis to inquire what was going on.

"And that's erstwhile I archetypal recovered retired that this is portion of a plan, immoderate plan, the superior plan, to amended this area," helium said. 

"But I don't cognize however you amended an country erstwhile you instrumentality distant shadiness from kids astatine the splash pad, a picnic country oregon astatine slightest an country wherever you tin propulsion your broad down, and ma and dada are watching the kids portion the kids play."

Soda hopes the metropolis has a alteration of heart, helium said, and helium is urging radical who hold with him to telephone the metropolis and complain. 

Windsor metropolis assembly voted successful 2022 to proceed with the Reimagined Adie Knox project.  

The updated installation includes a caller outdoor hoops court, tennis tribunal and pickleball courts, which person already been completed.

It besides includes a caller splash pad, accessible playground and shot and cricket batting cages, which person besides been completed.

A caller gymnasium, alteration rooms and programme rooms and a caller outdoor walking trail are inactive successful the works.

A determination not to reopen the facility's swimming excavation has angered immoderate residents, including Soda.

"There are immoderate truly bully things astir this," helium said, pointing to the outdoor courts.

"Why is it that we person to cancel 1 amenity successful bid to get different one? Let's support them both."