Why Windsor buildings can't be boarded-up unless damaged by fire or severe weather

CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 10:10 AM EST | Last Updated: November 6

In an effort to little the fig of boarded-up vacant buildings successful Windsor, the metropolis has updated its spot standards bylaw. 

Rob Vani oversees municipal gathering inspections. He says, among the tweaks, they've cleaned up connection clarifying erstwhile you tin committee a vacant gathering and erstwhile you cannot for residential, concern oregon commercialized spaces.

“Essentially immoderate gathering that's not damaged by occurrence oregon tempest oregon immoderate different benignant of earthy lawsuit cannot beryllium boarded for immoderate reason,” said Vani.

Currently, determination are 299 vacant buildings the city's database with progressive enforcement actions, he says, 171 of which are residential.

Rob Vani is Windsor's municipal elder manager of gathering inspections. (Jason Viau/CBC)

You utilized to person 120 days to respond to occurrence harm and region immoderate boarded up windows and doors. That fig has present been pushed backmost to 182 days — connected par with the city’s vacant location taxation bylaw, which has a dense absorption connected the westbound end.

In instances wherever determination is vandalism, and a model is breached for example, Vani says fastening a expanse of plywood implicit it is inactive allowed, but that present comes with a wide anticipation it has to beryllium replaced successful a timely manner.

Council voted successful favour of the bylaw changes successful September. Enforcement began precocious past month.

“It's not conscionable for our metropolis … there's ever a vacant buildings, there's blight. The fig is overmuch smaller than it would person been backmost successful 2008 to 2015.”

These moves are besides an hold of the metropolis trying to fortify its core.

According to Vani, the aged Boom Boom Room connected Ouellette Avenue is simply a gathering that had been boarded-up for a agelong clip but has since had the spot proprietor voluntarily instrumentality each the plywood off.

“Because of the discussions we had with them astir that, these regulations were coming forward,” Vani said. 

“We suggested that they beryllium … proactive with opening the beforehand facade of that building. And the anticipation is he'll proceed to enactment with his existent property radical to find a caller tenancy for that building.”

The beforehand entranceway of the aged Boom Boom Room connected Ouellette Avenue successful downtown, Windsor, Ont. (Jason Viau/CBC)

Downtown Coun. Renaldo Agostino, who utilized to tally the nightclub, says it was the core's biggest illustration of blight.

"From time one, that was the people close to get thing done  — and we did," helium said.

The Ward 3 typical says the bylaw changes equip the city’s bylaw inspectors with sharper teeth.

“The vexation comes erstwhile radical don't respond. This was enactment successful spot to marque definite that those radical recognize that if you're not going to prime up the phone, don't worry, we're going to get the enactment done — and nonstop you the bill.”

Vani says vacant buildings are dispersed passim the metropolis with a assortment of types of buildings — whether they’re residential, commercialized oregon industrial.

As for ones owned by the Ambassador Bridge, the updated bylaw presently can’t use for ineligible reasons.

“Those buildings bash each person existent orders and those orders are inactive being litigated done the courts. We're inactive waiting for a solution connected those matters earlier we would beryllium capable to use this caller bylaw to those properties.”

Residents successful Sandwich accidental derelict and boarded-up homes are a large interest successful the neighbourhood. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)

Newly minted Ward 2 Coun. Frazier Fathers precocious told CBC News boarded-up homes are an "eyesore."

"It does person a antagonistic cognition connected the neighbourhood, adjacent for locals… erstwhile you spot a artifact wherever there's a full clump of boarded up oregon dilapidated homes," helium said successful an interrogation earlier being elected.

Fathers called them a large interest for 2 decades successful the assemblage of Sandwich Town.

"It creates the breached model effect, wherever radical spot 1 atrocious happening and they task connected the full neighborhood, which isn't existent astatine all," added Fathers, who's besides a lodging argumentation consultant.