Windsor-Essex is also attracting the attention of companies looking to locate business operations/”back office” facilities. Agri-business, including both greenfield and greenhouse producers as well as food processing enterprises, represents a strong and “growing” sector of the region’s industrial base.

This is just a sampling of the many key industries that are shaping the future of the Windsor-Essex region. For more information on other industries/sectors, click here.

Reason #3 – Our transportation infrastructure
We’re one of North America's leading transportation and logistics hubs. The region has an extensive network of expressways, railways, airports and deepwater port facilities, with major international links including a rail tunnel, vehicular bridge and vehicular tunnel.

In addition to Windsor Airport, we have easy access to other major regional airports including Detroit City Airport and Detroit Metro Airport (ranked 11th in the United States in passenger traffic and a major international hub), Willow Run (dedicated to airfreight services) and Oakland County Regional – all within a 45-minute drive of Windsor. Private domestic aircraft can use Leamington Airport. Commuter flights from Windsor to Toronto provide easy access to Canada’s business and financial centre on a daily basis.

Reason #4 – Our educated, skilled workforce
We know how to make high-quality goods. In a high-tech world, we’ve got the knowledge and the experience that manufacturers need. From MTDM (machine, tool, die & mold) to precision tooling, from automotive to aerospace, Windsor-Essex companies are renowned for creating and supplying parts and components to exacting standards for some of the world’s leading companies.

We’re also among Canada’s top research communities, with a particular specialty in automotive and manufacturing engineering research at the UW/Chrysler Automotive R&D Centre and Auto21, a national research initiative producing some of the world’s most advanced automotive technology. Leading the way in world-class research are our post-secondary institutions - the University of Windsor and St. Clair College – which are developing the next generation of knowledge-based industry professionals.

Reason #5 – Good things are happening
There are lots of good things happening in the region right now, with more good news to come

Major new sports and recreational facilities – including the fabulous new WFCU Centre in Windsor, the Volmer Complex in Lasalle, and a new arena in Essex – have opened or are scheduled to open in the very near future.

Casino Windsor is nearing completion of its $400 million expansion and renovation project, which includes a state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot convention centre with a multi-use 5,000-seat entertainment and trade show exhibition hall. St. Clair College continues to expand its downtown campus, and the University of Windsor will have a major new Engineering building and a new Medical School.

Thanks to a $168-million investment, partially supported by the Ontario government, the Ford Essex plant will re-open soon - with 300 employees - as a parts producer for a fuel-efficient V8 truck engine.

The Town of Amerstburg recently attracted Wal-Mart and two major grocery stores. With a strong residential population base, the retail and service industry continues to expand.

A major commercial centre containing larger format stores has developed within the Essex Urban Area along Highway 3 and County Road 8, which includes a new Canadian Tire, Mark's Work Wearhouse, Tim Horton’s and the first new concept McDonalds in the region.

Rexall Drug Stores recently celebrated the opening of its 100th new concept store with the grand opening of two new Rexall pharmacies in Windsor, Ontario. The company has since continued its expansion with the construction of a number of other new stores in Windsor and Essex County.

Reason #6 – Our “landscape”
Windsor-Essex has affectionately been called “Canada South.” In fact, we’re living at approximately the same latitude as residents of Northern California. We enjoy one of the nation’s warmest climates – temperate and mild compared to other regions in Canada, and even when compared to many large northern US cities. We’re surrounded by fresh water, with over 160 km of shoreline that provides easy access to water for both commercial and recreational purposes. The region boasts an abundance of parks, gardens and bike paths. We enjoy close proximity to a National Park (Point Pelee) and to Canada’s southern-most point at Pelee Island.

Traveling along Riverside Drive in Windsor, visitors and residents alike can enjoy six kilometers of connected parkland plus eight other parks and gardens located along the Detroit River. From the large scale contemporary sculptures located in the Odette Sculpture Park to naturalized gardens, Windsor parks feature elegant flower gardens, heritage monuments, and fountains.

The landscape of the region is flat, making it perfect for agriculture and agri-business ventures. When combined with our climate, this makes the area an increasingly important centre for agriculture-related business, including award winning viticulture, evidenced by our blossoming wine industry. And no place in Canada offers golfers more warm and sunny days for the pursuit of their favourite sport.

Reason #7 – Our diversity
We’re Canadian, eh? We wear our Canadian values and cultural accessibility on our sleeves. When the world comes to Windsor, it feels at home and finds pockets of welcoming community and culture. We’re Canada’s third most diversified community and offer a rich variety of “cultural infrastructure” – places of worship, community groups, settling-in support, multi-lingual municipal services and more.

Reason #8 – Our lifestyle
Our region offers a lifestyle that is the envy of many other places in Canada and indeed, around the world. Windsor is one of Canada’s most affordable major cities, with the lowest median cost of housing of any major Canadian centre. It offers a winning combination of smaller town living with access to big city amenities, including major league sports, world-class entertainment, shopping and culture. The region’s position in the heart of the Great Lakes system gives us access to an abundance of water for consumption and industry, and also for the enjoyment of boating, angling, and other water sports. That, coupled with the long warm season, makes for an especially enriching and rewarding lifestyle. Finally, the local events calendar is punctuated by a steady stream of local and regional festivals, exhibits and events that offer something for every taste.

Reason #9 – We’re #1
Windsor-Essex was rated North America’s #1 Small City of the Future for 2007/2008 by fDi Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times of London, England. We were chosen from over 160 cities in North America as the best overall for business investment and economic growth. It’s independent proof that we’ve got what it takes to succeed.

Click here for more details on why one of the world’s leading financial publications thinks W.E. CAN.

Reason #10 – Our attitude
We’re a people with a “can-do” attitude and a fighting spirit. We’ve always bounced back from the seemingly inevitable cycles of economic downturn. Now that times are challenging once again, our resiliency and our determination are more important than ever.

Can W.E. muster the courage and fight back in Windsor-Essex style? Can W.E. leverage our abundance of strengths to diversify and grow? Can W.E. do it?

Yes, absolutely. W.E. CAN.