A group chaired by UWindsor professor Bill Anderson has issued a policy paper calling on business, government, academic and civic institutions to establish Windsor-Essex as the “Border Ready Region.”
The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce released a comprehensive Regional Transportation Paper on Wednesday, developed by a committee headed by Dr. Anderson, Ontario Research Chair in Cross-Border Transportation Policy at the University of Windsor.
It spells out both challenges and opportunities for the Windsor-Essex region, and notes that transportation issues are especially important to its economy, with its freight-dependent industries—including manufacturing and agrifood—and a border location that puts the region at the nexus of road, rail and marine transportation networks.
“In this paper we present the business community’s perspective on critical elements of a regional transportation plan that has to be in place as a necessary condition for further economic success,” Anderson says.
Chamber board chair Ed Miles says the committee’s recommendations deserve consideration.
“The paper provides a clear direction for the road ahead if we want to be even more competitive as a region,” he says.