City Commences Expropriation Process for Derelict Residential Properties in Olde Sandwich Towne

City Council Voted to Make Application for Approval to Expropriate Land

Today, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens was joined by members of City Council and City administration to announce that the Corporation of the City of Windsor has commenced the expropriation process for several boarded-up or vacant properties in the city’s west end. The announcement was made in west Windsor, outside derelict properties on Indian Road and alongside the Ambassador Bridge.

At an in-camera meeting on July 27, 2026, City Council voted unanimously to file Application for Approval to Expropriate Land without delay, for the municipal purpose of the economic, social and environmental well-being of the municipality, including neighbourhood stabilization, housing renewal, public safety and community revitalization, in accordance with the Olde Sandwich Towne Community Improvement Plan.

Following that direction, notices were served to property owners on Monday, August 17, 2026, with a required formal notification to appear in The Windsor Star on Saturday, August 22, 2026.

Many of the houses that are vacant or derelict in Olde Sandwich Towne were purchased in the 1980s. While these acquisitions drew little public attention initially, they later sparked controversy as property owners failed to appropriately maintain the properties. Subsequently, many residential properties were boarded up, allowing them to fall into disrepair and creating urban blight.

Over multiple years, the City’s Chief Building Official (CBO) has ordered the emergency demolition of various properties pursuant to CBO authority under the provisions of the Building Code Act, 1992. Most recently, in July 2026, the CBO issued orders for the emergency demolition of an additional 17 derelict residential properties that had become significant community safety hazards.

The continued presence of derelict residential buildings has created adverse impacts on the Windsor community in general, and Olde Sandwich Towne in particular. These impacts include reduced housing supply, urban blight, loss of neighbourhood and community, compromised investment potential, public safety concerns, property standards issues, loss of heritage features and sustained uncertainty regarding the long-term future of the area.

The properties in question are located within the City’s Olde Sandwich Towne Community Improvement Plan (Sandwich CIP), approved June 27, 2011, which provides that a municipality may:

• Acquire, hold, clear, grade, or otherwise prepare land for community improvement;
• Construct, repair, rehabilitate or improve buildings or land acquired or held by it in conformity with the community improvement plan;
• Sell, lease or otherwise dispose of any land and buildings acquired or held by it in conformity with the community improvement plan.

Further, approval of the Sandwich CIP included a recommendation that: 

“If agreement with landowners for the returning of boarded-up/vacant housing in the Project Area to productive use cannot be reached, the City consider exercising its authority under the Planning Act and other applicable legislation to acquire these lands and to then construct, repair, rehabilitate or improve the vacant/boarded-up houses and/or sell, lease or otherwise dispose of said lands to the private sector…”

From 2017 to present, the City has engaged in a negotiation process that would result in, among other things, the conveyance of several properties to the City. However, several outstanding items would still need to be negotiated to effect the conveyance of those properties. To date, the City has spent approximately $3 million in legal and professional fees in connection with negotiations. Productive negotiation would involve several major preconditions, and as such, there is a risk that the parties will not be able to amicably resolve the outstanding items and complete the orderly, contemplated transfer of the properties, while Olde Sandwich Towne and west Windsor continue to be severely negatively impacted.

While the City remains open to resolving all outstanding issues with the owners, City Council wishes to rebuild neighbourhoods that have suffered greatly as a result of both the actions and inactions of the owners of the properties.

List of Residential Properties to be Expropriated

Number	Municipal Address	Status
1	319 Indian Road	Emergency Demolition Order
2	331 Indian Road	House
3	451 Indian Road	House
4	457 Indian Road	Emergency Demolition Order
5	3232 College Avenue	House
6	3227 Edison Street	Vacant Land
7	3231-3233 Edison Street	Vacant Land
8	3239 Edison Street	Vacant Land
9	3245 Edison Street	Vacant Land
10	3249 Edison Street	Emergency Demolition Order
11	3261 Edison Street	Emergency Demolition Order
12	3267-3269 Edison Street	Vacant Land
13	3275-3277 Edison Street	Emergency Demolition Order
14	3279 Edison Street	Vacant Land
15	3301 Edison Street	House
16	3311 Edison Street	House
17	3315 Edison Street	House
18	3317 Edison Street	Vacant Land
19	3321 Edison Street	Vacant Land
20	3325 Edison Street	Vacant Land
21	3329 Edison Street	House
22	793 St. Antoine Street	Vacant Land
23	853 Brock Street	House
24	3507 Bloomfield Road	House
25	3511 Bloomfield Road	House
26	3537 Bloomfield Road	House
27	3543 Bloomfield Road	Emergency Demolition Order
28	3591 Bloomfield Road	Emergency Demolition Order
29	3621 Bloomfield Road	Emergency Demolition Order
30	3627 Bloomfield Road	Emergency Demolition Order
31	0 Bloomfield Road	Vacant Land
32	831 Felix Avenue	Vacant Land
33	837 Felix Avenue	Vacant Land
34	867-869 Felix Avenue	House
35	873 Felix Avenue	Vacant Land
36	895 Felix Avenue	Emergency Demolition Order
37	396 Elm Avenue	Vacant Land
38	811 Felix Avenue	Vacant Land
39	882-888 Felix Avenue	Emergency Demolition Order
40	894-896 Felix Avenue	Emergency Demolition Order
41	625 Rosedale Avenue	House
42	670 Rosedale Avenue	House
43	732 Felix Avenue	House
44	738 Felix Avenue	Emergency Demolition Order
45	774 Felix Avenue	Emergency Demolition Order

 

Quotes:

“For decades, residents have been faced with boarded-up homes, significant urban blight and decay, and the overwhelming feeling of being forgotten and considered obsolete in the shadow of infrastructure meant to unite and sustain economies, neighbourhoods and families. Despite lengthy and detailed negotiations, where I have participated as a representative of our community, recent events around the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge have made it clear that this action is necessary at this time. We need a path forward that is no longer at the expense of Windsorites, as we stand up for Olde Sandwich Towne and work to protect our residents. Council has always been united on this file, and the whole of Council has stood together to say: no more. Expropriating these properties will enable reactivation of boarded-up homes, increase our housing supply when we need it most, restore vibrancy and stability to the west end, and deliver tangible neighbourhood improvements even as we continue planning for a prosperous future alongside the Gordie Howe International Bridge. That is what we are fighting for here. To west end residents: hang on just a little bit longer. We will not give up.”
- Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens

“City administration remains actively involved in working to support increasing housing supply and combating urban blight across our community. Our actions in Olde Sandwich Towne, past and present, are working to address derelict homes and public safety concerns, while helping to ensure compliance with property standards that residents rely on to sustain vibrant neighbourhoods.”
- John Revell, Chief Building Official, City of Windsor