Update on Post-Storm Response

Published

Following last week’s severe weather and significant rainfall, the City of Windsor continues to respond to requests for service across the community while rolling out additional supports.

Storm Response and Restoration

As part of the City’s emergency response, Forestry crews have been working through service requests for downed trees impacting the municipal right-of-way, with over 1,000 requests received so far, approximately 600 of which have been classified as emergency or urgent. The Forestry Department, along with multiple contracted crews, continues prioritizing emergency situations, hazardous tree conditions, downed trees, and the hardest-hit areas.

At this time, all roads have now been cleared and remain open to traffic. Although substantial progress has been made, there are still numerous tree failures and debris affecting sidewalks throughout the core of the storm-affected area. Crews continue prioritizing these hazards along with remaining emergency calls. The City is asking for patience as crews work diligently to address the situation, which could take several weeks to complete. 

The City worked closely with ENWIN Utilities to address trees impacting electricity, as some large and established trees were damaged and required significant equipment to address issues. ENWIN has completed repairs to its mainline electrical system following last week's severe weather events, and the City wishes to thank them for restoring power to the thousands of customers directly impacted.

During Thursday’s storm, the City’s Traffic Operations team received 150 system alerts affecting 58 traffic signals. By 2 p.m. Friday, all related systems were fully functional, and staff continued working through the weekend to complete maintenance and quality-control checks.

Tree Waste Collection Starts This Week

Pick-ups of properly prepared storm-related tree waste will be collected along with your regular yard waste pick-up (refer to waste collection schedule). 

The City, in partnership with Miller Waste, will be providing an additional tree waste collection for Windsor residents the week of September 14, 2026. Further details will be provided on Friday, September 11, 2026.

For tree waste collection, Windsor residents are asked to:

  • Limit the length of the branches to 4 feet (122 centimetres);
  • Limit the thickness of the branches to no more than 4 inches (10 centimetres) thick;
  • Limit the weight of the branches to 44 pounds (20 kilograms); and
  • Tie tree branches together, if possible.

Any other storm-related tree waste not meeting the above requirements can be dropped off at the City’s Public Drop Off Depot (3560 North Service Road East) at no charge.

We appreciate the patience, cooperation and understanding of residents as crews continue this important work across the community. For more information, please contact 311.

Please note: 311 continues to experience higher than normal call volumes, which may impact wait times. Residents are encouraged to use the Windsor 311 mobile app or online portal, whenever possible, to avoid wait times and log service requests more quickly and easily, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Duplicate calls and reports slow down the response process; once a request has been submitted on the app or online, residents can be assured it is in the system and will be addressed based on priority and available resources.

Quote:

“I spent some time in Olde Riverside this past weekend, walking the neighbourhood streets, speaking with impacted area residents, and taking in the damage left in the wake of the recent severe storms. Residents are not alone in these moments when we face events we cannot control. I encourage folks to continue to reach out to the City — via 311 and its mobile app — as needed. On behalf of City Council, and the residents, I extend sincere thanks to the City crews, 311 staff, ENWIN, and all partners who continue working to respond to all storm-related items impacting families across the community. Thank you for being part of this response. To residents — thank you for your patience as we all work together to get through the challenges this storm left behind.” 

- Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens

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