Activate Transit Windsor Essex is a grassroots advocacy group working for a more accessible and sustainable transportation system in Windsor and Essex County

About us

We are building a coalition of community leaders, transit riders and public transit advocates. Our goal is to amplify the voices of community members calling for a transportation system that works for everyone

Windsor was once a leader in public transit with the first electric streetcar in Canada

Windsor was once a leader in the country for public transit innovation. It was here that the 1st electric streetcar in Canada was installed to connect these communities. After World War II, Windsor developed as an auto-centric city and became known as the “Automotive Capital of Canada”. Public transit no longer plays the prominent role it once did: as of the 2016 census, only 3.3% of commuters in the Windsor CMA use public transit as their mode of getting to work, compared to 14.5% for Ontario.

After WW2, public transit was decimated for auto-centricity

There is a shift happening in our region and a growing recognition that public transit investment is necessary for the future of our region’s economic, environmental and community well-being. In 2019 the city of Windsor put out 2 ambitious plans that help address this need. Our goal is to hold leadership to account, to ensure public transit remains a priority for our region, and to organize citizen-led conversations about our collective vision for the future of public transit in Windsor

Community Mandate

In the fall of 2021, we engaged the community in an online survey to learn more about how people use public transit, what gaps and challenges they face with getting around the city, and what ideas they have for the future. 620 people, transit riders and non-transit riders alike from a broad diversity of backgrounds, participated in this survey. The results are summarized in an online dynamic report created by Ravel Insights. We look forward to the community drawing their own conclusions from these results. We present ours here.

Explore Community Mandate Data

In the News

Read articles and listen to interviews that ATWE has been involved in

November 12, 2021

Ontario Community Changemakers

Media events Media, press release

8 80 Cities – July 21, 2021 Activate Transit Windsor Essex “20 young leaders from Ontario will receive $ 5,000 microgrant and leadership development and training to implement their idea to activate public space, enhance civic engagement and foster social inclusion in their Ontario communities.“ Jessica Macasaet-Bondy is the recipient of one of these micro grants from 8-80 Cities and […]

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