Community Benefits

OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES
A key project feature is the inclusion of a Community Benefits Plan. On the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, community benefits are identified opportunities that can advance economic, social or environmental conditions for the local communities. In developing the Community Benefits Plan, it was important to the project team that the initiatives selected for implementation would provide positive outcomes for the Windsor-Detroit region and specifically focus on enhancing the communities of Sandwich and Delray, the neighbourhoods closest to the project area.
The Community Benefits Plan reflects community priorities and is comprised of two components:

Workforce Development and Participation Strategy
The Workforce Development and Participation Strategy is geared toward engaging businesses and focuses on supporting workforce, training and pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship opportunities.

Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy
The Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy focuses on collaborating with stakeholders and community members through consultation to develop a community investment strategy based on identified priorities.
First Funding Releases from Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefits Plan
Gordie Howe International Bridge Team Announces Funding to Local Community Organizations
Another award for Community Benefits Plan for the Gordie Howe International Bridge
Community Benefits Plan Supports New Southwest Detroit Park
Sandwich Business Development Program Launches to Support Area Businesses and Entrepreneurs
The West End Art Project Grand Reveal
Community Organization Investment Announcement – June 15, 2021
Community Organization Investment Open House – January 15 & 16, 2020
Community Benefits Plan Announcement – June 14, 2019

Early in the planning process for this project, it was understood that the delivery of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project provides opportunity to leverage a significant infrastructure investment for positive social and economic outcomes. That is why the Crossing Agreement signed in 2012 by the Government of Canada and the State of Michigan required the incorporation of a Community Benefits Plan for the Gordie Howe International Bridge project that covers both Canada and Michigan and includes direct input from stakeholders and community as well as their continued involvement, partnering with local institutes of higher learning, unions and others, job training and local job development.
Community Input
Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) and its Michigan partners meaningfully engaged and empowered the Windsor and Detroit communities in all stages of development of the Community Benefits Plan. Bridging North America (BridgingNA) joined this consultation process after Financial Close in September 2018.
Between 2015 and 2019, a two-phase consultation approach was undertaken with Ontario and Michigan residents, Indigenous Peoples, business owners and community and municipal leaders resulting in over 230 unique suggestions for community benefits and engagement of thousands of stakeholders. Activities that informed the Community Benefits Plan included public meetings, one-on-one meetings, focus groups, a public survey, social media and direct correspondence.
Most of the submissions fell within five priority areas, including:

Local workforce and training strategies

Construction and operations effect on the community

Community safety and connections

Aesthetics and landscaping

Regional economic and community development opportunities
Workforce Development and Participation Strategy

As part of the Community Benefits Plan, a strategy geared toward engaging businesses and providing employment opportunities has been developed and is centered on (i) workforce development, (ii) training and (iii) pre-apprenticeships/apprenticeships.
There are three sections to this strategy:
I. at least $250 million of the total value of the work during the design-build phase in Canada will be performed by, contracted to, or supplied by the workers or contractors located in the City of Windsor, Essex County or within 100 kilometres of the City of Windsor
II. engaging and employing Canadian Indigenous Peoples in and around the City of Windsor, Essex County and Walpole Island, Ontario and contracting their businesses
III. engaging, employing and contracting Detroit residents and Detroit-based and Detroit-headquartered businesses.
In addition, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) goal established for this project is 2.15% of the cost of the construction and engineering work needed to complete the Michigan Interchange and the portion of the Bridge located in Michigan.
Collectively more than 80 initiatives have been identified for implementation to ensure that Windsor, Detroit and Canadian Indigenous Peoples have opportunities for employment or to provide goods and services to the project.
These initiatives focus on ways to engage the following entities:
- General Public/Stakeholders
- Elementary and Secondary Schools
- Post-Secondary Institutions
- Subcontractors
- Unions
- Vendors
- Workforce Development Agencies
A full list of the initiatives including timelines and delivery partners is available in the Community Benefits Plan (Spanish version). Here are a few highlights:
Training/Education Opportunities:
- Partner with local educational institutions to identify research opportunities
- Participate in speaker series and offer mentorship
- Partner with apprenticeship organizations and local unions
- Provide ESL and job training sessions
- Partner with educational institutions to provide co-op/work placements
Indigenous Peoples Opportunities:
- Explore business partnership opportunities
- Implement First Nations policy
- Commission local artists to create community/art murals
- Partner with training organizations to arrange onsite training
- Increase awareness of skilled trades careers and support apprenticeship programs
Employment Opportunities
- Require subcontractors hire at least 20% new hires from local region
- Participate in job fairs/employment sessions
- Identify and select pre-apprentices and apprentices
- Enhance the community/employment groups awareness of the project and skills required
Business Opportunities
- Host Business-to-Business info sessions
- Provide two-way communication with local subcontractors
- Provide online system to invite local businesses to submit information on capabilities and capacity
- Foster growth of small companies by purchasing goods, supplies and services under $25,000

The second component of the Community Benefits Plan is the Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy, a $20 million community investment focused on priorities identified through the two-phase consultation that occurred between 2015-2019 with communities, businesses, First Nations and other stakeholders in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. The Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy is comprised of initiatives that are consistent with the Crossing Agreement and the key regional priorities identified through consultation including: community partnerships, community safety and connections, economic benefits and aesthetics and landscaping. The initiatives target the Sandwich/west Windsor area and the Delray/Southwest Detroit area ensuring that the communities adjacent to the project are the ones benefitting most from the Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy.
Collectively, 29 community investment initiatives have been identified and will be implemented collaboratively with local delivery partners during the design and construction period of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project. A detailed list of initiatives is available in the Community Benefits Plan (Spanish version). Here are a few highlights:
Canadian Initiatives for Delivery:
Aesthetics and Landscaping Investments - $2.75 million
- Ojibway Park Wildlife Eco-Passage Investment
- Sandwich Street Enhancements
- Sandwich Park Improvements
- Neighbourhood Green Improvements
Community Partnerships - $1.47 million
- Community grant to Walpole Island First Nation (WIFN)
- Community Organization Investment
- Multi-year grant to ProsperUS program
- Sandwich Neighbourhood Art Project
Community Safety and Connections - $2.13 million
- Expand adjacent trails to the Gordie Howe International Bridge
- Malden Park observation area
- Bike Rack Design Contest
Economic Benefits - $850,000
- Sandwich Business Development Program
- Windsor-Detroit Cross River Tour – Canadian Features
- Culinary Student Training Experience
US Initiatives for Delivery:
Aesthetics and Landscaping Investments - $5.34 million
- Community Home Repair Program
- Local Street Enhancements
- Neighbourhood Trailhead and Garden
- Park Improvements
- Neighbourhood Green Improvements
Community Partnerships - $695,000
- People’s Community Service (PCS) Improvements
- Community Organization Investment
- Fort Street Bridge Project
- Delray Neighbourhood Art Project
Community Safety and Connections - $1.33 million
- Expand Adjacent Trails to Connect to Gordie Howe International Bridge
- Construction Observation Platform
- Bike Rack Design Contest
- Transportation Improvements
Economic Benefits - $285,000
Initiative Expansion Allocation
The allocations for initiatives currently do not total $10 million for each side. Bridging North America is committed to expending the full amount. In Canada, the $2.8 million remains unallocated and in the US $2.35 million remains unallocated. These monies are identified as the Initiative Expansion Allocation.
The Initiative Expansion Allocation will provide additional funding to initiatives noted in the Community Benefits Plan Neighbourhood Infrastructure Strategy in the event that final costs for an initiative are higher than originally planned. The funds may also be used for new initiatives not included at the time of the plan finalization.
Community Benefits Reports
Community Benefits Quarterly Report Winter/Spring 2022
Beneficios Para La Comunidad Informe trimestrial invierno/primavera 2022
English
2021
Español
2021
Local Community Group
Established in 2019, the Local Community Group works with WDBA and BNA as informal partners on the implementation of the Community Benefits Plan. This group includes 16 members that collectively represent the communities of Detroit/Delray, Windsor/Sandwich, Windsor-Essex County and the Greater Detroit Area. The Local Community Group provides valuable input and formal linkages to the region which enables the project team to better understand community and stakeholder perspectives in the delivery of the Community Benefits Plan.
Delray Home Improvement Program
The Delray Home Improvement Program is a free home repair program for eligible homes or duplexes in the area surrounding the Gordie Howe International Bridge and US Port of Entry construction site in the Delray, Detroit neighborhood. The program represents a $4 million (CDN) investment being delivered as part of the project Community Benefits Plan.
Join the Community Stories Committee
The Windsor-Detroit Cross-River Tour is an international Community Benefits Plan initiative that celebrates the unique culture, history and diversity of the Sandwich/west Windsor and Delray/Southwest Detroit communities through interpretive signage that will be placed along pedestrian and cycling paths leading to the Ports of Entry in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan.
To deliver this initiative, the project team will engage local community members and subject-matter experts through the Community Stories Committee to support the identification and development of content for the interpretive signs that celebrates important moments in each community’s history and celebrates the region’s culture and diversity. Applications are being accepted for ten volunteer positions to participate on the Community Stories Committee.
Volunteers are needed to fill two-year positions in the following roles:
Canada
- Three representatives of cultural and historical associations within Windsor-Essex County
- One representative that is a resident of the Sandwich community
- One representative that is a resident of Windsor-Essex County
US
- Three representatives of cultural and historical associations within the Greater Detroit Area
- One representative that is a resident of the Delray community
- One representative that is a resident of the Greater Detroit Area
The Community Stories Committee will include an additional four members from the project’s Local Community Group, as well as a representative from Walpole Island First Nation and a representative from Caldwell First Nation.
Fill out the application and apply now. | Español
Applications will be accepted no later than noon on Thursday, September 1, 2022, and can be submitted:
- Electronically to info [at] wdbridge.com in word or .pdf format noting “Community Stories Committee Application, Attn: Manager Community Benefits” in the subject line.
- Via mail in printed format to the attention of Manager Community Benefits at WDBA Main Office, 100 Ouellette Avenue, Suite 400, Windsor, ON, N9A 6T3. Please note: WDBA’s Main Office is currently closed to the public and walk-ins are not permitted.
For more information about the roles and responsibilities of Community Stories Committee members, read the Community Stories Committee’s Terms of Reference. | Español
If you have any questions about the Community Stories Committee or application process, please call 1-844-322-1773 or email info [at] wdbridge.com