A candidate for Windsor City Council has planned to use his expertise in downtown business to make the core safer.
Ward 3 candidate Brian Yeomans, the former chairman of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association (DWBIA), publicly announced his plan to restore safety and security in the downtown area.
Yeomans has organized his safety platform into three categories, people, place, and partnerships. He told WindsorNewsToday.ca that one priority, if elected, is to increase the urban density of the downtown core, bringing in more residents and businesses.
"This is not a mystery, that the more people you have in an area, the more safe and secure they feel," said Yeomans. "The Farmers' Market brings 3,000 people every single weekend to the downtown core, 37 weeks a year, and there's never a concern about safety or security issues."
Yeomans discussed a recent public meeting he hosted with Windsor police regarding Mitchell Park, with residents in the area indicating that they want to see a more proactive neighbourhood and not just more police officers.
The candidate also touched on the discussion surrounding the safe-injection site planned for Wyandotte Street East and Goyeau Street.
"The perception of the CTS [Consumption and Treatment Services] has been a divisive one, but it is a sorely-needed plan for the City," said Yeomans. "But I think what needs to be done is to alleviate concerns about it being an eyesore and something that people gawk at when they come through the tunnel."
Yeomans said, if elected, he would propose creating a safe, private space for people who use the safe-injection site. He would also do something similar for the Downtown Mission, which has an underused parking lot in the rear of its Ouellette Avenue property.
With the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) gearing up for thousands of moviegoers in its first in-person event in three years, Yeomans also said he would make sure the arts have a prominent place in the core's makeup.
Yeomans is one of nine candidates running in Ward 3. The seat opened up after incumbent Rino Bortolin announced he would not seek reelection, and is the most crowded field on the City Council ballot. The other candidates are Renaldo Agostino, Katherine Cameron, Helmi Charif, Angela Fitzpatrick, Nick Kolasky, Kennedy Mangera, James McCarte, and Cynthia Van Vrouwerff. The election is Monday, October 24.