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Founded in 1797, Olde Sandwich Towne is Ontario's oldest, continually inhabited European settlement in Canada.
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NewsThis section will keep you updated on important business news stories in the Windsor-Essex Region, named Best Small City for Investment by FDI Magazine. Climate, Housing Deals Draw Seniors to RegionFriday, Dec. 5, 2008
If go-getters like Larry Duffield represent the face of Windsor and Essex County's future as a retirement haven for aging baby boomers, then this region is in good hands. The diplomat worked in Pakistan, Germany, Japan and elsewhere during a career spanning 36 years before retiring and moving to Windsor in 2004 with his wife, who has family in Detroit. He hasn't stopped moving since. He curls at Roseland and golfs at Hydeaway. He and his wife, Joyce, are members of the Windsor Art Gallery and are season ticket holders at the Windsor Symphony. They frequently cross the Detroit River to attend Tigers games or visit the Detroit Institute of Arts and, right now, Duffield's biggest priority is scoring tickets for the Spitfires Dec. 11 opener in the new arena for himself and his grandson. "We've been happy as all get out in Windsor. We sold our place in Ottawa and were able to buy a much nicer place here," said Duffield from his condominium near Strabane Avenue on Riverside Drive, with its view of the plodding freighters and Motown's gleaming skyline. "We love the culture, the sports, the diversity, the climate. We find it wonderfully mild compared to Ottawa." Duffield, co-chairman of the 4,300 member local chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, praised Thursday a new marketing effort designed to promote the region as a retirement mecca. The initiative, which includes a website -- www.retirehere.ca -- has been dubbed The Windsor Essex 100 Mile Peninsula by its sponsors, the local chamber of commerce, real estate board and homebuilders association. The campaign wants to ensure this community benefits from changing demographics that have seen the number of Canadians aged 55 to 64 rise by 28 per cent to 3.7 million in the last five years. The number of seniors 65 or older has risen to more than 4.3 million. One in seven Canadians was a senior when the 2006 census was taken. The ratio was one in 14 a half century ago. "With the community trying to redefine itself, this is a no-brainer," said Duffield of the marketing plan. " I've been beating the drum for Windsor since I got here because of its extraordinary advantages." Bruce Draper, co-chairman of the local CARP chapter, agreed the region had much to offer seniors, including Caesars Windsor, the riverfront and real estate at rock bottom prices. He added that the community could be even more appealing for seniors with some minor tweaks. Pedestrian traffic signals at busy intersections, for example, click off too quickly for many seniors, stranding them on medians. A lack of public washrooms is a problem for seniors as is the state of city sidewalks, where seniors can easily trip if they don't get hit by cyclists first, said Draper, one of the founders of the city's senior advisory committee. He added the city would have to improve its bus service if it truly wanted to cater to seniors. Ellen Hope, executive director of Centres for Seniors Windsor, which offers games, crafts and camaraderie for seniors at two locations -- 635 McEwan Ave. and, soon, the new arena -- agreed the city could make minor adjustments. "We have to make sure that our public facilities are friendly to seniors," she said. "There is a lot here already. It just needs to be marketed better." Esther Goldstein, author of The Comprehensive Guide to Retirement Living and administrator of www.senioropolis. com, said communities need to be flexible enough to offer activities for younger seniors, along with the medical and social infrastructure so they can age gracefully, independently and with dignity. "There's all kinds of innovative ways to do things and we're going to have to get innovative because the seniors of 20 years from now are going to be much more demanding than the seniors of today," said Goldstein. "They've been through the process with their own parents and they know what to ask for and they are educated and they will hopefully have disposable income so their demands will be greater. They're going to be the bulk of the population so we're going to have to respond to them." One innovative approach being considered in some Canadian cities, she added, is constructing seniors' residences on university and college campuses. Article Credit: |
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