Awards Spotlight: TWEPI's 5th Annual “Best Of Windsor Essex

AWARDS SPOTLIGHT TWEPI’s 5th Annual “Best Of Windsor Essex” Awards

Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island

(TWEPI) announced in mid-June the winners of its 5th annual “Best of Windsor Essex” Awards as voted on their website: BestOfWindsorEssex.ca.

“As our tourism businesses continue to pivot their business and service options, it is more important than ever to celebrate the positive stories in our region, and help locals and visitors alike start planning where they want to explore when they feel it is safe to do so,” states Gordon Orr, CEO of TWEPI. “Now, more than ever, our small businesses need marketing support and awareness — and our ‘Best of Windsor Essex’ Awards can be used as to propel their message.”

Voting took place online February 3 and February 23, 2020 with the goal of putting together the most comprehensive list of the “best things to see and do” in the region.

This year there were 12,600 votes — a record breaking number in categories including the best in: Arts & Entertainment, Attractions & Events, Drink, Food, Outdoor Adventure, Shopping, Stay, and Photo Op.

Finalists and winners are able to use this

campaign to differentiate their business, increase their visibility, validate their achievements, and act as a strong testimonial of their offerings.

Furthermore, this campaign has created an authentic list that is expected to resonate with visitors, giving Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island the opportunity to highlight some of the best of what the region has to offer.

“Now in its fifth year, by the number of votes received you can see how much locals love to celebrate what they think is great and unique about our region,” expresses Orr. “You can also see how much Windsor Essex businesses and their fans have embraced the ‘Best of Windsor Essex’ awards as a way to establish themselves as leading tourism operators in our region. Our goal from the ‘Best of Windsor Essex’ Awards is to showcase iconic experiences, hidden gems, and everything in between. Use this list as a great way to explore Windsor Essex!”

Winners were originally scheduled to be announced March 25 during an awards presentation, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead winners were announced during a live event on social

A message from Essex MPP, Taras Natyshak

As we battle COVID-19, there are things we can do to stay healthy and safe. . . Listen to public health experts Wear a mask when entering commercial businesses Wash your hands Social distance Limit time spent from home in order to protect yourself and others Visit TarasNatyshak.com for up to date information regarding COVID-19.

Community Offi ce: 316 Talbot Street North, Unit 5 Essex, ON • 519-776-6420 tnatyshak-co@ndp.on.ca Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, shown in his office, holds a plaque listing the 2020 recipients with plaques noting previous award winners hanging on the wall behind. Photo courtesy of TWEPI. media at: Facebook.com/visitwindsoressex.

Each winner received a commemorative plaque, a letter of congratulations, a listing in the 2020/2021 Official Visitor Guide, and branding at: BestOfWindsorEssex.ca.

This specifically designed site features a miniprofile and photo of each winner and a highlight of the top five finalists per category.

The winning business, organization, or event in each of the 45 categories can be found on the accompanying page. Congrats to all!

It’s Going To Be A Virtual Blast For “Windsor-Essex Pride Fest” 2020

By Joe McParland

Since its humble beginnings as a small march of about 100 people in Windsor back in 1992, the “Windsor-Essex Pride Fest” has become one of this area’s most anticipated cultural attractions each year. It is produced by the “Windsor-Essex Pride Fest,” a registered non-profit organization operated by a volunteer Board of Directors.

The annual summer event brings together members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2S+) community, their friends, allies and supporters in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of our community by producing quality, inclusive safe events and initiatives. “Windsor-Essex Pride Fest” strengthens the sense of community and contributes to the vibrancy, health, and overall well-being of people in the LGBTQ2S+ of Windsor Essex.

“Windsor-Essex Pride Fest” aims to promote equality and diversity through all of its events. Theatre, music, art, and entertainment are used to raise awareness of discrimination and the issues and difficulties affecting the lives of LGBTQ2S+ people around the world. The week-long festival seeks to unite ALL people in a celebratory atmosphere where everyone is welcome, fostering a sense of togetherness within the LGBTQ2S+ population in our region.

For the past two years the festival has witnessed an explosion of “Pride” at its new home in the heart of Windsor, in Lanspeary Park on Ottawa Street. It has attracted more than 7,500 people in a celebration of diversity and friendship. The traditional Sunday Pride Parade from Argyle Avenue westward down Ottawa Street to Langlois, continues to grow each year, with over 80 parade entries and 7,000 spectators lining the streets in 2019.

“We acknowledge the continued support of the Ottawa Street Business Improvement Association over the past couple of years,” says David Lenz, President of “Windsor-Essex Pride Fest”. “Their members and the Ottawa Street community have shown tremendous support for our events and our community.”

The #1 priority of the “Windsor-Essex Pride Fest” is the safety and wellbeing of its members of the LGBTQ2S+ community. The celebrations have always been a place of love, allyship and compassion, and this year will be no different.

Since the declaration of the global COVID-19 pandemic in March, event organizers have been in ongoing communication with local officials on developing a path forward for the annual festival, while adhering to all public health guidelines.

As a result, Lenz informs us that “After many months, we reached a decision to deliver this year’s ‘Pride Fest’ ‘virtually’ and though we are unable to celebrate in person, we’re looking forward to coming together online, through a series of exciting virtual ‘Pride Fest’ events.”

The virtual festival takes place on August 22 and 23, 2020 and features both local and out of town talent. The agenda includes the traditional Flag Raising ceremony at City Hall where guest speakers, performances, local dignitaries, community leaders come together to show their support for the Windsor-Essex Pride community.

There will be a variety of video clips entertainment and, of course, the “Pride Parade” — all delivered in new and innovative ways.

Past festival favourites such as: Sabin, the Bigg Wiggle band,

Juicebox, Tony Coates, Boa, Hawaii Goodvibes, Sarah Smith, and many, many more have been invited to participate.

As part of the virtual Sunday “Pride Parade,” participants can submit videos of themselves, their businesses, organizations or groups, showing their support for Pride. Submissions and applications can be made online at: WEpridefest.com/festival/parade/paraderegistration. All are encouraged to use their creativity and artistic talents to decorate their locations, vehicles, and to dress up.

The virtual festival also features an educational component through working with community agencies to bring some interactive virtual webinars and workshops related to the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Details were still being finalized at the time of writing so be sure to check: WEpridefest.com for broadcast times and content of performers and for the full slate of activities.

Finally, any individuals, businesses, or organizations interested in assisting in sponsoring or donating to this virtual festival, can find more information on: WEpridefest.com/support or Facebook.com/wepridefest.

We encourage everyone to tune in on August 22 and 23 to let your Pride show!

In closing, please be safe and healthy, and always observe the mitigation protocols from government and health officials aimed at protecting everyone from COVID-19.

TAKE THE LEAD Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens Leads The Way Through Tornadoes, Floods And A Pandemic By Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh

They always say you judge a person by how they perform through adversity, not success. Well, this means I now have an even greater respect for City of Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens (electedOctober 27, 2014).

Windsor has always been known for its resilience and since “leadership starts at the top” Dilken’s path into politics prepared him to be tenacious in his quest for office and for the difficult challenges he would face in this leadership role.

His uncle, Marty Goldberg, was an Alderman who inspired the “political bug” early on in Dilkens who began to seek out leadership positions as a teenager through Student Council and getting involved in the community.

After a few failed attempts for the Windsor Utilities Commission and the public school board, he took what he learned from the experience and maintained his passion to serve. He set his sights on City Council and knocked on almost every door in the largest riding (55,000) and was successful in 2006 and served two terms.

Dilkens credits his tenacity to keep pursuing his passion for politics as a decision to put things in perspective.

“A lot of great people run for office and not everyone can win,” he says. “I didn’t want to be one of the defeated candidates that you never heard from again.”

His family was just about to move to Belgium for a year on an adventure, when he received a call from Joyce Zuk stating she was not going to run in the next election for City Council and he was advised to step up.

“I have to credit my wife with encouraging me to not have any regrets and go for it, even though she realized just how much time and family life is sacrificed for political service,” he expresses.

Dilkens is grateful to his parents for raising him to give back, his uncle for being a political role model and his grandfather, who was involved in community service with the Masonic Temple and The Shriners. Another one of Dilken’s inspirations was his first grade teacher who impacted him so much that he has maintained contact with her.

A passion of our Mayor is travelling with his family, giving them an opportunity to experience different cultures and increase their global perspective.

He feels this exposure and perspective is one of the things that makes a good leader, along with getting a great education and becoming involved in the community.

Dilkens describes public office as an enormous responsibility: “You are part of a Board of Directors that is in charge of a budget of $850 million with a staff of over 2,500 people who are all making complex decisions that require understanding enormous amounts of material.”

He encourages everyone to get involved.

“You don’t have to have a high-profile position to serve, you can be involved in

Mayor Dilkens poses in a #YQGStandsStrong t-shirt (the Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island-led initiative that resulted in a partnership with the City, BB Branded and the Windsor Essex COVID Care Coalition, with a portion of the proceeds supporting food banks. Photo courtesy of the City of Windsor Mayor’s Office. grass roots initiatives and add your voice and time,” he suggests.

Mayor Dilkens admits it can be “lonely at the top” when you are making decisions for which you may have more information than other people, but he feels you must take risks.

“You can’t be risk-free in this position or you won’t be able to grow and move your city forward,” he notes.

He believes that “you have to be able to take criticism and have a true passion to face the challenges, negativity and scrutiny.”

When he thinks of a leader that responded to a risk and endured tough times, he admires the strength of Brian Mulroney when dealing with the first North American Free Trade Agreement.

“Mulroney faced a lot of challenges and discourse and it was a hard sell with many implications, but it was the right move for our GDP for all three countries: Canada, United States and Mexico,” he comments.

Dilkens feels it takes tenacity to be a good leader: “It is important to bring others along when there is push back to new ideas;

Have questions about CEWS? We know that the complexities of the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy and Temporary Wage Subsidy can create a high level of stress. Our tax team is here to help.

Contact us

T: 519-251-3500

you need the confidence to stay on a path of improvement.”

He adds, “You need passion and the ability to engage ‘champions’ to help others understand why decisions are good and should be supported.”

One goal he has as a politician is to not worry about terms or making decisions to get re-elected, but to use sound judgement of what is best.

“This is why I developed a 20 year plan, not a four year plan,” he explains. “In Korea they have a 35 year plan. It’s important to move to long term thinking and be prepared, through diversification of the economy, in case your largest employers are not around.”

His ultimate goal is to come together as a council and as a city in order to make Windsor better in every way possible.

Mayor Dilkens has faced tornados, floods and a pandemic, yet still maintains his positive “glass-half full” attitude.

“Our team and community have worked hard to diversify and improve infrastructure and quality of life and there are always new areas of focus that emerge,” he mentions. “We are working hard to revitalize our downtown and have made great progress, most recently with Double Tree and Quicken Loans and the

WindsorEssex Economic Development

Corporation relocating, the Paul Martin building bringing the library to the heart of the city, and St. Clair College moving into the Canderel building.”

He also stresses the importance of addressing our issues of homelessness, addiction and mental health support to keep our core vibrant and attractive to business, residents and tourism.

And what of the biggest challenge to date, the COVID-19 pandemic? The Mayor is proud of the actions of our citizens.

He feels it has brought out the best in our residents and he talks about examples where we come together to solve problems like the tough decision to temporarily cancel Transit Windsor service because of safety issues and lack of use. (90% stopped using public transportation during initial isolation).

Groups were immediately organized and 1,500 volunteers stepped up to transport food and medicine to seniors and our most vulnerable population and get them to their appointments through 211/311.

The City also supported the June 27th Miracle food drive by providing donation centres. In addition Workforce WindsorEssex and the WindsorEssex Small Business Centre went online with their “#ShopYQG” campaign and the city is featuring and promoting small businesses and restaurants through “Takeout Tuesday” campaigns.

“The most positive effect this pandemic has had on everyone is an appreciation for family, friends and the need for human interaction and physical contact,” he says. “On a personal level I have been able to carve out more time for family dinners and activities and I think we are all re-focusing on what is important in life.”

Dilkens concludes with this message of hope . . . “Windsor is strong, caring and resilient, we will make it through this together and our community will come out on the other side of these challenging times an even stronger city!”

If you would like to interact with the Mayor go to: Facebook.com/drewdilkens or view his statements on the website: MayorDrewDilkens.ca. Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh is an award winning leadership consultant and former Director of Leadership Windsor/Essex, Principal, Chief Communications Officer and business owner with over 30 years of experience in education, administration, mentoring, consulting and community leadership. If you know a leader in the community to profile here in this column email: Sherrilynn@BizXmagazine.com.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Windsor-Essex County Association of REALTORS® and its members have adopted many safety protocols while still providing excellent service to the community. We also would like to thank all the essential workers in the Windsor-Essex area for their hard work and sacrifices in these unprecedented times. Thank You!

Rock Solid Thinking

By Steven Mayo

Is it Monday, Tuesday, or Friday?

All the days are blending together as I write in late June.

It’s a challenge to stay “on the ball”! However, I persevere . . . as we all do.

Over the years I have accumulated wonderful quotes, thoughts and phrases that are timeless.

The wisdom in these words is that in good times or challenging times, they make sense.

Below are some investing and “life” tips from Charlie Munger who has helped Warren Buffet build Berkshire Hathaway. “Those who keep learning will keep rising in life.” “Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.” “One of the greatest ways to avoid trouble is to keep it simple.”

“People calculate too much and think too little.” “We have three baskets for investing: yes, no, and too tough to understand.” “A great business at a fair price is superior to a fair business at a great price.” “Success means being very patient, but aggressive when it’s time.” “The big money is not in the buying and the selling, but in the waiting.” “You must force yourself to consider opposing arguments, especially when they challenge your best-loved ideas.” “Don’t drift into self-pity because it doesn’t solve any problems.” “Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well.”

All words to live by!

Today’s reality is quite different.

Below are the Top 10 fastest growing E-commerce product categories as of March 2020. . . 1. Disposable gloves 2. Bread makers 3. Cough medicine 4. Soups 5. Rice & dried grains 6. Packaged foods 7. Fruit cups 8. Weights 9. Milk and cream 10.Dishwashing supplies

Source: Stackline, Amazon, Business Insider, Euro news, CNBC

Who would have guessed bread making was this popular?

I miss the old days . . . going inside to eat at a restaurant, kids being in school, and haircuts . . . although my hairline has been a blessing during these unusual times!

Hang in there my friends. For now, we continue to seek joy in the simple things. Steven Mayo is a Vice President, Director, and Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member — Canadian Investor Protection Fund). This article is not intended as nor does it constitute investment advice. Readers should consult a qualified professional before taking any action based on information in this article.

Indoor Air and Surface Decontamination Specialists (houses, businesses, cars, boats) File Assignments Handled 24/7

TOM HEBERT Essex/Kent Regional Director

BioSweep Canada P: 1 888 426 1470 x 52 C: 519 982 3956 thebert@biosweep.ca www.biosweep.ca

Decontamination And Deodorization Never Sounded More Desirable

By Dave Halliday

Obviously we have found ourselves more aware of our internal environment recently. The things we touch, the air we breathe and more. Suddenly we are hypersensitive to actions we would have never given a thought to, previously.

Our response has been to clean everything, from our hands to our countertops, more frequently. We wear masks to contain our emissions and potentially block those of others and sanitize everything we come in contact with. For good reason our level of awareness has been heightened.

As a result of this we are dedicated to highlighting and bringing attention to any service or product that may assist in making each of us more at ease in our immediate environment. One such service that has recently come to our attention is BioSweep (BioSweep.ca).

BioSweep provides surface and air deodorization and decontamination services to their valued clientele and we at Biz X were fortunate to discuss their processes with both Darrin Frickey, President of BioSweep Canada and Tom Hebert,Regional Director of the Essex/Kent BioSweep franchise.

To start, what is BioSweep? “BioSweep provides surface and air deodorization and decontamination services,” states Frickey, adding, “We are a hardware driven system that creates both non-destructive ozone and gaseous hydrogen peroxide through a process called Advanced Photocatalytic Oxidation. Our results are guaranteed and we are the most effective and rapid solution available in the market.”

It is our understanding that your process is very effective at eliminating odours. What types of odours can you eradicate?

“All types of fire related odours, including proteins, as well as cigarette, cigar, pet urine, skunk, mould, odours related to biohazards, and others,” Hebert lists. “We have not encountered an odour we could not eliminate to date!”

Besides eliminating odours can this process benefit those with allergies and

breathing issues?“Absolutely,” replies Frickey. “The BioSweep process greatly reduces allergens leaving an exceptional indoor air quality behind. We often hear from asthmatics that their breathing is far better after treatment.”

Okay, now for the question on everyone’s mind. Is there a possibility that BioSweep can assist in the battle against COVID-19?

“Studies were done on the efficiency of our process in combating the SARS coronavirus and the results were very positive,” informs Hebert. “Since the SARS 2 coronavirus is an almost identical molecule we feel there is a very good case to be made that our process will kill it. However, having said that, there is very little testing showing anything is entirely effective against COVID-19 at this time.”

Is this process effective against viruses in

general?“As a further preventative measure we apply a quaternary ammonium solution electrostatically to provide long lasting protection against viruses and bacteria within the treated area,” states Hebert. “This application was also found to be effective against the SARS coronavirus.”

Do the chemicals or solvents present any

risk during or after application? “There can be no people or pets in the building while the BioSweep process is running, as we use the breathable air to create our treatment gasses,” Frickey indicates. “Once the machines shut off, the gasses revert to breathable air and we ensure

the building is safe to occupy before allowing any one in.”

What do the units do? “BioSweep takes the air in the space through the equipment and converts it to non-destructive ozone and gaseous hydrogen peroxide through a process called Advanced Photocatalytic Oxidation,” says Frickey, concluding, “These are naturally occurring, recreated chemical compounds that revert to normal air about an hour after the machines turn off.”

Can I continue to clean my home’s surfaces

normally after this process? “Absolutely,” responds Hebert. “The BioSweep process is residue free.”

Please describe the treatment process.“Our process depends on a mathematical equation to tell us how many machines we would need and how long the BioSweep treatment will run,” replies Frickey. “We inspect the space to ensure our process gasses are contained, and post warning signs on all entry doors. We then turn the units on and exit the building. After an hour we put on specialized respirators and enter the building to ensure everything is meeting our expectations and once the treatment time is completed we put on the respirators again and use our sensor to ensure the indoor air is fine for re-occupancy.”

The things we do now that we didn’t do before are making an interesting list.

Sanitizing common public items such as shopping carts and key pads just makes sense now. We apply hand sanitizers and wash our hands when we handle common devices, and it is all in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Here at the magazine we encourage our readers to employ whatever measures are available to combat this threat and we hope you all stay safe.