Brian Masse eyes community benefits for Sandwich Town

CTV Windsor: Community Benefits for Sandwich Olde Sandwich Towne is looking to get the best community benefits possible for putting up with international bridge traffic for years.

Windsor West MP Brian Masse wants to make sure Sandwich Town gets its fair share of community benefits after dealing with the “devastating impacts” of international truck traffic from the Ambassador Bridge.

Masse is launching a campaign to raise the issue – and also inform residents about the Community Benefits framework outlined in the crossing agreement for another crossing that will cross through town in the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

"As the host community to the busiest commercial border crossing along the Canada-United States border, the Windsor-Essex region as whole has experienced a range of negative impacts including traffic congestion, environmental degradation, reduced public safety that has had devastating impacts in Sandwich Towne in particular,” Masse said in a media release.

The federal New Democrat representative for Windsor West has developed outreach tools to help inform the community about the process. He’s also organizing a rally for Nov. 18 in Sandwich Town, bringing together community stakeholders. He will then articulate the neighbourhood’s priorities to the decision makers in Ottawa.

"I want to give both the community and the decision makers the best opportunity to understand how this border infrastructure has impacted people's lives and what can or should be done to improve the quality of life in our community,” Masse said. “We are only going to get one opportunity to get this right. I want to make sure that we collectively do everything we can to secure a bright future for everyone."