DWBIA to cover first year fee for businesses that join Project Greenlight

New AI-powered cameras have been installed in downtown Windsor, working to improve safety.

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association is offering an incentive to encourage more business in the city core to join Project Greenlight.

Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino announced Monday that the DWBIA is going to cover the yearly fee for one camera per business or property owner that signs on to the program, a $50,000 investment from the DWBIA.

Agostino says the more businesses they can sign up, the more potential for downtown.

“Getting people signed up is a priority, and as we see things change over time, we’ll be able to judge the success of the program,” he says. “The idea of this is to start it in the Downtown Windsor BIA but then after we judge the success of it, move it to the other BIAs across the city. I’ll certainly be advocating for that.”

To date, 21 business and property owners have already been approved, with many more in the application process, with the goal of signing on up to 90.

Officials say some sites may have multiple cameras, depending on the size of the business or property.

Agostino says getting these cameras in the alleyways is a top priority.

“Protecting the alleyways, Maiden Lane, those are where I tend to see a lot of issues,” he says. “Out on the streets is great too, but the alleyways are big for us. We really are focused on picking up the phone and calling the businesses that have backs to those alleys.”

Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino outside the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Assocation office at the corner of Park Avenue and Ouellette Avenue, with a Project Greenlight security camera in the background. May 4, 2026.(Photo: Rusty Thomson)

In February, city council approved $450,000 for the program, providing approved businesses a payment of up to $5,000 to help purchase and install commercial-grade security cameras and video monitoring services, with each camera marked with a green blinking beacon to ensure public visibility.

Approved businesses will need to sign a contract with Security ONE Alarm Systems to maintain, operate, and monitor the cameras, which will have real-time monitoring capabilities, including two-way communication with sound and geofencing technology for potential trespass detection.

Senior Commercial Security Consultant with Security ONE Dustin Vermast says they’ve had to explain to some business owners that these aren’t just security cameras.

“Cameras, I say, in many of these conversations, they’re a souvenir of what happened; they don’t stop it from happening. What the video and AI capabilities and virtual guard capabilities do is stop loitering, vandalism, and trespassing while they’re happening,’ he says.

Eligible applicants include registered businesses and property owners who own or lease commercial space within the Downtown Windsor BIA and are in good standing with the City of Windsor.

There are various packages available for businesses that sign up for the program, which include AI-monitored cameras or all the way up to a live person monitoring the video feed, with the price ranging from $39.99 per month to $129 per month.

Access to live or recorded video footage is restricted to the participating business or property owner and authorized Security ONE monitoring personnel only.

The city and law enforcement do not have access to the video, unless authorized by the business owner.