Found at the heart of North America's consumer population, Windsor-Essex has long been recognized as a leader in manufacturing and logistics. Its prime location on the Canada-U.S. border, allows Windsor-Essex to offer companies and suppliers a large advantage over competing areas.
Transportation and Logistics Video
Sector highlights
Windsor-Essex stands at the forefront for meeting high demands and providing optimal efficiencies for transportation and logistics. Our most notable advantages include:
- Busiest commercial crossing along the Canada-U.S. border handling approximately one third of all Canada to U.S. trade
- New $1.4 billion Herb Gray Parkway leading to the Gordie Howe International Bridge
- Deepwater port accommodates any ship sailing the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway
- Located at western terminus of Highway 401, connecting to U.S. Interstate system
- International airport with ILS equipped 2,743-metre (9,000-foot) runway
Sector profile
With the nation's busiest commercial border crossing, Windsor-Essex handles one-third of all trade between Canada and the U.S, reaching over $100 billion in goods that cross the Detroit-Windsor border annually.
Windsor-Essex is uniquely positioned to provide you access to an abundance of diverse consumers, including four surface border crossing points across Detroit-Windsor.
New border crossings |
The Gordie Howe International Bridge will provide you with new advantages to:
Review the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the Bi-National Great Lakes Economic Region: Assessing Economic Impact and Opportunities report that was released by the Cross Border Institute. This report highlights some of the advantages provided by the Gordie Howe International Bridge. |
Roads |
Windsor-Essex network system and access to the U.S. market is second to none. Many of our business and industrial parks are strategically located throughout the highway system for optimal transportation and logistics. Our well-maintained systems include:
All routes interconnect with the U.S. interstate system via:
Infrastructure advantages include:
Our networking supports our well-established trucking industry in Windsor-Essex. Having originated the "Just in Time" method in the Windsor-Essex-Detroit marketplace, we maintain the standard on which manufacturers rely today. Among many benefits, we provide:
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Rail |
Our rail connections are our powerhouse that fuels our local businesses and gives us access to goods that our manufacturers rely on. The Windsor-Essex region is connected directly to North America's railway network via the ‘Michigan Central Railway Tunnel.' Canadian National (CN), Canadian Pacific (PC), and CSX Corporation all have railway lines through Windsor-Essex that support our manufacturers and large business corporations. Passengers benefit from the VIA Rail Canada railway that transits from Windsor-Essex to Toronto. The Essex Terminal Railway (ETR) primarily connects Windsor, Ontario to Amhertsburg, Ontario to serve our primary sector industries including:
The Morterm Limited Great Lakes marine terminal accommodates ocean vessels and large automotive parts production centre that provide you with a direct connection to CN, CP, Norfolk Southern and CSXT. Rail traffic to and from the U.S. is accommodated in a twin track tunnel that moves rail cars from Chicago to New York City via Niagara Falls in the most efficient, uncongested, easiest grade and lowest cost method possible. |
Air |
The Windsor International Airport (YQG) is an international airport capable of satisfying a wide range of air cargo needs that can be delivered anywhere around the world. YQG's aviation feeds, handling charges, fuel costs and leasing rates are among the lowest in Canada. It offers around the clock Canada Customs services and bonded warehousing for international cargo. YQG is conveniently adjacent to:
YQG has a runway length of 2,835-metre (9,300-foot) with no curfews and no congestion that handles:
The airport is federally designated as a trans-shipment point because of its proximity to the U.S. border. This permits Canadian and foreign air carriers to use the airport as a transit point for incoming and outbound international cargo and U.S. carriers do not need to pay for air rights. The airport also boasts a new truck-to-truck cargo complex that is anchored by FedEx on its northern perimeter. With international CN and CP railways directly beside the airport, YQG is an ideal location for future truck-to-rail expansion with approximately 607 hectares (1,500 acres) of industrial land available for development. Other major regional airports that are within a 45-minute driving radius of Windsor include:
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Marine |
The Port of Windsor is perfectly positioned as a gateway to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, making it an ideal shipping point for a wide range of products such as salt, grain, fluorspar, lumber, steel, petroleum, vehicles and heavy lift equipment, all destined for international or domestic markets. Port Windsor provides desirable benefits including:
Recent growth advantages include:
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Industry strengths
Our industry strengths scale the charts with the sheer amount of opportunities we facilitate and support:
- Competitive labour costs
- 11,500 employees in the region's transportation, logistics and warehousing sector
- Over $600 million annual GDP
- Over 800 local manufacturers export goods
- 50 plus transportation services companies
- 23 customs brokerage firms operating in Windsor-Essex
- 17 CBSA licensed Customs sufferance warehouses and several Customs bonded warehouses located in Windsor-Essex
- WindsorEssex Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) that helps advance economic development with tariff and tax exemptions for raw materials, components and finished goods
Access to markets
Windsor-Essex is located at in a prime location for transporting goods that provides:
- Central location to the Great Lakes region, North America's manufacturing heartland
- Direct connections to U.S. interstate system
- Direct rail connection via underwater rail tunnel to U.S. rail network
- Ease of travelling goods across the Canadian and U.S. border
- Access to WEDnet which is made of up of a high-speed fibre-optic links, with bandwidth in excess of OC3 speeds
- Approximately 13-hour drive to reach 200 million people
- Canadian free trade agreements including Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) for automotive industry parts suppliers and assembly plants
- Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) gives us preferential market access to the European Union
Education and research
Our education and research facilities have a rich history in advanced manufacturing. We offer credible and reliable institutions that support Windsor-Essex for a sustainable future in transportation and logistics.
The following research facilities are dedicated to training in transportation and logistics:
- Cross-Border Institute (CBI) is dedicated to research, education and public outreach on cross-border movement of goods and services
- Our Automobility and Innovation Centre located at Windsor International Airport works with CBI to provide real-world testing
- Private training schools offer truck driver training including a full AZ Professional Truck Training Program