Taylor Campbell/The Windsor Star
‘Windsor-Essex is uniquely placed to be a national leader in mobility and energy and health innovation and industrial growth.’
Almost a year after U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders to begin punitive tariffs on Canadian exports — miring its neighbour to the north in ongoing economic uncertainty — Windsor’s public post-secondary schools have pledged to collaborate with the local community, and each other, to address changing workforce needs.
University of Windsor president JJ McMurty joined St. Clair College president Michael Silvaggi in committing to partnership and problem-solving during the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting on Monday.
“We’re in a region that’s on the cusp of transformational growth,” said McMurty, who took over from predecessor Robert Gordon in September. “In my opinion, Windsor-Essex is uniquely placed to be a national leader in mobility and energy and health innovation and industrial growth, and I think we need to contemplate that.”
“As an outsider to this region, I am constantly, daily, amazed at the incredible talent that is here, that we can seize on to make real change.”
UWindsor, he said, is engaging local, provincial, and international advocacy efforts to “reinforce the university’s presence and influence” in the broader post-secondary and political landscapes.
The institution, which had a projected $9-million operating deficit for the 2025/26 academic year, is working to expand enrollment, better collaborate with the community, and think about how it monetizes what it does, McMurty said.
The local university will also seek financial support from the community through an “advancement” campaign not unlike the billion-dollar fundraising pursuit launched by London’s Western University in September.
“I really do believe that the next wave of innovation will come from this kind of shared, collaborative approach, and I think we’re uniquely positioned to do that here. As leaders, you all play an important role in this potential growth.”
The local educational sector, including St. Clair College, has opportunities to “help drive innovation” and work with business leaders to be “problem solvers for the new world within which we live,” McMurty said.
The university and St. Clair College — “anchor institutions” in Windsor and Essex County — are thinking about new forms of collaboration, he said.
St. Clair College president Michael Silvaggi told the hundreds of local business and other leaders at Monday’s Ciociaro Club gathering that, while the college is focused on specialized training and research, it also embraces a “broader responsibility to help shape a workforce that is resilient, innovative and future-ready.
“That means embedding soft skills, critical thinking, and entrepreneurial spirit into every program. It means ensuring that graduates do not just build jobs. They help transform workplaces.”
The college wants its graduates to have an innovation “mindset,” Silvaggi said. Every program at St. Clair now includes an entrepreneurial component, encouraging students to “think creatively and take ownership of their role and success in the workplace.
“Whether it’s advanced research in emerging technologies or joint projects with private enterprises, these partnerships are building bridges that strengthen our economy and create opportunities for our graduates.”
Silvaggi added that internships and co-op placements are a “cornerstone” of the college’s strategy.
Speaking with reporters before the keynote speeches, chamber president and CEO Ryan Donally said it’s been a “tumultuous” year — but also “very positive.”
The Canada-U.S. trade war, he said, “has been an opportunity for us to demonstrate the importance of what the Chamber of Commerce is, both locally here to our local businesses, but also at the provincial and federal levels.
“From that perspective, this uncertainty, the trade war that’s been going on, it’s been a great opportunity for the chamber to step up and show our leadership.”
Despite the border city’s tariff troubles, Donally said the local employment rate has seen “great improvement” over the last three months. On Friday, Statistics Canada reported that the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 per cent last month, with more people in total holding jobs than at any other time in Windsor-Essex history.
“I know there are still folks out there that are either on some sort of a job-share or laid off,” Donally said. “We’d like to get that back and roaring again.”