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COVID-19

The Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP) has compiled a list of local, provincial and national resources to keep the public and service provider organizations informed. Visit their COVID-19 web page to learn more.

For Service Provider Organizations:

To assist Newcomer Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) with reopening, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, in collaboration with the WE LIP Reintegration Working Group, has created the attached Organizations Working with Vulnerable Populations Checklist.

The WECHU and WE LIP aim to help clients navigate new service delivery plans by gathering information about organization’s protocols.

The goals are:

• To help inform other partner agencies on plans to move forward as far as the daily operation that will help us manage the referral process between agencies;
• To help prepare clients on what to expect when visiting different agencies; and
• To create a format where stakeholders can fluidly access this information and pass on to relevant parties.

Service provider organizations shared their service delivery protocols, which are now available to the public. For this information, related to newcomer program and service delivery during COVID-19, CLICK HERE.

Childcare

Under Canadian law, children who are under 12 years old cannot be left home alone.

There are many options for Childcare, which may be licensed or unlicensed.

• Licensed childcare must meet provincial standards and licensed locations are inspected once a year.
• Unlicensed child care arrangements are made between the caregiver and the parents.

The Ontario Ministry of Education has some questions you should ask (en français) yourself and steps you should follow as you try to decide what childcare option is best for your situation. There are many childcare centres across our region for you to choose from.

Learn more about the City of Windsor’s Childrens Services.

Emergency Services

If you are in a life threatening situation or are witnessing a crime, call 9-1-1.

The Emergency Services Introduction to New Canadians: Emergency Preparedness Toolkit is available in many different languages. This toolkit will help you better understand fire safety, home security, personal safety, vandalism, theft protection and more.

You can also access The City of Windsor’s Emergency Preparedness Guide.

Francophone Community

Une histoire des francophones à Windsor-Essex

La présence française remonte à plus de 400 ans, soit à l’établissement de la mission de Ste-Marie-au-Pays-des-Hurons, en 1639 (comté de Simcoe).

Vous pouvez en savoir plus sur notre histoire Francophone locale en consultant: Histoires Communautaires de la Cartographie Culturelle.

Les résidents de Windsor-Essex et Chatham-Kent ont non seulement accès à la formation et les emplois en français, mais aussi à une communauté francophone vibrante, croissante et accueillante. Plusieurs organisations à but non lucratif, de nombreux médias, de festivals, d’associations et centres communautaires existent, entre autres, pour enrichir les vies et liens sociaux et culturels.

À l’image de la population de l’Ontario, la population franco-ontarienne est diverse et vibrante.

Carrefour communautaire francophone

Le Carrefour communautaire francophone (communément appelé Le Carrefour) est un lieu de rassemblement et d’échange qui offre des services multidisciplinaires variés et intégrés aux francophones et francophiles de la région de Windsor Essex-Chatham-Kent. Veuillez consulter la liste des membres.

Veuillez consulter le calendrier communautaire francophone pour pouvoir fréquenter ou soummettre un événement près de vous.

La Campagne Bonjour Welcome

Ce projet invite les francophones à demander des services en français et les entreprises à afficher leur bilinguisme.

Contactez l’ACFO WECK au 519-948-5545 et rejoignez la campagne.

Francophone Community

French presence in Ontario dates back over 400 years to the establishment of the Mission of Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons (Simcoe County) in 1639.

You can read more about our local Francophone history in this Cultural Mapping Community Story.

Today, Ontario’s francophone community numbers 504,130, or 3.87% of the province’s total population (according to Statistics Canada 2016 census). This is the largest francophone community in Canada outside of Quebec.

The residents of Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent not only have access to education and employment opportunities in French, but to a virbant, growing and welcoming francophone community. Many not for profit organizations, media outlets, festivals, associations and community centres exist to enrich the lives and social and cultural connections of the local residents.

Carrefour communautaire francophone

Le Carrefour communautaire francophone, also called “Le Carrefour”, is a space that offers a variety of multidisciplinary and integrated services for Francophones and Francophiles to gather and exchange. You can learn more about the Carrefour’s members.

Please visit Francophone community calendar to find or submit a French event near you.

Bonjour Welcome Campaign

Are you a business? Do you have bilingual employees? Do you know french businesses?

Join the campaign and proudly show that you offer French services. Contact ACFO WECK at 519-948-5545.

Housing

Windsor-Essex is well known for having some of the most affordable housing costs in Canada.

If you are looking for a home in Canada for the first time, visit settlement.org (en français) for more information and helpful tips.

Whether you choose to rent, buy or build your home, Windsor-Essex has a wide range of housing options, providing you the choice to live in a community that suits you and your family.

By using websites such as Realtor.ca you can learn more about different communities and available housing.

Health Care

If you are ever in a life-threatening emergency, you should call 9-1-1 so that help can be sent to you.

Finding a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner

Health Care Connect (en français) helps you find a doctor or a nurse practitioner.

Health Care for Newcomers

The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides health-care benefits to resettled refugees, refugee claimants and certain other groups. Read more about where to access services.

The VON Immigrant Health Clinic provides care in multiple languages for those without an OHIP card and connects patients to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit works with the community to promote, protect, and improve health and well-being for all. They provide immunization and public health services, along with classes and clinics on a variety of topics.

Health and Immunization Requirements

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has a list of vaccines that your child should get and when they should get them.

Mental Wellness

Moving to a new place can be complicated. There are so many things to do, appointments to attend and family to take care of. Dealing with all of this while settling into a new community can be hard.

To find mental health supports in Windsor-Essex, you can search these mental health services categories through 2-1-1.

Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)

If you want to get medical treatment, you need an Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card. This is a card that you need to apply for as soon as you arrive in Ontario. After you apply, there is a 3 month waiting period before you can use it.

In order to apply for an OHIP card, you will need to fill out the application form and bring it to a local Service Ontario office. For forms, documentation and other important information, you can visit Settlement.org (en français).

Walk-In Clinics

In Windsor-Essex County we have many walk-in clinics that you can go to if you need medical help. You do not need an appointment to go to a walk-in clinic. To find one nearest you, call 2-1-1 or visit the WECHU website.

Emergency Medical Services

Windsor-Essex County has three hospitals:

• Windsor Regional Hospital- Ouellette Campus
• Windsor Regional Hospital- Metropolitan Campus
• Leamington District Memorial Hospital

Legal Assistance

At some point you may find that you are in need of legal assistance. The following websites may be able to help you:

• Settlement.org (en français) has information that explains Legal Services in Canada.
• The Windsor-Essex Bilingual Legal Clinic gives bilingual legal services.
• Legal Assistance of Windsor is a non-profit, community legal clinic.
• The Essex Law Association has a database that you can search for lawyers in our region.
• The Law Society of Upper Canada has a Lawyer and Paralegal Directory that you can search. They also have information on the Law Society Referral Service.

Transportation

In Windsor-Essex County there are a few different ways you can travel.

• Car: We have many local car dealerships and it is possible to buy or lease a new or used vehicle. To legally drive in Canada you will need a driver’s license. If you buy a car you will need to have car insurance (en français).
• Public Transit: Transit Windsor and Tecumseh Transit operate meany bus routes in our region. You can go to their websites to learn more about routes, schedules transit pass options.
• Biking/Walking: Our region has a network of walking and biking paths that you can use to get around and to explore. You can learn more about the Windsor-Essex riverfront trail and others by visiting CWATS’ website.
• Taxi/Uber: There are both taxi companies and Uber throughout Windsor-Essex that will come and pick you up to bring you to where you need to go. The cost will depend on how far you need to travel.
• Airplane: In Windsor, we have the Windsor International Airport. This airport has frequent flights to Toronto as well as other destinations in Canada and internationally. Less than 30km away from Windsor is the Detroit Metro Airport, which is a major international airport with flights to destinations all around the world.
• Train: Windsor is serviced by Via Rail (en Français). From the train station in Windsor, you can easily travel to Toronto, Chatham, London and other cities in Canada.
• Other: If you are looking for a bus that travels further distances you can take the Greyhound Bus (en Français). You can take a ferry (a type of boat) (en Français) if you are travelling to Pelee Island.

Transportation for People with Physical Disabilities

Windsor Essex Community Transit offers transportation services for elderly people and for people with disabilities.

Finding Information

2-1-1 is a free service that provides information on local services. You can call 2-1-1 or visit their website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and interpretation is available in over 150 languages over the phone.

To search for services in South-Western Ontario (Windsor Essex County is in this part of Ontario) you can use the local division of 211. To search for services in other parts of Ontario you can use the Ontario division of 211.