Windsor West

Windsor West, encompassing the western portion of the City of Windsor including the downtown core and the historic Sandwich Town neighbourhood near the Ambassador Bridge, entered the 2025 provincial election as a riding where the Progressive Conservatives made a concerted push to unseat a four-term NDP incumbent. Lisa Gretzky had held the seat since 2014, serving during the 2022–2025 term as the NDP's Shadow Minister for Children, Community and Social Services. The riding's deep roots in organized labour and the automotive sector have historically favoured the NDP, but the PCs signalled their intentions by having Premier Doug Ford launch his province-wide campaign from the riding.

The contest drew attention both for its local dynamics and for its symbolic importance: a PC win in Windsor West would have represented a near-complete sweep of southwestern Ontario by the governing party.

Candidates

Lisa Gretzky (NDP) — A former school trustee for the Greater Essex County District School Board, Gretzky was first elected to the board in 2008 and served as vice-chair. She won the Windsor West seat in 2014, defeating the Liberal incumbent. At Queen's Park, she has served as NDP critic for Education, Mental Health and Addictions, and Poverty and Homelessness Reduction, and most recently as Shadow Minister for Children, Community and Social Services.

Tony Francis (Progressive Conservative) — A professional holding a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Engineering and Management. During the campaign, Francis focused on door-to-door canvassing rather than participating in public debates or media engagements.

Other candidates included Matthew Giancola (Ontario Party), Nick Kolasky (Green Party), Mark Dewdney (None of the Above Direct Democracy Party), and Joshua Griffin (New Blue Party).

Local Issues

Homelessness and housing affordability were the most pressing issues facing Windsor West during the 2022–2025 term. The number of households without permanent housing across Windsor and Essex County grew substantially, exceeding 850 by mid-2024. Visible encampments increased across the city, with approximately 11 known encampments by mid-2024. The city announced plans in 2024 for a $50-million project to create 64 supportive housing units on Wellington Avenue on the west side, though the facility was expected to take a minimum of three years to open.

Healthcare access and the planned new mega-hospital for Windsor were persistent concerns. The project, intended to replace aging hospital campuses with a modern acute care facility at County Road 42, moved through planning stages during the term. For Windsor West residents in particular, the proposed location on the city's far east side raised longstanding worries about access for west-end communities, with advocates calling for a satellite urgent care facility or west-side health services.

The economic transformation underway across the Windsor region, driven by the NextStar Energy battery plant in the neighbouring riding, carried implications for Windsor West's working-class communities. Candidates debated how to ensure local residents benefited from the new manufacturing jobs, how to address the cost of living that was rising faster than wages, and how to support workers navigating the transition from traditional automotive manufacturing to the emerging electric vehicle sector.