The Fall of Windsor, Canada's Detroit

The Economist reports that the collapse of Detroit's auto industry has had a ripple effect up north, particularly in Windsor, Ontario.

August 5, 2009, 6am PDT | Tim Halbur

"FOR almost a century the fate and fortune of Windsor, Ontario, have been intertwined with those of Detroit, Michigan. General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler made cars on both sides of the Detroit River, sending parts and vehicles back and forth at will. Windsorites worked in the car plants, loyally bought the cars, followed American sports teams, and thought nothing of driving over the Ambassador Bridge or popping through the Detroit-Windsor tunnel for a night on the town.

So the collapse into bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler has brought Windsor down along with Detroit. A blue-collar city of 273,000 people, Windsor now has the highest jobless rate in Canada (14.4%) and faces an uncertain future."

Full Story:

The humbling of Detroit North

Published on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 in The Economist