Council has gone without volunteer advisory committees since 2022. That's about to change.

Windsor city council has named the members of the newly-formed groups and panels that will offer advice on issues like transit, bike lanes and public art.

These new groups will replace advisory committees dissolved earlier this year, after council unanimously supported a recommendation from city staff to restructure those committees.

A months-long review found decade-old committees made up of volunteers, councillors and staff needed to be rebuilt to stay relevant, says city clerk Steve Vlachodimos.

"We want to be up with the times and with the trends out there and what the needs are in terms of that public engagement," he said.

The groups were limited to meeting four times a year for two hours at a time, said Vlachodimos.

"We want to get rid of some of that red tape that has held back all of our committees and provide a framework that avoids those frustrations that could perhaps turn [people] off."

No members were appointed to nine committees following the 2022 municipal election while city staff undertook their review.

In place of the previous committees, council has approved four working groups, two committees and a panel. Each type of group has a unique mandate.

Working groups will provide oversight or expertise on the delivery and development of projects or programs approved by council.

Committees will provide expertise to council on issues related to its mandates.

Expert panels will have defined mandates to provided opinions on certain topics or issues.

The previous Town and Gown Committee, which focused on issues related to neighbourhoods near the university and college, has been dissolved.

Windsor City Hall, pictured in an August 2023 file photo. (Dax Melmer/CBC)

Here's what will replace the other committees:

• Community Public Art Working Group replaces the Community Public Art Advisory Committee.

• Age-Friendly Windsor Working Group replaces the Seniors Advisory Committee.

• Windsor BIA Working Group replaces the Windsor BIA Advisory Committee.

• Housing and Homelessness Advisory Committee is dissolved because council believes there is over lap with other groups.

• Active Transportation Expert Panel replaces the Windsor Bicycling Committee.

• Transit Windsor Working Group replaces the Transit Windsor Advisory Committee.

• Environment/Climate Change Advisory Committee for the City of Windsor replaces the Windsor Essex County Environment Committee.

City staff are continuing to work toward replacing the diversity committee, Vlachodimos says, but nothing has been announced yet.

"We're tearing that down to the studs and we're rebuilding it from scratch," said Vlachodimos.

"So we have a lot of work to do in terms of finding the right type of model to make sure that all of those voices are provided a framework that they can provide their best advice to council."

New members of groups, panel announced

Trevor Ramieri will join the new version of the Transit Windsor Working Group and remembers cramming for tests on the bus as a student at St. Clair College.

"A lot of the conversations that I have about public transit is that it's just something you take because you don't drive," said Ramieri.

"But there are so many individuals who actively choose to utilize public transit because they see there's more dimensions to commuting outside of just that point A to point B."

He sees Windsor as moving from a big, small city toward a small, big city and plans "to make sure that public transit is an environmental, economical, and social contribution to folks on a day-to-day basis."

He'll be joined on the working group by:

• Bernard Drouillard.

• Jaykumar Patel.

• Katie Stokes.

• Iain Sutcliffe.

James Sommerdyk is a cyclist who biked to work before retiring and now rides for fun. He's joining the Active Transportation Expert Panel that's expected to go through orientation in the new year.

Sommerdyk has been on previous versions of the bicycling committee and remembers riding through the city without any form of cycling infrastructure.

"So it's kind of interesting to see that that's coming to fruition now. Maybe in a couple of years we'll be able to ride across the city on a dedicated bike lanes and the riverfront trail," said Sommerdyk.

Here's who will join him on the active transportation panel:

• Cole Gorham.

• Paul Henshaw.

• Teena Ireland.

• Kevin Morse.

• Jocelyn Nikita.

Missed year of advocacy a lost voice, advocate says

Larry Duffield is a longtime advocate for seniors in Windsor-Essex in roles including as a former chair of the previous Seniors Advisory Committee.

Duffield pushed council to reactivate the committee while it laid dormant after the 2022 municipal election. The committee last met in 2019, according to a city report.

"That might have helped (council) be more sensitive to the effects of COVID and what the senior population would be going through," said Duffield.

He's now a member of the Age-Friendly Windsor Working Group and welcomes the name change, saying that establishing Windsor as an age-friendly community was a focus of the previous committee.

Duffield says the key to being a good voice for your community is persistence and patience.

"My wife, when I went out this morning, says 'Larry... don't cause any trouble!" he told CBC News, before a day full of meetings with political leaders.

"I've been to one meeting, going to another one tonight, that are basically pushing seniors agendas," he said. "That's what what you have to do: if you believe in something, persist at it."

He'll be joined on the age-friendly working group by:

• Gerald Corriveau.

• Andrea Grimes.

• Cindy Matchett.

• Roxanne Tellier.

• Tom Wilson.

Council has also approved members of the Community Public Art Working Group, consisting of:

• Brian Brown.

• Ashley Kijewski.

• Leisha Nazarewich.

• Nadja Pelkey.

• Terrance Travis.

Membership for the Environment/Climate Change Advisory Committee has yet to be approved by council.