Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

191 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 TECUMSEH , ONTAR IO friendliness of the people.” Proof of its popularity, Tecumseh ranked 10th out of 412 cities in Canada in Maclean Magazine’s 2019 Canada’s Best Community contest. Tecumseh currently has approximately 24,000 residents who enjoy its ideal scenic location in the Windsor-Essex region, bordered by Lake St. Clair to the north. The town has multiple access points to Highway 401, Southern Ontario’s major artery, which borders its world-class industrial base in Oldcastle. Despite being immediately east of Windsor, Tecumseh is much more than a bedroom community. It is home to a diverse workforce encompassing everything from doctors and lawyers to thriving industrial businesses, right on the doorstep of the U.S. Between 2008 and 2012, when the recession was at its worst, the community’s industrial base took a hit but rallied to diversify their offerings beyond the automotive industry. Today, many make tool and die cast molds for the automotive industry, but also for aerospace companies and many other sectors. There are companies that have branched into the biomedical sector, are processing marijuana, and much more. McNamara boasts, “These are the employment lands for most of Essex County and as such have regional significance.” The town is also looking forward to the completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge to the USA. The bridge, currently under construction, will connect Detroit’s I-75 and I-96 with Highway 401. The multi-billion dollar project is named for Howe, a Canadian hockey player, who was most well-known for his time playing for the Detroit Red Wings. McNamara believes it will spark a lot more growth for the community’s industrial and business sector. Mayor of Tecumseh, Gary McNamara