
UWindsor unveils miniature sculpture of Gordie Howe Bridge
The official unveiling of a scale model of the Gordie Howe International Bridge project was unveiled in Windsor on Thursday.
The site of the occasion is appropriate – the University of Windsor's Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation. The detailed model represents the longstanding teamwork between Canada and the U.S.
The University of Windsor and Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) are close partners in the effort and the model symbolizes years of collaborative effort, student engagement, and regional impact.
The model is 1:750 scale and now serves as an educational centerpiece within the Faculty of Engineering.
Mariah Saad is a third-year co-op civil engineering student at the University of Windsor. Saad is humbled and appreciative of the learning opportunities as part of the project team.
Mini Gordie Howe Bridge
Mariah Saad seen in Windsor, Ont. on July 17, 2025. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor)
'Being a part of it, especially as a student, is just so incredible,' said Saad.
'We learn things in the classroom, and then when you get to see it in real life, a massive infrastructure project – it's absolutely incredible. And getting to see how different people work together, different teams all collaborate and unite together towards a common goal and accomplish amazing things.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CTV News
10 minutes ago
- CTV News
Volunteer Manitoba summer 2025 outlook
Winnipeg Watch Ashley Seymour, executive director of Volunteer Manitoba talks about the need for more volunteers this summer at different organizations.


CBC
11 minutes ago
- CBC
More people with disabilities are in temporary housing despite N.S. plan
There's been a surge in the number of Nova Scotians with complex disabilities stuck in temporary housing, according to recent figures released by the province. This rise in what are called "temporary shelter arrangements," or TSAs, operated by for-profit and non-profit agencies has occurred despite a plan by the province to decrease their use over the past two years. The Department of Social Development describes the temporary housing as being needed whenever a person with a complex disability is in urgent need of housing, and options for a permanent home have been "explored and exhausted." Usually, the person is placed in an apartment, with one-on-one care, but without a long-term plan to improve their lives. "The infrastructure to shift away from the temporary model is slow. It's not happening as quickly as anticipated," said Harman Singh, director of Breton Ability Centre — a non-profit agency in Sydney, N.S., that houses people with disabilities, which has been asked to oversee eight people in temporary shelters. 5-year plan The province introduced a sweeping, five-year reform plan for the care and housing of people with disabilities in 2023. It was the result of a landmark court decision that found there was systemic discrimination against people with disabilities. The plan called for a sharp decrease in the number of people with disabilities in temporary housing arrangements by 2025 but the opposite has occurred. The recent government update on the plan, referred to as "The Remedy," indicated there were 89 people in the temporary arrangements in early 2024, but as of April 1 this year, there was a 49 per cent increase to 146 people. This contrasts with the plan's target of reducing the number of people in temporary housing by 40. Singh said Breton Ability is gradually closing down its larger facility with 68 residents but has been asked to increase temporary shelter arrangements. Some of the arrangements are lasting for years, she added. The lack of permanent solutions isn't working well, as it makes it difficult to attract staff or to spend money needed to ensure the housing arrangements are suitable, she said. For example, Singh said in one case her agency has been housing a person in a temporary apartment since 2021, but it has been unable to invest in much-needed upgrades due to uncertainty about whether they are expected to stay there permanently. If the arrangement were permanent, "we could look at long-term renovations to the house, seek grants from different departments and we would look to raise funds to make the backyard more suitable ... we would look at all these different factors and make it better," said Singh. Delays in hiring, training staff Data released to The Canadian Press through the Freedom of Information Act from January 2024 to last month show the majority of temporary shelter arrangements were provided by five private-sector agencies for 94 people. They received $34 million in 2024, and $20 million for half of 2025, according to the documents. Some people in TSAs cost about $150,000 to up to about $500,000 annually, the records say. However, a separate freedom of information response from the Department of Social Development to The Canadian Press for the same period says there were no records of "audits or reports on safety and quality of care" done on these private agencies. They also said they wouldn't provide estimates of how long people are remaining in the TSAs. In its recent annual report on the plan, the province said it wasn't meeting deadlines for decreasing the numbers because there had been delays in hiring and training staff to oversee the conversion of the system. The department said in an email Friday that so far 24 of the 146 people in the temporary shelter arrangements — about 16 per cent of the total — have been assigned staff to plan their future care and placements in the community. Maria Medioli, director of the provincial disability support program, said in an interview Thursday that the five-year plan — which has committed over $200 million in spending over the first two years — is the first major effort to deal with the TSA issue. Medioli said some of the growth in TSA numbers has been the result of people with "deeply complex issues" being discharged by a care home or a hospital without any destination, and the alternative is homelessness. Asked about oversight of service providers, Medioli said the department receives financial statements from the private-sector service providers but doesn't "generally audit providers unless there is a reason." She added there has been one complaint of financial irregularities by a private-sector provider that is being investigated, but no complaints of safety or quality problems. "I don't like them [TSAs]. They are temporary.... It was done in an emergency and we didn't have the infrastructure to make it anything but temporary. Through the [plan] we're building that infrastructure," she said. Growing numbers a concern However, Kim Long, vice chair of the Disability Rights Coalition, said in an interview Thursday that her group is concerned by the growing numbers. "I'd like to know where [the government] is in the process of establishing a baseline of health and safety.... The thing that we're most concerned about is what is that experience [of living in a temporary shelter arrangement] like?" Long said her advocacy organization wants to hear directly from families and people in temporary shelter arrangements, to learn how the arrangements work and "what they are experiencing." "We need to hear in order to get the full story behind the numbers," she said.


CTV News
40 minutes ago
- CTV News
Emancipation Day event brings people together to reflect on history of Black communities
A gathering in Dartmouth, N.S., over the weekend brought community members, scholars, and leaders together to reflect on the significance of Emancipation Day, which falls on Aug. 1. The Dartmouth Heritage Museum hosted an 'Emancipation Day Social,' which featured a panel of guest speakers and open discussions about the legacy of slavery, the history of Black communities in Nova Scotia, and the ongoing fight for racial equity. Aug. 1, 1834, marks the day the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire, formally ending slavery in most British colonies — including Canada. Among the speakers was Canadian Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard, a longtime advocate for African Nova Scotian communities. She said Emancipation Day is not only a moment to honour the past, but also a call to action. 'What's really important at this juncture of our history is that we own all of our history,' she said. 'And when we own all of our history, it means owning the fact that some of our ancestors were enslaved. And it's also owning the fact that our ancestors were never compensated for that brutal enslavement.' Emancipation Day People gather at an Emancipation Day event in Dartmouth, N.S., on July 27, 2025. (Vanessa Wright/CTV Atlantic) Bernard added that events like these are key in bridging the past and present, especially for communities like North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook, which were founded by descendants of Black Loyalists and people who were enslaved. 'It's an opportunity for people to come together to talk about the history of the Preston Township, its relationship with the City of Dartmouth,' she said. 'It's a time for us to reflect on the past, but it's also time for us to sort of consider what are some of the things that are happening right now, and how do we best prepare for the future?' Organizers say this year's gathering was focused not only on commemoration, but also on ongoing conversations about systemic change, community empowerment, and reclaiming historical narratives that have long been left out. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page