The City of Windsor is supporting the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix with $50,000. In the past the sponsorship led to a dedicated grand stand, signage and naming rights in the media centre and logo placement in all forms of media. Councillor Fred Francis says the investment promotes a strong relationship with Detroit and encourages tourism. "Perhaps you want to consider coming here and experiencing some of our shops, some of our restaurants, staying in some of our hotels, experiencing our park land. Take a look across the river. This is who we are, this is what we have to offer," says Francis.
Councillors voted 6-4 in favour of the sponsorship. Councillors who voted against the initiative wanted more details on how past investments have benefited the city. "We do not know how many hotels rooms have been booked as a result," says councillor Irek Kusmierczyk. "We sponsored an international media centre and yet we don't know, we haven't counted, how many news stories have been generated about Windsor and Essex as a result."
