Jake Kelza (@madeinyqg)

I'm Jake Kelza, a passionate advocate for Windsor-Essex and the chaotic good behind Made in YQG. Through creative projects, unconventional collaborations, and hands-on community work, I challenge the status quo by turning obstacles into opportunities. Whether it’s showcasing grassroots initiatives, amplifying local talent, or connecting people with resources, my goal is to inspire action and build a stronger community in YQG.

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Recent Posts

Welcome to Streetcar No. 351! What a legacy!
I accidentally landed myself on national news
A Year Ago Today: My First Interview on “YQG in Bloom”

Instagram

madeinyqg

I’m Jake 😗 @jakekelza ✌🏻
This is my passion project showcasing #YQG!
📧 contact@madeinyqg.com

Your friendly reminder to go vote 🗳️ I don’

Your friendly reminder to go vote 🗳️ I don’t care who you vote for - just go fucking do it!

Polls are open until 9:30 PM

What You Need to Vote:
Your voter information card (if you received one)
Accepted ID (like a driver’s license, or two pieces of ID showing your name and address)

Don’t have a voter card?
You can still vote by showing proper ID at your assigned polling station.

📍 Find Your Polling Station and all other important info:
Elections.ca @electionscan_e @electionscan_f

Important:
You must vote at your assigned location.
You can register at the poll if you’re not already registered.
You are legally entitled to time off work to vote if needed.

Your voice matters. Your vote counts. Go vote.

#madeinyqg #yqg #windsorontario #windsorontario #windsoron #windsorontariocanada #windsoront

Welcome to the Legacy Beacon! What a legacy! Wind

Welcome to the Legacy Beacon! What a legacy!

Windsor’s beautifully restored 1918 @streetcar.351 that somehow also perfectly captures the spirit of our current transit system…standing still and leaving people behind!

It took $10 million to bring this piece of history back to life, while transit projects like the tunnel bus get fucked and affordable housing issues are intentionally hidden just a few steps away.

Heritage matters but so does building a city where people can actually live.

The Legacy Beacon may be standing tall but it’s also standing still and it’s hard to celebrate a monument of the past when we’re failing the people of the present.

I unfortunately missed @activatetransit “transit funeral”. Around 11 participants stood dressed in black, holding gravestone shaped signs, drawing attention to the death of the tunnel bus and the lack of new operational funding for @transitwindsoron in the recently passed budget at the streetcar’s grand opening.

Despite @citywindsoron staff attempts to remove participants of this non disruptive protest - @activatetransit deems the demonstration a success and had several productive conversations with members of the community who viewed the ceremony and the inside of the facility.

#madeinyqg #yqg #yqgwindsor #windsorontario #windsorontario #yqgevents #windsoron #ontariotravel #ontario_adventures #ontariocanada #streetcar351 #legacybeacon

Huge thanks to @campcoffeewindsor for hosting our

Huge thanks to @campcoffeewindsor for hosting our first Coffee Chat with @alex.ilijoski the Federal NDP Candidate for Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore! For such a short notice the turnout was amazing!

Did you miss this event and didn’t get a chance to meet Alex?

Ask a question in the comments and Alex will be periodically checking and answering them! 🙌🏻

Coffee paid for by the NDP ☕️

#madeinyqg #yqg #yqgbusiness #yqgwindsor #yqgevents #windsoron #windsorontario #windsorontariocanada #tecumseh #tecumsehontario

Walked the Coldest Night of the Year with @aubrieo

Walked the Coldest Night of the Year with @aubrieofficial1.0 to support the @downtownmission

@aubrieofficial1.0 reached out about featuring her new song “Lil’ More” ft. @mailboxxmusic & TheRealT.G, and wanted to celebrate the launch by giving a lil’ more back to the community.

We did just that. Grateful for the opportunity to walk and talk with her about community issues and extremely grateful to be a small part of a night that reminded us what support really looks like. CNOY is a reminder that every step counts.

This video is a lil’ a reminder that summer’s coming and shelters need warm weather essentials just as much as they do winter!

If you’re able to give, here is a list of things to consider:

👕 T-shirts and light clothing
🧦 Shorts and breathable socks
🧢 Baseball caps or sun hats
💦 Reusable water bottles
☀️ Sunscreen
🐞 Bug spray
👃🏻 Deodorant
🧼 Wet wipes
🥜 Snacks that don’t melt (granola bars, trail mix, etc.)
🥤 Electrolyte drink mixes or bottled water

Reach out to @downtownmission anytime to see what supplies they are in need of at:
📍 875 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, ON
Monday – Friday: 9am–5pm
519-973-5573
info@downtownmission.com

You can find @aubrieofficial1.0 on all your favourite music streaming apps or https://linktr.ee/aubrieofficial!
🪽 New song “KARMA” coming soon 👀

#yqg #windsoron #windsorontario #windsorontariocanada #yqgwindsor #cnoy #downtownmission

@visitamherstburg new @beavertails location is ope

@visitamherstburg new @beavertails location is open and we got ourselves some new beaver buddies! 🦫

Special thanks to the owner for being super welcoming and spontaneously celebrating their open with us! Stay tuned for more info about their official grand opening!

BeaverTails is a Canadian staple, known for its iconic pastries since 1978.

🦫 Shaped like a beaver’s tail
🔥 Served piping hot
🍩 Topped with classic cinnamon and sugar to combos with chocolate hazelnut, Skor bits, Reese’s Pieces, apple pie filling, and more.

You can find Beavertails Amherstburg on Facebook or at:
📍 57 Richmond Street Amherstburg Ontario

#madeinyqg #yqg #yqgbusiness #yqglocal #amherstburg #amherstburgontario #beavertail #beavertails

I accidentally landed myself on national news this

I accidentally landed myself on national news this week over a parking sticker of all things. Definitely not something I had on my 2025 bingo card but here we are.

Huge thanks to @san.jay.maru from CTV News for reaching out to cover the story and to everyone who has messaged, commented, or simply said “same thing happened to me”.

The video was never really about me or my car but about the others who’ve quietly dealt with the same thing and don’t have a platform to be equally as petty.

That being said, I’m extremely grateful for the platform that I do have, and the community I have fostered here on Instagram. I usually focus on showcasing the positive side of our community and highlighting amazing local initiatives, businesses and organizations but unfortunately not everything that happens in YQG is sunshine and shoutouts.

Sometimes, I meme on the serious stuff too and I try my best to approach these topics with a bit of humour. I appreciate you all for supporting that!

I think it goes without saying that I don’t condone any harassment to the office. I think they got the message that what they are doing is wrong and I can only hope they reconsider their approach in the future.

There’s some questions I keep getting so I might post a blog on my website within the next few days addressing those but in the meantime I’m so tired from the exhausting work it took to get the sticker off - so I’m going to take a nap.

#madeinyqg #yqg #yqgwindsor #yqgbusiness #yqgsmallbusiness #windsoron #windsorontario #windsorontariocanada #windsoront

We accidentally parked in @ottawastreetdental park

We accidentally parked in @ottawastreetdental parking lot yesterday thinking the unmarked spots along the alley was the cafe parking next door! Oops silly mistake (I’m just a girl!!)! The dentist office was also closed on Sunday for what it’s worth but still our mistake!!! Private property!! I’m sorry!!

Just called a few minutes ago to enquire about the lovely sticker found on our window yesterday and the lovely receptionist put me on hold for a few minutes before confirming that they do have security on the lot Sundays and they are responsible for the stickers on the windows! Also told me I shouldn’t park there! Again, my mistake!!

There was another car that had a sticker on it next to ours also and the neighbouring business wasn’t surprised when we had a sticker either!!

Now I’m not the police so I’m not sure if this would be considered mischief or something like that, especially if the stickers were hard to remove and it wasn’t part of any official or lawful enforcement. 🤷🏼‍♂️

BUT, I am a sticker enthusiast and by the looks of it, similar looking stickers I found on Amazon are labeled:

⚠️“Impossible to be ripped off in one piece and are designed to come apart in teeny tiny chunks.”

⚠️ “Hard to remove will get someone’s attention and show that you mean business.”

⚠️ “Difficult to completely remove. These towing stickers are designed to rip away in small chunks with significant effort and be extremely annoying to violators.”

While I sincerely apologize for the mix up of accidentally parking in your lot and I’m sure mistakes like mine are extremely frustrating for you - next time just tow my fucking car or something.

The Turkish coffee @troyawindsor was good though for anyone wondering.

#madeinyqg #yqg #windsoron #windsorontario #yqgbusiness #yqglocal #yqgwindsor #windsoront #yqgrocks #yqgsmallbusiness

A year ago today, I had the honour of being interv

A year ago today, I had the honour of being interviewed by Tracy Martens on her podcast, @yqginbloompodcast. The episode was a significant milestone for me because it was the first time I truly got to introduce myself to the community after being relatively anonymous online.

In our episode titled “Navigating Social Media, Casino Living & More with Jake from Made In YQG” you’ll get an extremely candid look into my personal journey which took me from complete social isolation to becoming extremely involved in the Windsor-Essex community.

I opened up about interesting parts of my life that many didn’t know about, including dropping out of school and living in casinos from the age of 19 until the pandemic shut them down some years later. This incredibly vulnerable interview has set the tone for how I approach personal transparency online and has since led to many meaningful discussions and opportunities.

To read more, watch the episode and see some pictures discussed on the podcast go to madeinyqg.com - link in bio! or don’t!

Make sure you check out @yqginbloompodcast! I promised her she could be my first interview so it’s only fair that she’s my first blog!

While Instagram has been the main way I share videos and updates, I’ve realized there’s so much more to these stories that doesn’t always fit into a short video or post. I’m excited to use this website as an outlet where I can go deeper, add context, and add a more journalistic approach to the content I create. What should I write about next?

#madeinyqg #windsorontario #yqg #windsoron #yqgwindsor #windsoressex #supportyqg #windsorontariocanada

Make some cotton candy with me @devonshiremall
🪨 🍭 🤏🏻🙂‍↔️🏃🌸

#madeinyqg #supportyqg #yqg #windsorontario #windsoron #yqgwindsor #windsoressex #windsorontariocanada #yqgbusiness #yqgfood #yqgfoodie #windsorfoodie #windsorfood #yqgrocks #cottoncandy #cottoncandyart #cottoncandycolors #ontariofood

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